Old New Yorker Article

[attends_99]

I found this article written by Malcolm Gladwell back in 2001. It is old but I found it very interesting. It explains at least part of the reason that diapers have gotten thinner over the years. It also gives a nice little history of the Dispoable Diaper.

http://www.gladwell.com/2001/2001_11_26_a_diaper.htm

[freswith]

That is one brilliant piece of journalism!

I hate to think how some of our UK journalists would have handled it. After caterwauling for 400 words about the loss of jobs in the closed diaper plants, they would have wailed for another 400 on the landfill required to dispose of them. They would have stressed the value of "real nappies" and finally had a groan at the bonuses paid to the management of the plant, then a nasty slander on the health risks of the gel, and a final swipe at the fact that it was an American invention. Alas, our babies haven't got the capacity to chuck these woolly-hatted wafflers in the nappy pail, but all the while the mothers quietly vote with their feet, the babies express a silent contentment, and the woolly hats wonder why they "can't get their message across against all the lies in the right-wing press"!

[Jabez]

That was a very insightful article!

[attends_99]

I like the euphemism the industry came up with...insult

So from this day on let it be known that I no longer wet my diaper; I insult it! Does that mean, though, that I should apologize to it after insulting it??

[freswith]

I like the euphemism the industry came up with...insult

So from this day on let it be known that I no longer wet my diaper; I insult it! Does that mean, though, that I should apologize to it after insulting it??

You'd better - or it might slap your face!

[attends_99]

You'd better - or it might slap your face!

[Angela Bauer]

Hi Attends99 and many thanks for reminding us about Malcom Gladwell's New Yorker article. Once or twice a year since early 2002 on various diaper sites we have discussed the information contained and the quality of the reporting.

Of course this represents what data Kimberly-Clark was willing to share with the public in 2001, so is hardly state-of-the-art currently.

For more details from a really qualified expert on design, testing and manufacturing baby disposables, I strongly suggest visiting the delightful websidte of Carlos Richer Consulting

http://disposablediaper.net/

Sr. Richer started the industry of manufacturing baby disposables in Latin America. His experience and his contacts are world-wide. Of course you will find all that out after a few minutes reading his material.

Should you care to DYI testing disposables, Richer has advice about that, which has helped countless students win science fairs. For teen babies that is one way to obtain diapers without being cross-examined. When in middle school and again in high school my now 20 year-old niece Karen made good use of information generously provided by Sr. Richer to win her fairs.

[square_duck]

This also changes the saying "adding insult to injury".

Hmmmmm I wonder if this could be interpreted as peeing in an already poopy (injured) diaper...

It sends the mind spinning......

qwack

[adriansurley]

I feel even more educated now about diapers...learned a few things!

[JDL23]

A well-written article. I tend to like Gladwell's work, ever since I had to read his book Blink in my freshman year at college. And I learned something about the evolution of diapers, so that's not bad either. Something to think about next time I wear.

[ppbenn]

I will agree with everyone her that was a great article. I would still like there to be more 'fluff" in disosables, however now I understand why there is not. Thanks for bringing that here and to my attention.