Reviving the Right to Repair
Way back in the 20th century, I lived in New England, where the phrase “Mickey Mouse” was slang for a slapdash repair accomplished with whatever might be at hand: duct tape, empty soup cans, wire hangers, pepper and BB pellets. My recently published essay, “Mickey Mouse Fix,” in the swanky online journal Dorothy Parker’s Ashes tells the tale of how I fixed my 1972 Plymouth Duster with these magical items., and how I later repaired a 2012 Honda Odyssey with the 21st century’s best slap-dash repair advance, the zip-tie.
“Mickey Mouse,” or just “Mickey” could also be used as a verb, as in “I mickey-moused that motherfucker.”
All profanity aside, the right to repair is a serious issue. Throwing away our broken things and buying new ones serves capitalism and its billionaire class, not us, the ordinary folks. It also creates dangerous waste products. Some states have enacted right to repair laws covering consumer electronics and appliances. In other states, legislation is pending. A national bill was recently introduced.
Get your Mickey on!
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