Subject:
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Re: what is ALE?
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Newsgroups:
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lugnet.off-topic.debate
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Date:
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Thu, 2 Jun 2005 20:29:47 GMT
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Viewed:
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8918 times
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In lugnet.off-topic.debate, Dave Schuler wrote:
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To purists, I barely qualify as an “AFOL,” but even I agree that that
term is preferable to “ALE.” AFOL has history behind it, and its creation
was organic, rather than deliberate, and it therefore has greater aesthetic
appeal to me on those grounds alone.
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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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I don’t care if either is “easier” to pronounce--no one I know “pronounces”
ETA, RSVP, or USA. “AFOL” is an abbreviation, not an acronym.
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Some people spell it out, but even that isn’t very euphonic -- unlike the other
initialisms you mention, AFOL when spelled quickly sounds more like a word
(ayafoal) than a string of letters.
But the real problem isn’t when speaking to other ALEs (or whatever you choose
to call them), but when speaking to people who aren’t into LEGO. I’ve tried
this on a number of occasions since coming out of my dark ages: “I’m an adult
fan of LEGO...” The result is almost always a “you’re joking, right?” sort of
grin, because it sounds so ridiculously pompous. It’s like saying “I’m a
drinker of wines.” It’s stilted and sounds silly. When have you ever heard a
train enthusiast describe themselves as an “adult fan of trains”?
So, from now on, I’ll be introducing my passion this way: “I’m an adult LEGO
enthusiast” -- “LEGO enthusiast” just like “train enthusiast,” plus “adult”
since (unlike the train hobby) LEGO is still seen by most people as a toy for
children. Adding “adult” defines adult LEGO enthusiasts as a group, implying
that there are others, and that the speaker isn’t just having maturity issues.
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IMO (also an abbreviation rather than an acronym!), to call oneself an
“enthusiast” is to make oneself sound hopelessly effete and snobbish.
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Nonsense; it’s a standard term -- there are train enthusiasts, wine enthusiasts,
music enthusiasts and so on. If you want effete and snobbish, use “afficionado”
instead. (And if you want crass, use “buff” -- enthusiast is comfortably in the
middle.)
Laugh all you want, but I think this is a small but important part of getting
the society we live in to accept and understand the LEGO hobby.
Best,
- Joe
P.S. Is this really off-topic?
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Message has 4 Replies:
 | | Re: what is ALE?
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| (...) Ahem, Joe, but they were mocking your hobby choice, not your title! :-) (...) I've always preferred "lush", but "wine taster" isn't much better. (...) Don't be surprised if they still laugh:-) (...) Joe, terms like "AFOL" are "in-house", part (...) (19 years ago, 2-Jun-05, to lugnet.off-topic.debate, FTX)
| | | Re: what is ALE?
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| (...) Holy moley, them's fightin' words! (...) I don't know. I can think of all kinds of abbreviations that don't snuggle into the ear all that pleasantly. The Society for Creative Anachronisms (The SCA, which sounds like ESS-YAY) is one such (...) (19 years ago, 2-Jun-05, to lugnet.off-topic.debate, FTX)
| | | Re: what is ALE?
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| (...) Huh-- I almost never say "fan of Lego" or "AFOL" to people who aren't in the hobby, because it just doesn't give them a good frame of reference. I think I've always said "Lego Hobbyist" because that's what people understand. Usually "fan" is (...) (19 years ago, 2-Jun-05, to lugnet.off-topic.debate, FTX)
| | | Re: what is ALE?
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| Hello! (...) I say "eta" (That's a terror organization in the Spanish Basque region.) or E-T-A (meaning "estimated time of arrival"), R-S-V-P (what the heck is it?) and U-S-A. But I say "afol" and "mock" and "burp" because: (...) Or does anybody say (...) (19 years ago, 6-Jun-05, to lugnet.off-topic.debate, lugnet.general)
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