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Post by Deleted on Sept 25, 2020 7:38:59 GMT -5
Figures are 20 dollars because adults are buying them more. What does that say about grown people refusing to grow up ? Probably says the same as buying books aimed at children. |
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shaxper
CCF Site Custodian
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Post by shaxper on Sept 25, 2020 7:42:42 GMT -5
Figures are 20 dollars because adults are buying them more. What does that say about grown people refusing to grow up ? Adult white males ages 30-50 have always been the darling target audience for businesses and politicians, and the current 30-50ers are the children of the Baby Boomers, who grew up with an odd balance of being just as spoiled but also far more emotionally neglected. Love for us was a McDonalds Happy Meal and a He-Man figure. So, as adults, living in a world that hasn't worked out at all like the one we were promised as kids, when the job is killing us on in the inside, the bills keep coming, and the news is both terrifying and infuriating no matter what side of the aisle you're on, you find comfort in a $20 purchase that takes you back to your youth for a few short minutes. Personally, I'm not spending $20 on an action figure. I re-bought all the ones from my youth on ebay years ago for a lot less than that and am satisfied. But I understand what's driving the adults that do. |
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Post by Roquefort Raider on Sept 25, 2020 9:40:12 GMT -5
I really like that analysis, shaxper . |
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Post by impulse on Sept 25, 2020 9:56:57 GMT -5
It's been a long since I've casually browsed a store aisle or even went into a physical store for anything but groceries, but I recall browsing the toy sections now that I have kids... When did the price of a single comic book action figure become $20?! That is WAY too much for a single figure. There, I said it! When they became collectibles aimed at adult customers rather than toys for kids to play with. If you look at the super-hero action figures form companies like Spin Masters and Imaginext that are still producing them as toys to be played with rather than collectibles for display by adults, they usually fall in the $4-$10 range unless there are vehicles or playsets involved. But adult collectors want high end sculpts and articulation that will look good on display (but don't hold up well for play) and that drives up production costs so they get priced for the market accordingly. -M Man, quit trying to knock me off my rhetorical soapbox with your well-reasoned statements on economic conditions. I want to shake my fist at expensive toys!  And yeah, Scarface was sorely overrated. |
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Post by Cei-U! on Sept 25, 2020 10:04:06 GMT -5
Which Scarface? The original Howard Hawks version is really good for an early '30s flick. The one with Pacino is. I agree, overrated, as is pretty much anything directed by DePalma (except, maybe, Phantom of the Paradise).
Cei-U!
I summon Paul Muni and George Raft!
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Post by impulse on Sept 25, 2020 10:07:41 GMT -5
I've only seen the Pacino version, so I can't comment on the earlier one. The cultural significance the former achieved baffles me. Maybe you had to see it at the time?
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shaxper
CCF Site Custodian
Posts: 22,878
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Post by shaxper on Sept 25, 2020 10:53:28 GMT -5
I've only seen the Pacino version, so I can't comment on the earlier one. The cultural significance the former achieved baffles me. Maybe you had to see it at the time? It's pretty shocking for the '30s, but it got green-lit because it was a cautionary tale with a clear pro-law agenda. I find myself sympathizing with the protagonist in that film, whereas De Palma's is an inhuman monster. |
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Post by adamwarlock2099 on Sept 25, 2020 11:02:53 GMT -5
Figures are 20 dollars because adults are buying them more. What does that say about grown people refusing to grow up ? Adult white males ages 30-50 have always been the darling target audience for businesses and politicians, and the current 30-50ers are the children of the Baby Boomers, who grew up with an odd balance of being just as spoiled but also far more emotionally neglected. Love for us was a McDonalds Happy Meal and a He-Man figure. So, as adults, living in a world that hasn't worked out at all like the one we were promised as kids, when the job is killing us on in the inside, the bills keep coming, and the news is both terrifying and infuriating no matter what side of the aisle you're on, you find comfort in a $20 purchase that takes you back to your youth for a few short minutes. Personally, I'm not spending $20 on an action figure. I re-bought all the ones from my youth on ebay years ago for a lot less than that and am satisfied. But I understand what's driving the adults that do. Yeah spending money on unneeded things can be just as comforting as alcohol, nicotine, caffeine, or whatever else vice you can think of. He says as he anxiously awaits for his $20 copy of Emperor Doom to arrive in the mail  |
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Post by Roquefort Raider on Sept 25, 2020 12:10:11 GMT -5
Adult white males ages 30-50 have always been the darling target audience for businesses and politicians, and the current 30-50ers are the children of the Baby Boomers, who grew up with an odd balance of being just as spoiled but also far more emotionally neglected. Love for us was a McDonalds Happy Meal and a He-Man figure. So, as adults, living in a world that hasn't worked out at all like the one we were promised as kids, when the job is killing us on in the inside, the bills keep coming, and the news is both terrifying and infuriating no matter what side of the aisle you're on, you find comfort in a $20 purchase that takes you back to your youth for a few short minutes. Personally, I'm not spending $20 on an action figure. I re-bought all the ones from my youth on ebay years ago for a lot less than that and am satisfied. But I understand what's driving the adults that do. Yeah spending money on unneeded things can be just as comforting as alcohol, nicotine, caffeine, or whatever else vice you can think of. He says as he anxiously awaits for his $20 copy of Emperor Doom to arrive in the mail Speaking of which, I am puzzled by how we can be uncomfortable with buying a comic-book for 30$, even though we'll read and enjoy it for years and years and years, but barely raise an eyebrow at paying 60 bucks for a bottle of scotch that we'll end up pissing. It's good to be able to afford both, but I rarely feel a twinge of guilt at paying a lot for things that are accepted to be expensive (car repairs, home appliances) while I feel bad paying more than rock bottom prices for other things (a bicycle headlight, for example, even though my very life may depend on it). Mr. Spock would say "illogical". |
