4 ms·

Why dont we call leather what it is - chemically treated skin Because we're allowed to put words to new uses Language is open-source

duxup 3y ago
I know what leather is. I’ve no idea what “vegan leather” is. Plastic, some sort of plant material, something else?
- gyanreyer 3y ago
  [flagged]
- thfuran 3y ago
  You can't charge nearly as much for "plastic" as for "vegan leather" though.
  - duxup 3y ago
    It’s funny how that works. I remember when fake leather was generally thought of as a bad thing, granted at times it could be really plastic like and brittle…. but at some point it clearly became both cheaper and really durable. I wouldn’t mind if it just said “plastic” or “imitation leather”. It’s not a bad thing to my ears. I’m remodeling my house and all the flooring I’m looking at looks like wood…. but it is not wood and I like that.
    - bornfreddy 3y ago
      Is the platic leather durable though? Aside from the cars interior, I haven't noticed one that lasted more than a few years. Headphones are especially annoying in that the covers start falling apart long before other parts break.
      - Kirby64 3y ago
        It can be. The answer is 'it depends'. The polyurethane based 'vegan leather' used in many automotive applications is typically more durable than leather. It also doesn't have any of the issues with regular leather related to drying out (it tends to crack if you don't add conditioners to it).
thfuran 3y ago
That doesn't mean mean every conceivable use of words is helpful or desirable. "Vegan leather" is an oxymoron that only tells you what it isn't. It's barely more useful than "non-wooden".
RobotToaster 3y ago
>Why dont we call leather what it is - chemically treated skin Because that's literally the definition of leather: "a material made from the skin of an animal by tanning or a similar process." You may as well argue we should call headphones "a pair of earphones joined by a band placed over the head, for listening to audio signals such as music or speech."
- codeulike 3y ago
  That was exactly my point. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vegan_leather https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vegan_leather

duxup 3y ago

I know what leather is. I’ve no idea what “vegan leather” is. Plastic, some sort of plant material, something else?

gyanreyer 3y ago
[flagged]
thfuran 3y ago
You can't charge nearly as much for "plastic" as for "vegan leather" though.
- duxup 3y ago
  It’s funny how that works. I remember when fake leather was generally thought of as a bad thing, granted at times it could be really plastic like and brittle…. but at some point it clearly became both cheaper and really durable. I wouldn’t mind if it just said “plastic” or “imitation leather”. It’s not a bad thing to my ears. I’m remodeling my house and all the flooring I’m looking at looks like wood…. but it is not wood and I like that.
  - bornfreddy 3y ago
    Is the platic leather durable though? Aside from the cars interior, I haven't noticed one that lasted more than a few years. Headphones are especially annoying in that the covers start falling apart long before other parts break.
    - Kirby64 3y ago
      It can be. The answer is 'it depends'. The polyurethane based 'vegan leather' used in many automotive applications is typically more durable than leather. It also doesn't have any of the issues with regular leather related to drying out (it tends to crack if you don't add conditioners to it).

thfuran 3y ago

That doesn't mean mean every conceivable use of words is helpful or desirable. "Vegan leather" is an oxymoron that only tells you what it isn't. It's barely more useful than "non-wooden".

RobotToaster 3y ago

>Why dont we call leather what it is - chemically treated skin Because that's literally the definition of leather: "a material made from the skin of an animal by tanning or a similar process." You may as well argue we should call headphones "a pair of earphones joined by a band placed over the head, for listening to audio signals such as music or speech."

codeulike 3y ago
That was exactly my point. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vegan_leather https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vegan_leather