Archived posting to the Leica Users Group, 1999/06/10
[Author Prev] [Author Next] [Thread Prev] [Thread Next] [Author Index] [Topic Index] [Home] [Search]Martin: Great post! My own theory is that as the concept of aristocracy and other inherited markers of "social worth" fade from the scene, the species looks for surrogates for these traditional signs of distinction. It is almost too convenient (maybe not coincidental) that good craftsmanship, long associated with the artifacts treasured by the aristocracy, is also increasingly difficult to find. And, of course, there is the incessant focus on youth in virtually every aspect of modern life. Putting these trends together, it's not hard to see why the remaining examples of high craftsmanship (cameras, pens, cars, whatever) hold special appeal to persons entering their middle years. The positive spin may be that this penchant will allow at least some examples of high quality to survive the onslaught of mass production and commodity-level pricing. The down side is the apparent use of high quality implements as "jewelry," to quote a post from another LUGger several months ago. In the interest of full disclosure, let me admit that I am 56, use Leica, and write with Mont Blanc. I appreciate the quality of all three of these traits equally, though the service available for the Leica equipment is the least satisfactory.///Dick Baznik ___________ At 12:18 PM 6/10/99 +0200, Martin wrote: > >At the risk of insulting absolutely everyone on this list at the same >time: If it has been established that the majority of Leica owners >and users are 40+ men, how come that we spend so much time bickering >like 5 year-old boys over which fountain pen, which car, which watch, >and which carrying-case is the best? > >M.