Invasion of the LED Borg
There has been a movement to phase out incandescent light bulbs across the world for the majority of the 21st century so far, carried into policy by many governments, predominantly acting in the name of electrical efficiency. The United States made their own foray into this movement with a ban on incandescents in 2023 under the Biden Administration, before being worked back by the Trump Administration in 2025. This two year clampdown on the incandescent industry was highly impactful on domestic producers of light bulbs, and the effect it quickly had on our shelves is still entirely transformational. Incandescents are nearly nowhere to be found now.
A relative of mine was working a shift in a Home Depot when an elderly lady walked up to him and tapped his shoulder to ask a question.
“Are there any real light bulbs left?”
My relative had read the news.
“No, I’m sorry ma’am.”
He told me it looked like her eyes were going to well up as she said “ok”, thanked him and walked away.
As an attempt to pretend the problem never occurred, when you go to the light bulb section at Target or another department store, you will see a type of light called “vintage feel” lightbulbs, prominently made by General Electric. These lightbulbs have faux filament strips inside of them to emulate the appearance of the famous Edison bulbs, used by speakeasies and chic hotels today to complete the ambience and atmosphere of their rooms. However, they are still LED lights, and General Electric no longer manufactures any type of incandescent lights.
Does ambience or atmosphere matter? As concepts, do we value the sources of the appearances we appreciate, the components making up the décor inside the buildings of our towns, the true structure of the elements which bring us joy when we are in their presence? Corporate and state-run parking lots don’t think so, but there are towns here in the U.S. still running old-fashioned lighting in their downtown districts.
Austin, Texas is becoming less and less like one of those towns. When I was at UT, the stadium changed their lights to LED. I called and made my opposition, but they didn’t post my quote! They did admit that students hated the lights though. The white lights sear the eyes, lay heavy pounds on your shoulders, inhumanity incarnate. And the new crop of “vintage feel” lightbulbs are the equivalent of plastic fruit placed on a theatrical set. This gross stageplay of proper lighting fulfills the textbook definition of a simulacrum, a false representation of reality.
There are no serious luddites in the technology conversation, and we don’t oppose the new in itself, but the demand to keep the old with us is apparent in more areas than just the light bulb aisle, and the searing ocular shock of current LED lighting is proof we need to keep the old correctly.
Are old street lamps, incandescent or sodium vapor, just art pieces now symbolizing a more beautiful time so distant it’s bordered beyond our living continuum, or was there a time when art pieces were the standard for fixtures in public places? Our spaces matter, and that is part of the old that we will keep, not just in spirit but in physical perpetuity, with the new.
The U.S. isn’t the only nation clamping down on incandescent bulbs, it’s in fact been a global movement, spearheaded by places as far reaching as the UN and WEF.