Summaries of group sentiments about their product in GA1 (luxury/necessity and what they would do if it could no longer be manufactured)
1. We came to the consensus that books are no longer a necessity, they are now a luxury. We feel this way because the internet is rapidly taking over the process of obtaining information and makes it much easier. We feel that if out product is no longer manufactured it would not be a problem and people could just use the internet to read the same material and information that they find in books.
2. Shoes are a necessity within modern society. Shoes have been worn since the beginning of documented history. They help to curb the spread of diseases and provide support to the body to prevent premature aging. If shoes were not mass produced anymore, we would have to defer back to the previous mode of shoe creation, where cobblers would make each individual shoe. This would heighten the cost of the shoes and would decrease the amount of shoes in circulation (as people would most likely want to wear their shoes until they are falling apart so as to avoid the increased prices), but shoes would still get made.
3. Group 3 came to the conclusion that automobiles were an overall luxury for the vast majority of the population. Also, that because there are so many alternative ways of transportation, automobiles are needed even less. Luxury cars, ones that cost upwards of $50,000 or so, are also even more of a luxury and not needed. In the event that automobiles were no longer produced, our group decided the public transportation such as buses, or planes and trains would be an excellent solution.
4. In group four we looked at antiperspirant, and came to the conclusion that petroleum is not used in the product itself, but is used in making the plastic casing most antiperspirant comes in. We decided that it could easily be manufactured without the use of petroleum because the primary elements are aluminum and silicon. Instead, antiperspirants could all come in different packaging. If, however, this were not a possibility, the group came to the consensus that antiperspirant would not have to be used. Since many people in the world already live without it, we saw it as a luxury item. In the case of an impossibility of manufacturing antiperspirant, other, more environmentally friendly perfumes could be used, or people could merely adjust to life without the use of antiperspirant.
5. My group decided that a skateboard is without question a luxury because of how many other forms of transportation there are available. Without a skateboard, people could simply get to their destination by car, walking, biking, scooters, roller blades, along with many other modes of transportation. Therefore, it may be a lifestyle shock for some people more than others, but life would still go on without much of an issue.
6. The consensus group 6 came to about whether a cellphone is a luxury or necessity is that it is essentially a luxury. In today's society, it has been made into a necessity in many people's minds. They can not picture their lives without one. But in reality, they are not essential to a person's well-being and health. If cellphones were no longer manufactured, people would need to go through a long adjustment process, but they would still be able to communicate with different
means. These means include the internet: chat rooms, social networking sites, instant messanger, and email; land line telephones, and writing letters. These ways may not be as convenient as a cellphone, but they work well.
7. In regards to question 6A, our group believes that toothpaste is not a necessity but instead is a luxury. We believe this because toothpaste is not essential in our survival and was invented for beneficiary purposes including proper hygiene. Although it is to our advantage to use toothpaste, we would be able to live without it, thus making it a luxury. As an alternate for toothpaste, our group agreed that baking soda could be used to brush our teeth along with excessive mouthwash and gum.
8. The consensus for our group is that a camera with film is a luxury. We don't need a camera to survive and having pictures of family and friends is a not a necessity. It might be something that we won't but like the camera in the end we do not need it.
When we discussed what we would do if they didn't produce cameras with film anymore everyone said that we had digital cameras so it was okay. One person also suggested making your own camera. When doing research for the project many of us went back and looked at the history of cameras and film. One article talks about how to make a pinhole camera, so if you really wanted a camera with film that would be the way to go. How to make the film would be another problem all together.
9. My group, group 9, which covered Mp3 players, had a productive discussion about how they're made, the materials required and the reasons why they are luxuries though they are now widespread and commonplace, especially in younger generations. We discussed the manpower and resources which go into mining the minerals needed to build an electronic product like this. Also, we reached the consensus that petroleum use for transportation and manufacture must be significant.
10. Our product was a backpack. We had a general group consensus that a backpack is a luxury, because while it is very handy for carrying materials like books and folders, there are other means by which to transport things. Some alternatives that the group came up with were plastic or paper bags, boxes, purses, satchels, rolling carts, burlap sacks, etc. We were lucky to have a product with many alternatives and thus many alternative means of production or opportunity for alteration within the design.
11. Our group(11) came to the consensus that a television set was a luxury, because people do not need one to survive, and there are other ways of finding news or entertainment.-6a
We also decided that if televisions were no longer made, we could simply read newspapers or look up articles on the internet for news stories. Books, movies, and computers all provide entertainment, too, especially with the rise in popularity of Youtube.
12. Our group, group 12, concluded that water bottles were definitely a luxury and that we could all live without them. Of course this would cause major obstacles when trying to carry water around so we came up with some alternate solutions; more water fountains in heavily populated areas, purchasing one bottle (some sort of reusable vessel) and that could carry your water or altogether everyone switching to the new Biota water bottle. The Biota water bottle is amazing, it is made from corn and disintegrates into the earth within 80 days. This could be an amazing step in bottled water (I am sure that Aquafina and Arrowhead will not be happy about this).
All in all it was a good discussion.
13. The consensus that we came to in our group activity was that detergent is a necessity. It is so because of societal norms, and also because cleanliness prevents disease. If the product could not be produced any longer we decided we could go back to using the older version of soap, or change to an all organic cleaning method.
14. Our group came to the decision that owning a bicycle was a luxury. While it was a efficient means of transportation, and far less detrimental to the environment than a gasoline powered vehicle, there is not an absolute need for a bicycle in our day to day lives. There are simply too many other viable alternatives to get from place to place. When considering how a cease in
production of bicycles would affect us it was concluded that the effects would definitely be visible around our community but would be far from catastrophic. Once again, there are plenty of other alternative means of transport, making the bike unnecessary. People would simply drive, walk, skateboard, ride a horse etc?
15. Our group concluded that although sunblock
is very useful, especially if one lives in a particularly sunny region such as
Make-up, Wed 1-2, Feb. 6. For the make-up group with D-cell batteries there were no other members except me. I concluded that the D-cell battery is both a luxury and a necessity at some times. If production of D-cell batteries ceased then I think society would still be able to function normally. In the process of researching the components of a battery I realized that petroleum does have a big impact on our lives and everything we use, and its something we take for granted.