Jack Emery wrote:
> Rick, I know what you are saying and you say it well. I agree with some of
> your thoughts. If more people showed a fraction of your enthusiasm for
> clubs then we would never have discussed the slow death of British car
> clubs. They're not dead yet, just tired.
When it comes to clubs dying and the lack of youth involved in the
cars, I'd
have to differ with most people's idea of why old Brit cars don't fly with 'us
kids.'
The biggest barricade is education, not money. A old bondoville with chrome
rims, a
sound system, and a souped up engine costs about as much as a decent MGB. So,
why do
kids opt for the bondoville over an MGB? Nobody ever told us kids about the
joys of
LBC's. At car shows, I feel like I have to have grey hair to talk about a MGB
10
years older than me. Nobody wants to tell me about the car in detail unless I
tell
them about my own MGB habit. Without somebody telling them about what makes an
MG
good, most kids see a little car with a little engine. For the same money,
they can
have a rough American V8 that'll smoke Mom's minivan. When they talk to garage
owners, most of whom lack LBC knowledge, the mechanics preach American iron and
speak
of their limited knowledge of LBC's. Of course, the LBC knowledge always
involves an
Uncle's neighbor who knew a guy that had an MG once...The worst part is the
mechanics
are only telling the kid what he knows, and he knows American V8's.
I'm not directly blaming anyone of ignoring the youth at car shows.
I'm also
not an expert about car clubs and the demographics of LBC ownership. I'm only
speaking from personal experience. All of my friends love my MGB after they
hear a
little bit about the car and what it has. You oughta see the looks on people's
faces
when you tell 'em about wire wheels. So, if it happens that you're at Burger
World in
your MGA and a few kids are ogling your car when you come out, don't shoo 'em
away.
Talk with 'em a little bit and wow 'em with something that every other car
doesn't
have. In other words, don't complain about the problem without planning on
doing
something about it. Talking to kids who are interested in your car is one way
to
start...
Don't get me wrong, I'm not preaching (or at least not trying to!) I'm
just
suggesting what could be done when seen from a young'uns perspective.
Criticism is
accepted, flames are too, but with less friendliness...
Along the lines of educating young kids about LBC's, this is the same
philosophy I used when writing my children's book. I tried to put some
information
for each car that would set the car apart from other cars that kids would see
every
day. Whether it worked or not is up for debate...I'm still not finished with
the
book, but I am working on it...I'll let everybody know when it's finally done
and
ready for shipping to publishers...
Happy Holidays!
--
Michael S. Lishego
St. Andrews Presbyterian College
Elementary Education Major,
English Minor, Class of 1999
R.A. of Winston-Salem Hall
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