TR, I think you've hot the nail on the head there.
No longer is the emphasis on 'making things work.' Rather, it is a desire to 'be beyond criticism,' or to have 'met requirements.' There's an overwhelming attitude that everything is interchangeable.
What fool would make, or buy, a $10 item when theres a $1 version available?
My answer? The same "fool" who buys a $50,000 BMW in preference to the $5000 Yugo.
