I think some of the reasons stated to explain the lesser interest in
collecting are very valid (obsolesence at 3 years, trust in "data",
electronics as collectibles) but I wonder if there isn't
another....affluence leading to instant gratification.
Many kids (and I daresay probably my own as well) have no concept of
delayed gratification. I know I am showing my age, but growing up in
the 50's, there was no weekend visit to Toys R Us to get the toy de jour
or the video game just released. I remember saving tons of Campbell
soup labels to be able to mail away for a Lassie vinyl wallet! I could
sure relate to the kid in "A Christmas Story" who waited breathlessly
for the decoderto come in the mail....
Today's kids seem to get what they want very soon. One of the joys of
collecting is that you couldn't or didn't have the means to have all the
"stuff" that went along with a character you admired, a movie star or a
TV star. Years later, the interest and desire returns as a collecting
hobby, and with the experience of collecting, for some, comes the return
of the "good times". For the instant gratification crowd, there is
nothing to look forward to since you may have it all now...
2 weeks ago, my sister-in-law described to me how my niece referred to
her non-Blackberry, non-PDA phone as a "old piece of crap" which she got
about a year ago!!
Another thing that strikes me is collectors all seem to enjoy the
history around the items they collect. If someone is so completely in
the moment with no interest in the past, collecting might hold little
interest for them.
Eric
eric...@comcast.net
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