Obsolescence Analysis

Generally, people are aware of the practice of built-in obsolescence, but are more naïve to fashion obsolescence. Weiser argues that this is problematic because it means the general public is looking at this problem from too narrow of a viewpoint. He urges that “the timing of product replacements is not merely determined by designers and marketers as the narrative of planned obsolescence suggests, but constantly reproduced and negotiated in the interaction between all market actors” (Weiser 159). Weiser claims that our current view of designed obsolescence only looks at “rare but most flagrant cases” because we separate what is seen as normal increases in product replacement rates from increases in product replacement rates due to intentionally

The old products end up sitting in landfills. Designed obsolescence became very popular in the 1940s and 1950s and at the time many believed that Earth’s resources were close to infinite (Beavan 150). Unfortunately, this is untrue and we need to find a way to combat this issue. I like Beavan’s suggestion of purchasing services rather than products. He specifically mentions leasing things like lawn mowers and vacuums instead of buying them (Beavan 151). I think this is a good idea because money is still being circulated, but fewer of the products have to be made. Beavan also suggests simply building things that will last but can be repaired and updated. In my opinion, this is a great idea. The consumer does not have to buy as many of the product, but the manufacturer can still profit off of it. However, I am uncertain that it would be easy to convince manufacturers to do this because it would mean they would make less money than they had in the

Beavan claims that “by 2025…two-thirds of our world’s population will face water scarcity” (Beavan 193). In the US alone, “the average single family household uses some seventy gallons of water every day” (Beavan 193). Sometimes people do not realize that the potential for water scarcity is a big of a problem as it is because they personally do not see any effects in their area. However, this issue hurts everyone, including the American population. There are already states that are out of water or dangerously close to it and “if water use continues unchecked, thirty-six American states will suffer water shortages” (Beavan 194). In addition, many of the places that grow our food are in danger of running out of water, thus putting both our freshwater and food supplies in jeopardy (Beavan 194). Another huge issue is that the water that is available has a high chance of becoming polluted. Manmade chemicals from farms, factories, and households end up in the water. This means that both the drinking water and the animals that we will later catch to eat have a good chance of being contaminated. I think that most people would agree that it is important to preserve and protect water, but I don’t think most people realize how much they are really using each day or how their lifestyles could be polluting it. So, I believe that a good start to solving this problem would be to educate the general public on average water