MADE TO BREAK, PART 1

       Slade's  Made To Break discusses the purposeful manufacturing of obsolete products in the US. we have fostered a culture  where  disposable consumer goods are the norm. The thought process of many business owners starting in the early 20 th century, was " How can I manage my business...so that i can be sure of a permanent and growing body of consumers?" The biggest reason for this need of a higher demand was overproduction and manufacturing, and  this problem was  solved simply by selling more. Slade goes on to discuss the different approaches of disposable products for  men and women, such as paper  collars for men. Style and temporary usefulness superseded  long term reliability: " With mechanical quality now more or less a given, people became interested in sophisticated design and presentation..." What began as a mentality of disposability toward physical goods and  products had now began spilling over to ideas, and had become a staple principle of the American people. This new state of mind allowed for tossing away things before their usefulness was completed. In a way, this largely contributed to the market crash in 1929. People were buying more and more goods on credit, even if it was pinching their savings.
      Slade speaks through a relatively neutral tone, and gives a general overview and history of technological obsolescence, but he does bring up a some good points. While our worship of novelty can be viewed as a good thing, the flip side is the tremendous amount of wasted that is created as a result. Most of this waste is is not recycled but just fills landfills.
     While there is a large environmental effect of electronic waste being neglectfully disposed of, Slade notes that is is both manufacturer's marketing  ploys, and American consumers' love of the new that leads to obsolescence. However i don't think it prevents us from having attachments to our possessions. People still love their ipod, even if it breaks after  a few years. The culture of our country is to rave about new features on gadgets being released  next month; whereas  the fact that these gadgets are not so reliable sort of takes the back seat, unless it's blatant. Furthermore, it is more important for us to have a "cool" image with the new iphone as opposed to a paperweight samsung from 1999. Just like the manufacturers package and brand  their products, we too, brand ourselves to everyone around us using these  products.