The life and death of hobbies...

Rich - My "middle class" connotation was in no way looking at economic issues....I am looking at it as a parity of the levels passion in the hobby before and now. If you spend $100 bucks is not the issue..... it is the passion that is the issue.

Today the hobby is a disparity of very passionate and occasional modelers. Years ago there was a large "middle class"  or a frequent modeler.

As a father of an 18 year old I agree that todays generation is not into manual skills. They are more into instant gratification.

The economic cost of modeling is an entire different discussion. I was trying to describe passion, commitment, etc.

So hopefully that clears up what I was saying 

Rounds Complete!!

fermis

 

the doog:

 

 

bbrowniii:

Not sure it would qualify as a 'hobby' per se, but here in the northeast there has been a big decline in the number of hunters in recent years.

 

.....and a corresponding increase in poachers and illegal activity. A Pennsylvania Game Management officer was just shot and killed--murdered in the line of duty while investigating reports of after-hours shooting and poaching. 

 

There are a LOT of unethical scumbags out there in the woods. I know of tags abuses, baiting, after-hours shooters and all sorts of shenanigans that I could report if I wanted to.

It seems that most kids these days are too into the video games and technology to sit in the woods, silent, without texting and turning of f the phone or the iPods...not one of my guitar students hunts, and I can't remember one for the last several years.

 

 

 That kind of activity is like a plaque around here, and add tresspassing to the list. Too many people, not enough places to hunt. A couple years ago, while driving home from work, my wife called me and said a guy parked in our driveway and headed off into MY woods. In the 10 minutes it took me to get home, he had left. I tracked his footprint, in the snow, to my blind. This clown actually climbed into it.

Now, with so many deer in our area(being problematic), no one, other than the most blatent of offenders, are being prosecuted.

Anyhow, I haven't seen anyone rolling a hula hoop down the street with a stick.....ever!!! I'd say that one is dead.

I've heard similar stories.  Here in Wisconsin the number of hunters are still plentiful, but the hunting itself sucks.  A couple years ago the DNR had a system in certain area of the state that required you to shoot a doe before a buck (earn-a-buck) because they said the deer population was very high.  Well it turned out they didnt know how to count and had overestimated the population by around 1 million deer and now the deer population is around 700,000 I think (I could be wrong but it is below 1 million).  So, there hasnt been a lot of success the last couple years and every hunter HATES the DNR.  On top of that, they re introduced wolves in the state which has done nothing to increase the deer population.  Earlier this year the DNR asked people to help them count deer by reporting to them how many deer they see.....this is pretty much pointless.  Needless, to say the whole population of hunters, including me, is thoroughly pissed at the current hunting status in Wisconsin

The hobby is getting too expensive. I'm kinda winding down on it because I'm a little tired of paying $ 3.50 a bottle for paint and $ 7.00 for glue.  It's also getting harder and harder to pay less than about $ 30,00 for a kit, which is about my limit.

Television is about one of the worst things for developing children. Researchers have found that television changes subject matter so quickly that it actually "programs" the way a child's brain develops. It cause it to expect and "need" input more quickly to stay focused. That's why there's a "seven second rule" in TV land--never leave an image on screen for longer than 7 seconds without changing it. Who knows--it might even be down to five seconds now?

Ya.. I called it "MTV Editing" because that's where I first noticed its prevailence, jump-cuts that happened so fast that youwere  only left with an impression of what you just saw... It spilled over into everything in just a few years in the 80s, and hasn't shown any signs of letting up.. Frankly, it irritates me to no end...

the doog

bbrowniii:

Not sure it would qualify as a 'hobby' per se, but here in the northeast there has been a big decline in the number of hunters in recent years.

 

.....and a corresponding increase in poachers and illegal activity. A Pennsylvania Game Management officer was just shot and killed--murdered in the line of duty while investigating reports of after-hours shooting and poaching. 

There are a LOT of unethical scumbags out there in the woods. I know of tags abuses, baiting, after-hours shooters and all sorts of shenanigans that I could report if I wanted to.

It seems that most kids these days are too into the video games and technology to sit in the woods, silent, without texting and turning of f the phone or the iPods...not one of my guitar students hunts, and I can't remember one for the last several years.

 That kind of activity is like a plaque around here, and add tresspassing to the list. Too many people, not enough places to hunt. A couple years ago, while driving home from work, my wife called me and said a guy parked in our driveway and headed off into MY woods. In the 10 minutes it took me to get home, he had left. I tracked his footprint, in the snow, to my blind. This clown actually climbed into it.

