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Subject: 
Re: American LEGO culture different than German LEGO culture?
Newsgroups: 
lugnet.general, lugnet.loc.de
Date: 
Tue, 6 Jun 2006 14:58:51 GMT
Viewed: 
4389 times
  
In lugnet.general, Marc Nelson Jr. wrote:
   As for myself, this American kid always put the model togther first, then took it apart after a few days. What “culture” is that?

I guess I can’t agree with the analogy, unless they’re driving at something very different. American kids do NOT want to go build their own things. They follow the instructions, and they’re done. True, I think the model often comes apart when it’s time to “put that away now” or something (since it seems a very American trend to have a little bucket of loose Lego bricks). But the focus for American kids is still to build the featured model.

But perhaps the difference they’re going for is that it’s put away afterwards in the American culture, but not in Germany? IE that German kids keep their models together forever, and need a new one to build, versus American kids who move on to something else?

I do agree with their conclusion, though-- German culture seems to focus more on organization, neat-and-tidy, being modular, efficient. And I think that creates an attraction to Lego as a toy. Basically, Lego appeals to the values of organization, orderly grids, variability, etc., which German society cares about more than American society. Not so much in how the models are actually built, but where the enjoyment is in them.

I guess the image I would expect is that the German kids are *building* with Lego to get their enjoyment, and the American kids are *playing* with what they already *built*. In other words, a focus on the finished product (in America) rather than the construction process.

DaveE



Message is in Reply To:
  American LEGO culture different than German LEGO culture?
 
Just saw this via Google News: (URL) Selling Lego and The "Culture Code" for Germany> by Clotaire Rapaille (June 6, 2006) DNA makes a creature human, but what makes someone an American? Is there a "culture code" that programs us to become German, or (...) (18 years ago, 6-Jun-06, to lugnet.general, lugnet.loc.de, FTX)

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