I dislike this kind of analysis, because it really rests on an unsupported point:

"The encrappification of America dates back centuries. While there were, undoubtedly, once village blacksmiths who forged brittle nails, farm women who adulterated their butter, and tailors who cut corners, these were the exceptions. Most things were made by skilled and reputable hands working with good intentions, supplying the needs of people within local communities. "

That's a tremendous assertion to make, and it's more about the author's particular view of an ideal past than anything. Golden Age thinking tends to assume people were better in the past in some way, as opposed to being like us but just with different challenges to face. It's not really responsible to keep that premise unexamined.