Dumb question #643: should speaker cables last a lifetime?

Copper oxide slows down further oxidation.

I think the cable hype is just that, but the oxidation thing has got me thinking...  thanks! 

Mitch, stereo5, that’s funny lol..they should last more than a lifetime, here at Agon cables lifespan is only three weeks... Either we retire them or replace them as often than our underwear...

If you clean your cable ends (speaker and interconnects) once a year, you will probably feel less urgency to upgrade your cables. It will likely sound like a good component upgrade. Try CRC QD Contact Cleaner from Home Depot or Harbor Freight. About $7-$8 for a spray can that will last many years.

gammajo has made the observation I have been waiting for:   I too have modest quality 10G fine-strand copper speaker cable with clear sheathing.  Within 5 years, green oxidation is evident over the copper's surface throughout the length of the cables.  
The question for our group is this:  if we keep our connection (exposed) ends clean, does the fact that the surface of the sheathed strands is oxidized matter?  randy-11 makes a point:  is the core oxidized? I would say 'no', but isn't it true that signal transmission takes place primarily on wire strand surfaces, so who cares about the "core"?  
The fact that our sheathing is clear should not matter (light certainly does not cause this oxidation...)...so one might think that this happens to opaque sheath cabling as well...
So, electrophysicists weigh in:  does oxidized fine copper strand speaker cable (with clean connections) impede signal transmission significantly?  Thanks.