by R. Diguette

Painting: The HMS Beagle, by Conrad Martens.

Every time I put on a pair of summer shorts I find myself wondering about the lowly metal snap.  It seems to be going the way of the Neanderthal, slowly but surely dying out of existence, perhaps eventually one day to be re-discovered as just another unfortunate victim of the march of time.  In its place we have the plastic button.  But why is this happening?  In what way is the plastic button superior to, or better adapted to survive than, the metal snap?

Consider this.  Metal snaps seldom if ever fall off.  The same most assuredly cannot be said for plastic buttons.  For instance, when was the last time a garment of yours came back from the dry cleaners missing a snap?  Never?  But when was the last time a garment came back missing a button?  Last week?  Yesterday?  You see what I mean?  Buttons fall off whereas snaps typically do not.…