Now, with so many deer in our area(being problematic), no one, other than the most blatent of offenders, are being prosecuted.

Anyhow, I haven't seen anyone rolling a hula hoop down the street with a stick.....ever!!! I'd say that one is dead.

I think the hobby will face a drastic draw-down in the coming twenty years. By that time, lots of hardcore modelers will be gone, and the upcoming generation just will not have the patience for it.

One of the things no one has mentioned is the way that technology is actually changing--evolving, I guess could say--our children's brains. You know all that "ADD" nonsense that is so over-prescribed today? Nothing more than too much media. Television is about one of the worst things for developing children. Researchers have found that television changes subject matter so quickly that it actually "programs" the way a child's brain develops. It cause it to expect and "need" input more quickly to stay focused. That's why there's a "seven second rule" in TV land--never leave an image on screen for longer than 7 seconds without changing it. Who knows--it might even be down to five seconds now?

But TV also s a worse medium for trying to "learn" through. So forget about propping baby in front of the tube with some "instructional" video. It is far inferior to input from reading, and does not "stay" in the brain as long as material garnered through reading.

I see a radical lack of attention and focus in some of my guitar students that is scary.And it's a noticeable difference from fifteen years or so ago. Trying to get ids to practice these days is like pulling teeth. They want to learn guitar NOW!--without the investment, without the work. I have to explain to them that it's not "Rock Band"--it's a real guitar.

It seems that most kids these days are too into the video games and technology to sit in the woods, silent, without texting and turning of f the phone or the iPods...not one of my guitar students hunts, and I can't remember one for the last several years.

Kids today are LAZY and full of excuses to not or delay doing something.

It's easier too kill an enemy in Black Opps than take out the trash or clean their room.

Dr

the doog

 

 

There are a LOT of unethical scumbags out there in the woods. I know of tags abuses, baiting, after-hours shooters and all sorts of shenanigans that I could report if I wanted to.

Karl, please DO report any poachers, tag abusers, etc. Especially since one of them just killed an official. They give all hunters a bad name.

bbrowniii

Not sure it would qualify as a 'hobby' per se, but here in the northeast there has been a big decline in the number of hunters in recent years.

There are a LOT of unethical scumbags out there in the woods. I know of tags abuses, baiting, after-hours shooters and all sorts of shenanigans that I could report if I wanted to.

It seems that most kids these days are too into the video games and technology to sit in the woods, silent, without texting and turning of f the phone or the iPods...not one of my guitar students hunts, and I can't remember one for the last several years.

Rich - My "middle class" connotation was in no way looking at economic issues....I am looking at it as a parity of the levels passion in the hobby before and now. If you spend $100 bucks is not the issue..... it is the passion that is the issue.

Today the hobby is a disparity of very passionate and occasional modelers. Years ago there was a large "middle class"  or a frequent modeler.

As a father of an 18 year old I agree that todays generation is not into manual skills. They are more into instant gratification.

The economic cost of modeling is an entire different discussion. I was trying to describe passion, commitment, etc.

So hopefully that clears up what I was saying 

Rounds Complete!!

I disagree.  I am one of those middle of the road modelers.  Yes, I want to do a good job and have something to be proud of when that last coat of glosscoat dries, but I am not about to put $100 into a kit.  My wife would have a screaming hissy fit if I ever did that :).  And my wife in a Hisssy Fit is NOT a pleasant sight.  My primary reasons for modeling are to have fun, kill time (which I have way too much of now), and get some satisfaction in a job well done.  I have no allusions about my skill level now either.  I can only do larger scale kits, and I try for simple ones.  My hard core days ended a few years back.  I think there are a lot of folks in my position.  The same middle of the road people that are now 40 something like me with time to kill. 

When you say middle class, that can have a few connotations.  When I think Middle Class I think of it in an economic sense.  Yes, that group is pretty much gone.  I grew up in a middle class family.  a big Italian family.  My Dad worked for the post office for 30 years before he died a year before he was going to retire.  My Mom died of a heart issue about a year later.  When I entered the job market, there were quite a few jobs, but once I was out on my own, I found it very difficult to maintain the same economic flexibility that we had as a family.  Over the years, this has become a larger and larger disparity.  This is true for a lot of people.  And it does impact their hobbies.  Modeling is expensive.  There is no denying that.  Whether or not it is "overpriced" is a totally different matter which has been rehashed a million times, so I won't even start that one.  A lot of families can't afford for their kids to get into modeling as ours did when I was a kid.

