# Interchangeable carbon blobs. Only 1% generate any wealth.

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/interchangeable-carbon-blobs-only-1-generate-any-wealth/581976>\
**Category:** Great Debates\
**Created:** [May 15, 2011, 11:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/interchangeable-carbon-blobs-only-1-generate-any-wealth/581976 "2011-05-15T11:53:52Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 1\
**Page:** 10

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**Author:** ![emacknight](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/3ec8ea/32.png) [@emacknight](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/emacknight)\
**Post date:** [June 3, 2011, 7:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/interchangeable-carbon-blobs-only-1-generate-any-wealth/581976/181 "2011-06-03T19:47:34Z")

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> [@Try2B\_Comprehensive](#):
>
> Instead of ‘interchangeable’, how about ‘replaceable’? It’s more machiney, conjuring the notion of replaceable parts and industrialization. Ok, now consider the victory of the Japanese car companies a few decades ago. Their cars needed less ‘replacing’ because they were more durable and apparently better designed. Less maintenance made them a more valuable asset.

So what you’re saying is that Japanese cars weren’t interchangeable with the crappy American versions? That perhaps some cars are more valuable than others?

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