In "computer" clubs these are known as Special Interest Groups (SIGs). Everyone in the parent group believes Computers Are Good, and people in SIGs believe Our Computers Are Better Than Yours. (Roughly speaking, since many SIGs are devoted to narrower interests.)
> brethren. Alpines got a bad rap when they came out as too feminine. It
Frankly, I'd rather ride (oh, you know what I mean...)
> only got worse when Tigers came out. We probably have to face facts that
> there will never be an Alpine following like Tigers, Corvettes, Healeys,
> MGs - or other cars that have already captured the public's interests.
The predominantly-male public, on the whole much more impressed with the "-ers" (bigger, faster, shinier).
> But that should not stop us. Maybe we are even more fanatical - Heck, we
> cherish a car against all public opinion. We cherish a car that is not the
> fastest, the most powerful, the best looking, or most expensive. If we do
> not stick together, no one is going to do it for us.
Having lived through several computing holy wars over the decades, often on the non-obvious (and therefore not so popular) side, and still coming out better than most (along with many other people) this is exactly correct.
However, for anything involving money (like having decent trinkets for sale), the "obvious" market choice is to target a (smaller) group of people that have the wherewithal to own a car worth 2-3 times what an Alpine would fetch. The "obvious" market choice makes little allowance for personal preference. But, there is a correlation between a car's worth and what its owner is willing to spend. I've had a couple long chats with a well-respected panel maker about our preferences for working for people who don't wheedle over a fair bill for fair work because, since they can afford to own the more-expensive thing, they expect to pay more for quality service.
--- J e r o m e Y u z y k | jerome(at)supernet.ab.ca - - BRIDGE Scientific Services | www.tgx.com/bridge - - Sunbeam Alpine Series II #9118636 | www.tgx.com/bridge/sunbeam -