Etsy
Sarnai Bayanzul

1. The author is attempting to define what is Etsy trying to accomplish by defining the meaning of handmade. “By easing the definition of “handmade”, Etsy is trying to accommodate individual vendors who are having more and more trouble keeping up with their growing volume of customers.”
She defines handmade as “it is the human care, effort and ingenuity used to create an object that is important, and not whether it fits the exact definition of handmade.” She claims, “The truth is that almost none of the objects that we think of as handmade truly are.” To prove her point she took an example from ancient Assyrian loom to spinning wheel that have been used for handmade clothes for centuries. She continues, “…machines have essentially made all the thread and yarn we buy to knit and crochet and sew our handmade sweaters, doilies and dresses.”
It is matter because the way we define is our thesis. Where we are agree or disagree with certain statement or issue.
2. In my opinion the author has single view of Etsy’s change in policy. By allowing sellers apply peddle items with manufacturing partners, Etsy is trying to accommodate individual vendors who are having more and more trouble keeping up with their growing volume of customers. Even though the definition of handmade doesn’t mean that the product has to be all done by single person, Etsy is loosing her customers by abandoning their promise. The author was defining her claim very well but didn’t very connect with Etsy’s policy change. I would easily argue with her the term handmade indicates that the object is one of a kind. The issue is not about whether its made with machines or not but it’s about being unique than being factory products.
3. She makes an argument of tools used in handcrafting by stating, “Unless you call the hand loom a machine” and “And what about the hand spindle”. She gives her credibility by mentioning “I have friends, hand-weavers, who spin their yarn from hand-processed fiber.” She used emotions like “Oops. Are those crafts then not “handmade”?”. Also she proves her point with an example: “A fully handmade item, like the fragment of Egyptian linen from 2,500 B.C. that I came across in the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston, is a testament to human skill.” She states her thesis in the beginning of her editorial and gives us explanations and claims to prove her point. She provides credible evidence that makes her claim more acceptable.