Subject:
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Re: The AFOL mind
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Newsgroups:
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lugnet.general
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Date:
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Mon, 5 Apr 2004 05:25:46 GMT
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Viewed:
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640 times
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In lugnet.general, Felix Greco wrote:
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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.
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I have had some experiences with non-AFOL’s who just “don’t get” the LEGO hobby.
Of course, no one can be interested in every hobby there is, but usually people
can understand an interest in someone else’s hobby. A person who doesn’t like
animals can understand why someone else enjoys riding horses. A person who is
terrible at drawing can understand why someone else who can draw well enjoys
art. Et cetera, Et cetera, Et cetera.
However, there are some people who
just can’t comprehend why a group of people would get together to create large
LEGO layouts. I think that part of their dumbfounded reaction is due to the
fact that they find it hard to imagine that much building out of thousands upon
thousands of small pieces. It’s similar to how I would look at someone
translating a 1000 page book of ancient cuniform text.1
I think that the
average Joe thinks that an adult building with LEGO is childish and/or nerdy,
until he sees what you built. Once a non-AFOL views first-hand what can be
done by a good builder, then your talent, as seen through your MOC, earns his
respect.
The place where I’ve noticed the most acceptance from non-AFOL’s is
GATS. The other displayers at GATS do the same thing that we do, just not with
LEGOS. All of the spectators at GATS are there to see a town made out of toys,
so we LEGO nerds fit in quite well. My LUG has displayed LEGO layout for
non-train shows too. We get quite a crowd from kids and adults alike.
I
think that we are at a point in Adult LEGO Fan history where we are becoming
known to the general public. When non-AFOL’s hear of a LEGO club, instead of
thinking, “There’s such a thing as a LEGO club?” they now often think, “Oh yeah,
I heard about them in the paper.” We are slowly moving from the What-a-freak
perception in the public eye to the Just-a-couple-notches-away-from-normal
stage. There are several things that contribute to this, including our growing
numbers, heightened LUG publicity in the last few years, the growing number of
LUG’s, the aging of LEGO-loving kids into LEGO-loving adults, and our intensley
evolving online community.
Our miniscule spec of a minority is growing into
something that people recognize (albeit still a minority). Pretty soon there
won’t be anyone left who hasn’t at least heard of a LEGO club. The number of
people who have seen a LUG’s layout is rising, while the number of people who
dismiss LEGO as a toy for just kids is shrinking.
There are good times ahead;
I can feel it in my bones.
David “Fuzzy” Gregory
1 I realized after
I wrote the sentence that since cuniform was made on clay tablets, you could
never really have “pages” of it.
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Message is in Reply To:
 | | The AFOL mind
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| 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, (...) (21 years ago, 3-Apr-04, to lugnet.general, FTX)
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