Yes, teenagers today will spend $50-$70 on a video game, and even more for the system, but...  You can easily spend that much on just one kit, and then more for supplies and tools.  The difference is that when your kit is built, it will sit there and look great on a shelf or hung, and that's it.  A teenager can get months nd months of use out of a video game and use it whenever he wants months or years later.  And I am sorry but a lot of teenagers these days are not into manual skill development as kids were in the past.  Learning a craft usually requires a lot more time than kids today are willing to spend in general.  Of course there are exceptions.

So yes it's changing, but the new middle of the road modeler is more like I am, someone who has been into it or years and does it for the pure fun, and (unfortunately) has way way too much time on their hands. lol.. 

I would love to see Revell or one of the old companies put out more classic kits, but at a lower price point.  Use the old molds, Just clean them up a bit.  I'm talking the kits which have already paid for their own development ten times over.  A line of decent low cost kits to get more kids into the hobby.  And advertise them a bit.  Try and get them back into the stores.  THAT might get some kids interested.  But if a kid has a choice between a $70 1/32 F-16 model kit and the latest shooter video game, the game will win all the time.  Just my 2 cents.

Rich

redleg12

OK....here is my

The hobby is not dying, it is changing!. It is sort of like a society where most people are middle class or in our case semi serious modelers....yes you had the small elite faction and the once in a blue moon faction.

Now I think the middle class or semi serious modeler is gone. You have the hard core modelers like the people on this forum (if you take the time to come here your hard core) and the buy a car model in Michaels on a lark group. There is no middle of the road group. Years ago, the middle of the road group was made up of mostly teenage boys. Today there are 9462 other things to grab their attention.

As far as cost, I think it has nothing to do with it. Look at how much teenagers spend on a single video game, computer program, the equipment itself, accessories, etc. If teenagers did not have money, why are there soooo many advertisements directed at them. It is not money, they are too distracted to work on a solitary hobby like model building.

Anyway, just some thoughts from an old hard core modeler!!

Rounds Complete!!

 

jhilden

Actually, the pyrotechnic hobby is healthy. 

Actually, the pyrotechnic hobby is healthy.  I have been making my own for years, I'm a member of a few clubs/orgs, and there are  retailers, like skylighter, that exclusively provide hobbyists with plenty of the supplies needed.  As you mentioned, with the "pipe-bomb" idiots making headlines (And M80's), there is a big-bother element to the hobby these days with lots of "registering" and permits.  But I believe the danger element and the price of the materials scare many away.  Oddly, where I live, I am allowed to make all kinds of fireworks but it is illegal for me to set them off.

To get back on topic, declaring a hobby dead is pretty drastic as there are always some hanging on.  Also, some hobbies were/are fads with cyclical interest like the collecting hobbies.  Sadly  the "craftsman" hobbies lost lots of interest over the years.

Agree

OK....here is my

The hobby is not dying, it is changing!. It is sort of like a society where most people are middle class or in our case semi serious modelers....yes you had the small elite faction and the once in a blue moon faction.

Now I think the middle class or semi serious modeler is gone. You have the hard core modelers like the people on this forum (if you take the time to come here your hard core) and the buy a car model in Michaels on a lark group. There is no middle of the road group. Years ago, the middle of the road group was made up of mostly teenage boys. Today there are 9462 other things to grab their attention.

As far as cost, I think it has nothing to do with it. Look at how much teenagers spend on a single video game, computer program, the equipment itself, accessories, etc. If teenagers did not have money, why are there soooo many advertisements directed at them. It is not money, they are too distracted to work on a solitary hobby like model building.

Anyway, just some thoughts from an old hard core modeler!!

Rounds Complete!!

hkshooter

Modeling is a solitary hobby for sure. But I remember hours and hours, nay, days of good times spent with a favorite uncle who converted his entire garage into a big hobby workshop. I'd go over after work and we'd build and paint until midnight five days a week. We'd talk about whatever came up, have old war movies going on the VCR, hot coffee in the pot, and one very noisy compressor going. For a number of years we had what we called the New Years Bash, in which we'd begin modeling in the after noon of New Years Eve and continue through past the beginning of the new year. Those were the days.

I hear ya, HK.  This is what got me into modeling, actually - my next door neighbor and I would sit at the table for hours building together.  I'd love to have a situation where I could repeat that type of experience.  Hopefully, as my kids get older, their interest will remain and we can have that same type of time together. 

Y es it is....  

http://basketweavingtips.blogspot.com/

as it states its dying out.

hkshooter

You are right B. I didn't mean to make it sound like it was a prefered choice for parents to work instead of spend time with the family. Indeed, it's the choice many are forced to make, like it or not.

