Re: [Amc-list] Do, do!

[Tom Jennings <tomj@xxxxxxx>]

On Tue, 3 Apr 2007, Mahoney, John wrote:

> Tom, I was writing of what "middle America" buys, not of
> what "best of" was: not very many middle Americans could or
> can afford Leica, Zeiss, or Hasselblad; millions worldwide
> could afford millions of models built by Kodak in America.
> Name one American designed/made --- even once named "Kodak"
> --- camera today.

Oh I was a-teasin' you somewhat, but I do think you overlooked
a detail here.  I think that many, if not all, of those who
happily bought Kodaks (or Gremlins or Novas) knew of W. German
cameras (the Apollo Hasselblads were quite famous) but could
at least know that if more spartan their Brownie was a high
quality, well-supported (620 film ubiquitous) and solid American
egalitarian good. A 258 Gremlin or 307 Nova might not be flash,
but it was solid.

But U.S. culture has since bought into money=status more than
ever, or maybe it's to the exclusion of other things; frugality
is for those crazy Amish, conservation is unAmerican. That's
also what's wrong with Gremlins, too, today's perception of
yesterday's values.


My first digital camera was a Kodak. It was a piece of crap that
ate batteries and made lousy pictures and was hard to use. Its
replacement, that I loved dearly until I wore it out, was a Fuji.




(Those 307ci or six cyl Novas only have value today because
you can make them into other Nova-based cars that ARE valued;
even HCC notes the pleasant oddness of Nova Six owners who
decide to keep the six and hubcaps.)
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