Well it's a good thing plastic isn't made from petroleum. Oh wait, it is.

All throw away goods are bad goods. Cheap leather keychains, cheap leather shoes, cheap plastic shoes, plastic bottled water, etc. I think a brooks saddle falls into the "I am passing this down to my kid" category. I wear leather boots and I take them to a cobbler. They will probably last me 10 years if I get the soles replaced every so often. I see nothing wrong with that.