Bring Back Trades and Guilds

My wife and I watched on of our favorite YouTubers tonight and their video on Gen Z’s return to traditionalism highlighted how so many people are moving towards buying vintage clothing or furniture due to the rapid enshittificaiton of everyday objects. I thought, how wild would it be if this progress continues and everyone starts making their own stuff instead of buying a crappy version of it? What if the corporations slowly die out, and instead people return to being artisans and gardeners. Your neighbor helps repair your boots in exchange for a new stool. You join a trade guild that mimics early Europe where they set the standard of goods, ensured fair pay, and train new craftsmen. With modern technology in the age of information it would almost seem solar punk.

Of course I’m being over optimistic and I’m not sure I see it going that far, but I do think we will see more people pick up tools and do stuff themselves. We already are with food, clothing, and furniture. If anything it’s refreshing to see more people care about quality.