Subject:
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Re: what is ALE?
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Newsgroups:
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lugnet.general
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Date:
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Fri, 3 Jun 2005 01:55:02 GMT
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Viewed:
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7976 times
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In lugnet.off-topic.debate, Dave Schuler wrote:
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So, you like it better because there was little thought behind it? Next
you’ll be saying you voted for Bush. :)
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Holy moley, them’s fightin’ words!
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OK, that was a low blow, I apologize!
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To be honest, I’ve never heard anyone describe himself as an enthusiast of
any hobby. Even if he did, he wouldn’t say “I’m an adult train enthusiast,”
because that sounds like he’s only into burlesque trains (which he may be,
but that’s beside the point...)
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Heh, true in that case, but that’s because trains have become widely accepted as
an adult hobby. LEGO has not.
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If you’re really invested in the term, I’d suggest dropping “Adult” from the
acronym because it serves no purpose other than compartmentalization. If
you’re speaking to non-LEGO savvy listeners, chances are good that they’ll
recognize you as an adult, right?
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Yes, and they’ll be thinking: “This guy plays with LEGOs? Does he still live
with his mother and collect stickers too?”
Or worse, if the context is such that it’s clear I’m a member of some sort of
group of LEGO hobbyists, they’ll be thinking: “This guy hangs out with kids that
are into LEGO? What is he, some sort of pedophile?” These images all come from
the commonly-held assumption that LEGO is a kids’ toy, and a group of LEGO
enthusiasts is therefore a group of kids -- apart from the speaker, who must
therefore be some sort of freak.
That’s why “adult” needs to be in the group term -- it makes it clear that the
group you’re a part of is not a bunch of kids, but fully grown men and women
like yourself (er, the speaker that is).
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What’s wrong with “Hobbyist” as a term? We all participate in LEGO as a
hobby, right?
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Yes, and “hobbyist” certainly isn’t terrible. Adult LEGO Hobbyist doesn’t make
for much of an acronym, though. But I’d readily admit that it’s better than
AFOL.
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Do we all participate in LEGO as an enthusiasm? I know, it’s
not a 100% precise comparison, but I think it underscores my point that
“enthusiast,” though certainly part of the lexicon, just sounds tritely
artificial to me. Like referring to a “Bottle Shoppe” for no particular
reason.
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Hmm, very interesting -- my experience with the language is quite different.
People describe themselves as enthusiasts of this or that all the time. Perhaps
it’s a regional thing? (FWIW, I grew up in the midwest and also lived for a
number of years in San Diego.)
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Jeez, is it as serious as all that? I couldn’t care less if society accepts
or understand my involvement in the hobby.
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Well, suit yourself then, but I do care. Perfectly normal, grown men can play
with little toy trains all day long and nobody thinks them eccentric, but tell
somebody you collect and build with LEGO, and they look at you like you’re
trying to recapture your youth or some such nonsense. This annoys me. No, it’s
not important in the grand scheme of things, but I’ll do my bit to change it as
I can. We’ll knock those “World’s Greatest Hobby” train guys off their pedestal
yet!
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And, judging from the huge
response that LEGO train shows seem to garner, society welcomes “us” as well
as it welcomes any subculture of hobbyists. Even the aforementioned SCA,
haven for ubergeeks of all stripes, attracts a huge crowd whenever it puts on
a public demonstration.
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So do bearded ladies and snake charmers -- people love a spectacle. It hardly
indicates acceptance (of the sort I’m after, anyway).
Best,
- Joe
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Message has 2 Replies:
 | | Re: what is ALE?
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| (...) It certainly is interesting following this thread..... I was a secret "AFOL/ALE" from 1980-86. No internet, no knowledge of any other adult who even cared about Lego. I was in the proverbial "Lego Closet" for all those years. Then 4 things (...) (19 years ago, 3-Jun-05, to lugnet.general, FTX)
| | | Re: what is ALE?
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| (...) That's a good point. If I were to hear a child described as "into trains," I would just assume that it meant Thomas, or maybe that he liked to watch his parents' train sets. More than being "accepted" as an adult hobby, I'd guess that it's a (...) (19 years ago, 3-Jun-05, to lugnet.general, FTX)
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