collectors vs. enthusiasts

From: George Currie <g_at_kurico.com>
Date: Thu Oct 14 11:31:03 1999

> I wrote:
> > <rant>
> > That's because eBay is where "collectors" hang out. Not people like
> > us, for whom collector is an insufficient/inaccurate term.
>
> "George Currie" <g_at_kurico.com>
> > Whereas I agree that there is a differentiation between the
> > "collector" and the "enthusiast", I must take umbrage to the ,again,
> > generalization of the person who pays "too much" on ebay
> > automatically being "collector assholes, just because he had deep
> > pockets".
>
> I don't believe I said anything of the sort. I said that "collectors"
> hang out on eBay, but I never said that enthusiasts don't.

I didn't think that I implied that you implied that enthusiasts don't
hang out there. At least re-reading my paragraph doesn't seem to
say that, to me anyway (then again it wouldn't since I wrote it ;)

> > Are you implying that one must be of modest means to be an
> > "enthusiast".
>
> No, I didn't. I've seen enthusiasts pay enormous amounts of money for
> certain items. I've done it myself. What I object to is having to do
> it because some non-enthusiast asshole has more dollars than sense.
> More about this later.

Yes, I hate that too. It was just the statement that those that
"collect" are automatically assholes.
 
[SNIP]

> > Would you let it go to a "collector asshole"
> > because you thought the asking price was too high?
>
> Yes, if the "asking price" was "too high". "Too high" is a
> subjective measure. I never buy ANYTHING that I think is priced
> "too high". Of course, tommorow's value of "too high" may be
> different from today's.

The original question asked that if you actually had the means to
purchase and you thought the asking price was too high. If you'd
let it go, then you really didn't care that much about the item to
begin with. Especially if you consider a collector to be detrimental
to preserving the hardware (to clarify, you never made a statement
about collectors doing this, but others have).
 
[SNIP]

> > I fully understand the frustration, but venting it by making
> > generalizations of those who happen to be better financially
> > equipped than you, or are just willing to pay more for something
> > than you, is just immature.
>
> If complaining about life's injustices is immature, then I'm
> immature. But then, so's most everyone else I know.
>
> In fact, aren't you complaining about me based on some generalization
> you've made regarding me? Sounds immature to me. :-)

What! are you saying that I'm being intolerant of your intolerance ;)
Actually it's not a generalization, I'm addressing specific comments
and stated attitudes.
 
George
Received on Thu Oct 14 1999 - 11:31:03 BST