In praise of the throwaway society...

Yesterday, I heard someone use the phrase "throwaway society"- which got me thinking. Usually, the term "throwaway society" is used as a put-down, as a way of saying that we are too materialistic/consumeristic, that too much of our stuff today is crap instead of being built to last.

I tend to see things the opposite way. The fact that we live in a throwaway society isn't a sign that things are worse than they used to be, but rather better than they ever have been. True, we don't repair things as much as we used to - but that's because we don't have to and don't want to, not because we can't. And it's better that way.

And I'm not saying this simply as a beliver that manufacturers are involved in schemes of making things intentionally obsolete, but rather because being able to replace instead of repairing is a sign of wealth.

What would you rather have - a repaired 27" TV or the latest plasma? A pair of patched/darned socks, or a fresh-out-the-package pair? Your beat-up toaster with a new cord or a shiny new toaster with bagel-sized slots and burn control?

Most people would answer the latter, and vote with their wallets. I would theorize that there are three reasons for this:

1)lower prices. Thanks to free(er) trade, advancement of assembly-line production technology, and increased competition, it costs less to make an item and thus they sell for less. When the price difference is small (or it costs more to fix an item than replace) people will naturally decide to buy a new one. Much of this is the efficiency of mass-production - it's easier for a bunch of people in an assembly line to put an item together quickly than some guy taking apart with a screwdriver.

2)Increased wealth - people have more money than they did in the past, and because of #1 lower prices, they have more things. A hundred years or so ago, most people had 1 or two sets of clothes, and they made up a significant part of their budget. Now, you can get a decent sweater for a couple dollars, and it makes up a tiny part of your budget. So when that sweater snags, you'll toss it and buy a new one instead of sewing it - because you can afford to.

3)Increased features - products are getting better all the time, and especially for electronics, chances are the latest model has some neat features that didn't exist when your couple-year-old broken one was made. So that's an added incentive to go new.

Some will argue that the throwaway society has been bad for other reasons - increased trash, loss of old-school charm, ect. The "landfill crisis" has been debunked by many, such as Bjorn Lumborg in the Sceptical Enviromentalist. And if people cared about old-school charm, they wouldn't vote with their wallets for assembly-line products.

So throw something out today - the throwaway society is a sign of how good things are.