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Subject: 
Re: The AFOL mind
Newsgroups: 
lugnet.general
Date: 
Sun, 4 Apr 2004 01:15:51 GMT
Viewed: 
483 times
  
In lugnet.general, Felix Greco wrote:
   I’ve found a conversation seems to come up a lot in reference to AFOLs. Are we a bunch of dorks? Is what we do just nerdy? I have had this conversation with AFOLs and nonAFOLs alike.

I think I’m a cool guy. I can relate to other guys- I workout, play guitar, scratch my head about female behavior, I work hard. Yet, the people I interact with in these other areas have said they just “don’t get” what I do with lego. They appreciate that I enjoy it, and usually get a laugh out of the stuff I make. These are the same people who kept telling me “Hey, they did a room in legos on While You Were Out!”- Yah, I KNOW... Jeeesh. But, I digress.

My wife was over at Toys-r-Us and told me she saw a bunch of kids trading Yu-Gi-Oh cards. She said they fit every stereotype of a dork you could imagine. Knowing I was once one of those kids, she started asking me questions; Does the interest in those things make those kids that way? Or are those kids already that way, so they’re attracted to those things? You know- the old chicken or the egg question. I think the same arguments were had about violence in cartoons.

I don’t know what to think of it. It makes me happy, and thats all that matters. But I do ponder it. I think Eric Sophie put it best when we were driving down to Texas for the SciBrick Houston gala. He was sitting there thinking for a while and then he asked “Hey, do you think they’ll take us seriously down there? Or do you think they’ll just pass us off?” It became a legitimate concern for us because we were showing our stuff to a lot of VIP AFOLs and we were representing SciBrick for the first time. In the end, they seemed delighted with us and our display.

I think this argument is the basis of a lot of the motivation around here. I recognize it every time someone at lugnet says something like “Why doesn’t TLC take us more seriously?”. I recognize it when we get together for meetings and listen to stories about nonAFOLs and their reactions. I recognized it when news crews were out at Brickfest and we all cheered when we hit CNN.

I have no point to make or anything. I have a lot of opinions, certainly. I’m very interested to hear what you all have to say about this.

Felix
Hi Felix, Yes, we’re all dorks! We’re probably “nerdy” too! But the truth is, “who cares”? I’ve found the greatest, most interesting, friendliest, and gracious people who fit the “dork” or “nerd” description. I often find those that don’t fit that description “boring”! We all want to be accepted by others in life, but the truth is “you can’t please everyone all the time”! You need to live your life by your own likes and dislikes. Not by what others think or say! Not everyone “gets” what we do with Lego. I don’t get a lot of things that other people find fascinating either! So be it! We’re all different and we will always be different. That’s what makes life interesting. I generally find that if you treat others with respect whether you agree with them or not, they will return that respect to you! It goes a long way in getting along in life. Like water on a duck, you have to let certain things roll off your back. As Bill Murray says in the movie “Meatballs”, “It just doesn’t matter!” hehheh “The rich, good looking guys get all the girls anyway!” hahah There’s a lot more to life than trying to fit in with “normal” folk (whoever they are)! I prefer to be myself than to be what others want me to be! And you know what, I’m much happier because of it. I just turned 51 and this is what I’ve learned during my years here on earth. Live for today! Don’t live in the past and don’t live for the future! What’s happened has happened and you can’t predict what’s going to happen! Worry and despair get you no where! Okay, that’s my two cents worth... If what I’ve said doesn’t help,... well, what do you expect from a “dork”? hehehhehheh play well.. Tom



Message is in Reply To:
  The AFOL mind
 
I've found a conversation seems to come up a lot in reference to AFOLs. Are we a bunch of dorks? Is what we do just nerdy? I have had this conversation with AFOLs and nonAFOLs alike. I think I'm a cool guy. I can relate to other guys- I workout, (...) (20 years ago, 3-Apr-04, to lugnet.general, FTX)

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