I don't think this is unique to the US, and not unique to the last 10 years either.

Consider this: Of all the products made a 100 years ago, only 1% was made to last for a long time. Right now the other 99% is broken and thrown away and the 1% is still being used.

We only SEE old products which are well built. That doesn't mean all old products are that way.

There are still products being build which we can use for a long time, but they don't stand out and will only be noticed after a tens of years.