Sunday in Schiphol

[Cold Warrior]

I just feel the need to say "Fuck France". That is all.

Well, at least it alliterates. I would only add one word to your sentiment and that would be the word "in." :D

[Zeus]

Don't mind the rambling so much, but get sickened by the putting down of all things American. Why in the hell doesn't CW just stay over there and sip his beverages in the Biot glassware? Actually, I have known many insurance people over the years. Although they can drive one crazy, the patronizing remarks really grate me the wrong way.

Actually, I feel that America's promoting mass production raised the standard of living for the masses, rather than lowering it. Not everyone can afford to sip their wine out of Baccarat goblets, but there are still some nice things made in the US. An example is Steuben glass, one of the finest.

I don't interpet his post necessarily as an American put down. He is mistaken in that the nexus of quality vs value is unique to the U.S.

I think a somewhat unique attribute of your avg Joe America is the willingness & ability to at times pay the premium for what is considered a quality value.

[Gingersnap]

I just feel the need to say "Fuck France". That is all.

Okay - that could have been a severe keyboard emergency but I was between sips.

[Cold Warrior]

I don't interpet his post necessarily as an American put down. He is mistaken in that the nexus of quality vs value is unique to the U.S.

I think a somewhat unique attribute of your avg Joe America is the willingness & ability to at times pay the premium for what is considered a quality value.

Thank you, as you are correct. As I've noted, I was not denigrating America, but rather noting the contrast and questioning the generally-held belief that one approach is always superior to the other. And, of course, you are also correct in that what we are discussing is really a spectrum that's present in all countries. However, in the US, the pendulum has swung very far to the mass production/distribution side as we are not so gradually remaking every town and hamlet into the image of Sam Walton.

[linda22003]

Ginger and I were on topic with our yarn discussion; you can go to any big discount store and get mass produced acrylic yarn in harsh, bright colors, or you can get the handspun yarns that Ginger and I were talking about, which are a joy to work with and yield unique finished products from talented hands like ours.

[Cold Warrior]

Ginger and I were on topic with our yarn discussion; you can go to any big discount store and get mass produced acrylic yarn in harsh, bright colors, or you can get the handspun yarns that Ginger and I were talking about, which are a joy to work with and yield unique finished products from talented hands like ours.

And I would contend that this is a perfect example of the point I'm making. If one (and I'm not refering to you as I suspect it doesn't apply) recognizes and buys a non-mass produced, superior quality product such as yarn from a speciality or regional supplier and then proceeds to buy the majority of other purchases from a mass-produced, mass-supplied source such as WalMart, that person is implicity acknowledging the he/she is sacrificing quality for convenience and accepting blandness in order to not to be bothered. This is precisely the "dark side" of the American dream to which I'm refering.

[linda22003]

Handmade is better sometimes, just as mass-produced is better sometimes. It depends on the product. When I buy yarn, I prefer the handspun, smaller-batch product. It's unique. If I buy a new car, I don't want it to have a hand-whittled, teak radiator. I want the parts of the car to be produced uniformly to standard specifications.