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Culture of Disposability

"Just Parenting" Blog

The Culture of Disposability

People think my wife and I are crazy for using cloth diapers. There are many days, too, when I think my wife and I are crazy for using cloth diapers. Honestly, they are a lot of work and my threshold for dealing with “gross” has had to increase tenfold. We have our reasoning, though, and our reasoning has kept us motivated through almost a whole year of using them. People usually think of our choice as environmentally motivated and, at first, this was the case for us. As we researched, we found that experts are divided on the environmental impacts of cloth systems vs. disposables.  While this argument is interesting (Google it sometime), I have to admit, it is not the driving factor behind our choice. Other people think our decision was financially motivated. Unlike the environmental impacts, we don’t need experts to weigh in on this argument: our checking account proves that we will save hundreds of dollars over the life of the cloth diapers. And yet, the financial benefit of the cloth diapers is still not the primary motivating factor for us. So what then compels us to the extra effort, the tolerance of “gross,” and the strange looks from family, friends, and strangers alike?

For us, cloth diapers are a tangible answer to what I am starting to call “the culture of disposability” that permeates our country and most likely prevails in much of the developed world.  The culture of disposability abounds when personal convenience becomes the primary driving force behind individual decisions, while other factors – like accounting for limited earthly resources, fair wages for workers, and environmental health – do not factor into our decision making processes. Our fast-paced society doesn’t lend to processes of true discernment when making purchases by asking questions such as: how did this get to me, who played a part in its production, and what is the impact my purchase or my garbage might have on the earth? I don’t have time to research and debate every little choice or have time to fix or repurpose every object I own. But should I? Should I at least be thinking more critically about the snowball effect of these small choices that I make primarily by finding the choice that is most convenient for ME?

I have the great privilege of working with college students for a living. If I have noticed anything during the last 12 years of doing this work, I have noticed this: young adults have significant challenges and distinct generational circumstances that make their lives seem more complicated than mine was not that long ago. They are coming of age in a different world. This different world includes the burgeoning culture of disposability. What I fear for them is that a culture of disposability affects not only our consumptive habits (our clothes shopping, our resistance to car-pooling, our endless pursuit of the newest technology), but also our interpersonal habits. I fear that as we teach our children that the diaper or the toy or the year-old smartphone is disposable, so too are we are teaching them that our friendships, our romantic relationships, our affection, our promises, our commitments are disposable as well. On a college campus, nothing is more disposable than your one-night stand partner in the “hook-up” culture. And if we, as a society, keep teaching our children that the earth’s resources can be thrown away (through our compulsive consumption that spawns practices like the removal of mountain-tops for mining, for instance) and that people can be thrown away (through our inhumane labor practices rampant in the global economy, for instance), then we will not teach them love or justice.

I don’t claim to think that choosing cloth diapers makes us saints or makes us defenders of environmental justice or even absolves us as parents who enable the culture of disposability. We have LOTS of room to grow when it comes to building a life that reflects our inner values and honors the God in all things and people. We can hope though. And as parents, maybe that is all we can do? Make decisions we think foster love and justice in our home and then hope like hell that our kids come to appreciate the values underneath those particular decisions. We can hope that the cloth diapers or the hand-me-down clothing or the recycled toys tell the story of respecting how our decisions have ramifications on the world around us. We can hope that personal convenience isn’t the primary motivating factor for our children as they grow older. We can hope that our children will come to understand that fostering love and justice in the world necessitates that they stand firmly opposed to this aspect of the culture of our time, the part of our culture that tries to convince them that things and people and promises are disposable.

Our hopes rest in movements, big and small, that sustain our earth and honor all people. So to you, this digital community of parents fostering justice in the world: What are the big or small ways you hope to teach your children the value of all life in all forms?

10 replies
  1. dave shaut
    dave shaut says:

    Hi Greg–
    Thanks for the perspective on what in our lives is disposable. When we were deciding cloth v huggies an additional factor was what a daycare provider would accommodate. Cloth diapers are legal at daycares in our state, but, in many others are not. This is an interesting example of how our representatives need to be engaged on making society less disposable.
    Congrats on your one-year old. Our daughter Brooke turns one today. She was due on leap day but was a little late 🙂
    –dave

    Reply
  2. Greg
    Greg says:

    Dave,
    Great point! Luckily, we found a childcare provider who was willing to use the cloth. I love the phrase: We have to make it easier for people to do good. Legislation like you’re recommending seems in line with the spirit of that phrase. Also, I know of places around the country that charge residents a garbage removal fee according to the amount of trash they put on the curb… I find that compelling…
    Congrats on your daughter as well!
    Greg

    Reply
  3. Heather McNamara
    Heather McNamara says:

    Great post, Greg, though I don’t think cloth diapering is really much “grosser” than using throwaways 🙂

    By the way, most states DO allow cloth diapers in daycares, though there is definitely more education needed at the level of individual daycare providers. Only Maine requires a doctor’s note for it, but there’s a committed group of advocates working to change that. Now the only behind-the-times group is the military daycares, which still require a doctor’s note. If you hear of anyone looking for a cloth diaper friendly childcare provider, there’s a directory here: http://daycare.realdiaperindustry.org/ It also includes a tip sheet for convincing your existing provider to accept your cloth diapers…

    Heather McNamara, Executive Director, Real Diaper Association

    Reply
    • Greg
      Greg says:

      Good info, Heather.

      After I submitted this post I realized that I made cloth diapering seem overly difficult and gross. I should have added at the end that it really isn’t that hard once you get into the rhythm of it.

      Thanks again for sharing your expertise and link!
      Greg

      Reply
  4. Reuze
    Reuze says:

    Diaper Recycling Technology is a manufacturing company that develops a cost effective and efficient equipment in recycling technology that can recycle diapers and factory waste. We aim to develop an environmental friendly technology for mankind. We have a wide range of equipment that we developed such as Factory Waste Recycling, Raw Material Management, Raw Material Packaging.

    Reply
  5. Nancy Davis
    Nancy Davis says:

    This article on the “Culture of Disposability” is very thought-provoking. It is concerning how we have become a society that is so quick to discard items that are no longer useful or trendy. The author makes a valid point about how this disposable mentality can be seen in other areas, such as relationships and even people. It is important to take a step back and think about the impact our actions have on the environment and society as a whole. This article is a great reminder to be more mindful about our consumerism and to work towards a more sustainable future.

    Reply
  6. Gartendeko
    Gartendeko says:

    Thank you for articulating such a crucial message with eloquence and passion. Your blog sparks reflection and, hopefully, acts as a catalyst for meaningful conversations on breaking free from the shackles of disposability.

    Reply

Trackbacks & Pingbacks

  1. […] ALL = Reconciling with those who have harmed us. LOVE ALL = Treating no one as if she or he is disposable. LOVE ALL = Denouncing violence of any kind. LOVE ALL = Living mercifully. LOVE ALL = Living like […]

  2. […] LOVE ALL = Reconciling with those who have harmed us. LOVE ALL = Treating no one as if she or he is disposable. LOVE ALL = Denouncing violence of any kind. LOVE ALL = Living mercifully. LOVE ALL = Living like […]

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