Modeling is a solitary hobby for sure. But I remember hours and hours, nay, days of good times spent with a favorite uncle who converted his entire garage into a big hobby workshop. I'd go over after work and we'd build and paint until midnight five days a week. We'd talk about whatever came up, have old war movies going on the VCR, hot coffee in the pot, and one very noisy compressor going. For a number of years we had what we called the New Years Bash, in which we'd begin modeling in the after noon of New Years Eve and continue through past the beginning of the new year. Those were the days.

For some it's a hobby, not for me: A Home Cooked Meal. With the gazillions of fast food places and the many pre-made dishes at the grocery store, combined with busy overworked parents, the healthy home-cooked meal is becoming ever more obsolete. I loathe cooking, but certainly enjoy a good home-cooked meal, but when your beat tired and the family is hungry, it's sadly too easy to stop by McDonalds or whatever your flave of the day is.

You are right B. I didn't mean to make it sound like it was a prefered choice for parents to work instead of spend time with the family. Indeed, it's the choice many are forced to make, like it or not.

Modeling is a solitary hobby for sure. But I remember hours and hours, nay, days of good times spent with a favorite uncle who converted his entire garage into a big hobby workshop. I'd go over after work and we'd build and paint until midnight five days a week. We'd talk about whatever came up, have old war movies going on the VCR, hot coffee in the pot, and one very noisy compressor going. For a number of years we had what we called the New Years Bash, in which we'd begin modeling in the after noon of New Years Eve and continue through past the beginning of the new year. Those were the days.

hkshooter

I personally think parents are more the cause of hobbies getting weaker. As adults we worry about money and how to make it, prefering to spend time at work rather than with the family or the kids. What little time is left is spent eating and sleeping, mowing the lawn, cleaning the house, and paying bills.
If the kids grow up seeing mom or  dad enjoying a relaxing and exciting hobby they are much more likely to find enjoyment in that activity when they themselves are adults.

I think there is truth in what you say, but it is a little overly simplistic.  A lot of people may want to spend time with their kids, but that is a luxury they don't have (or have as much as they'd like) because the do have to worry about money.  They may not prefer spending time at work, but they HAVE to spend more time at work.  I spend more time time that I'd ideally like at my jobs,  but the weekend is, mostly, family time.  That being said, since it is family time, I rarely do any modeling, since that is a more solitary endeavor.  Still, my kids know I build models and have been excited to build the 'Snap-tite' kits I've brought home to them.

Manstein's revenge

I hear a lot of moaning about our hobby dying in various threads...Got me to thinking while sitting in my cold Command Bunker...what hobbies are you aware of that have gone extinct, or seriosuly declined to the point that maybe one or two people are the only ones still engaged in it...? 

Hand wringing and phrases like, "We need more young people in our hobby." are not allowed in your reply...

I'll let ol' Jimmy say it...

Ham Radio and Citizens Band radio clubs used to be real popular in the 70's and early 80's, but you hardly hear anything about those groups anymore.  I suppose they are still out there somewhere.

Go figure, a german not drunk??!! 

Vee have vays on making u talk.

I witnessed "worm grunting" once...it was in a U-boat R&R complex outside of Nice, France during the summer of '43...I was drunk...

i remember seeing that on Dirty Jobs.  forgot about that one!

p38jl

Railfan 233:

I have heard about one hobby that's native here in Florida, but is now down to it's last 10 or so hobbyists:

Worm grunting. (where you use a metal pole and a wooden stick to call woms to come to the surface)

I havn't done it myself, but I've been wanting to learn to do it since I saw it on the Discovery Channel a while back.

 

 

 

WTF ????

Yes, Wrom Grunting. You go out in the early morning with a wooden stick and a piece of metal, and you call the worms up.

I beleave it was on Dirty Jobs with Mike Rowe.

Here's a video I found on Youtube.  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FK-Oo7NwPiQ

I ain't lying, you see?

gotta agree, WTF???  I used a metal rod with one lead off an extention cord to draw worms up as a kid.  explain.

Railfan 233

I have heard about one hobby that's native here in Florida, but is now down to it's last 10 or so hobbyists:

Worm grunting. (where you use a metal pole and a wooden stick to call woms to come to the surface)

I havn't done it myself, but I've been wanting to learn to do it since I saw it on the Discovery Channel a while back.

 

WTF ????

I have heard about one hobby that's native here in Florida, but is now down to it's last 10 or so hobbyists:

Worm grunting. (where you use a metal pole and a wooden stick to call woms to come to the surface)

I havn't done it myself, but I've been wanting to learn to do it since I saw it on the Discovery Channel a while back.