Subject:
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Let's replace "AFOL" with "ALE"
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Newsgroups:
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lugnet.general
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Date:
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Thu, 26 May 2005 20:02:29 GMT
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Viewed:
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4171 times
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In lugnet.general, David Eaton wrote:
> In lugnet.general, Mike Walsh wrote:
> >
> > Re-reading my post, I don't think I worded it as strongly as I should have.
> > I really dislike the term "AFOL" and find it mildly offensive to be called
> > one. I would never refer to myself as an AFOL and I don't use the word in
> > conversation. Could be just me, but I don't care for the term.
It's not just you, Mike -- I feel much the same way.
(David replied)
> ...
> I know other people have objected to the word "Lego" since they don't feel that
> they're fans of the *company* per se, but feel more like fans of the bricks
> themselves-- in some cases even being fans of *other* brands in addition to
> Lego. Perhaps "ABBE" (Adult Building Brick Enthusiast)?
I'm sure there are such cases, but from what I've seen, the majority of people
in this community really are much more enthusiastic about LEGO bricks than clone
bricks.
> Personally, I've always been happy calling myself an AFOL, but I'd probably be
> happy to call myself any of the acronyms that have been tossed around (though I
> personally would want to include the "Lego", since I'm partly dedicated to the
> brand thanks to nostalgia in a way that I'll never be attached to other brands).
All right then. I hereby propose that we, as a community, try to start using
the term "Adult LEGO Enthusiast" (ALE if you want an acrynom) in place of AFOL.
It's more accurate, sounds less stilted when you say the whole thing, and is
more clearly pronouncable in acronym form. From my own experience, it will make
a better impression on people who aren't LEGO enthusiasts when we try to explain
about our hobby.
While it does still exclude kids, I think that's necessary for the term to be
useful, as people *expect* kids to be into things like LEGO. What's distinctive
about us, from the non-ALE's point of view, is that we're into LEGO *and* we're
adults. We need a term that recognizes that, and makes it clear that this is a
large and active adult hobby. Otherwise, if I just tell a non-ALE that I'm a
serious LEGO builder, they will simply assume that all the other serious LEGO
builders are kids and I have some maturity issues to work through. (This is
unlike model trains, which have become accepted as an adult hobby in common
culture -- LEGO is not to that point yet, though it is making progress.)
It will take a while for such a change to spread, but if even a few of us make
an effort to use the term whenever the opportunity rises, then it will have a
fair chance. So please tell all the ALEs you know!
Best,
- Joe
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Message has 1 Reply:
Message is in Reply To:
 | | Re: About the term "AFOL"
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| (...) What aspect of the term do you feel is inaccurate? From your post, it would seem that you object to the word "fan", because it implies a stronger dedication than the word "hobbyist"? Of course, the resulting acronym with "Hobbyist" is .. uh... (...) (19 years ago, 26-May-05, to lugnet.general, lugnet.faq)
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