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Post by impulse on Sept 25, 2020 13:04:23 GMT -5
Mr. Spock would say "illogical". For a Vulcan, he sure did sum up the human condition well with this. For me, I used to be a miserly penny pincher on a lot of small things like deodorant, but as I've gotten older, I've come to value my time and energy more. I look for deals when I can, but if I need a specific thing and I can get it now, I am less likely to spend time driving across town looking for a store selling it for a dollar less. That deodorant that is going to last 3 months? Does it matter if I spend $4 instead of $3 over three months? I also am much more willing to buy the better/correct/quality product than finding the cheapest on certain things. Like tires. I don't cheap out on tires. Yeah the Michelin might be twice as much, but man, what's a few hundred bucks over the 2-5 years those tires will safely drive my family around, you know? |
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Post by adamwarlock2099 on Sept 25, 2020 13:25:58 GMT -5
Yeah spending money on unneeded things can be just as comforting as alcohol, nicotine, caffeine, or whatever else vice you can think of. He says as he anxiously awaits for his $20 copy of Emperor Doom to arrive in the mail Speaking of which, I am puzzled by how we can be uncomfortable with buying a comic-book for 30$, even though we'll read and enjoy it for years and years and years, but barely raise an eyebrow at paying 60 bucks for a bottle of scotch that we'll end up pissing. It's good to be able to afford both, but I rarely feel a twinge of guilt at paying a lot for things that are accepted to be expensive (car repairs, home appliances) while I feel bad paying more than rock bottom prices for other things (a bicycle headlight, for example, even though my very life may depend on it). Mr. Spock would say "illogical". I'm pretty thrifty on most things in general including comics, especially when it things for myself. I rarely buy top shelf liquor for instance. My last bike I bought was a $50 used one I found at a pawn shop. I got that from my dad, although it really didn't set in until I became a parent. My dad spent so little on himself so that the family would have better. And I'm the same way. I'll buy my boys a $60 game without flinching. Or back before my wife had her ankle fused I'd grab a $50 pair of heels I liked hoping she would too without thinking of the money. For better or worse I ... don't deprive myself, since happy is healthy, but I definitely don't get myself the best, but on rare occasions. So Emperor Doom was a treat for me, as the going prices elsewhere were double that and there was only one copy left at that website so I jumped on it. It's now the third most expensive comic I've bought in 25 years of buying. It also helps I shed a lot that collector mentality I started out with and am not as concerned with condition and flipping comics for money. Now I just flip the pages and read them. Sometimes with cheetos. {Spoiler: Click to show}Just kidding lol |
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Post by Roquefort Raider on Sept 25, 2020 14:43:00 GMT -5
Speaking of which, I am puzzled by how we can be uncomfortable with buying a comic-book for 30$, even though we'll read and enjoy it for years and years and years, but barely raise an eyebrow at paying 60 bucks for a bottle of scotch that we'll end up pissing. It's good to be able to afford both, but I rarely feel a twinge of guilt at paying a lot for things that are accepted to be expensive (car repairs, home appliances) while I feel bad paying more than rock bottom prices for other things (a bicycle headlight, for example, even though my very life may depend on it). Mr. Spock would say "illogical". I'm pretty thrifty on most things in general including comics, especially when it things for myself. I rarely buy top shelf liquor for instance. My last bike I bought was a $50 used one I found at a pawn shop. I got that from my dad, although it really didn't set in until I became a parent. My dad spent so little on himself so that the family would have better. And I'm the same way. I'll buy my boys a $60 game without flinching. Or back before my wife had her ankle fused I'd grab a $50 pair of heels I liked hoping she would too without thinking of the money. For better or worse I ... don't deprive myself, since happy is healthy, but I definitely don't get myself the best, but on rare occasions. So Emperor Doom was a treat for me, as the going prices elsewhere were double that and there was only one copy left at that website so I jumped on it. It's now the third most expensive comic I've bought in 25 years of buying. It also helps I shed a lot that collector mentality I started out with and am not as concerned with condition and flipping comics for money. Now I just flip the pages and read them. Sometimes with cheetos. {Spoiler: Click to show}Just kidding lol I thought you were serious! (And I saw nothing wrong with it!  ) |
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Post by impulse on Sept 25, 2020 15:06:05 GMT -5
Speaking of which, I am puzzled by how we can be uncomfortable with buying a comic-book for 30$, even though we'll read and enjoy it for years and years and years, but barely raise an eyebrow at paying 60 bucks for a bottle of scotch that we'll end up pissing. It's good to be able to afford both, but I rarely feel a twinge of guilt at paying a lot for things that are accepted to be expensive (car repairs, home appliances) while I feel bad paying more than rock bottom prices for other things (a bicycle headlight, for example, even though my very life may depend on it). Mr. Spock would say "illogical". I'm pretty thrifty on most things in general including comics, especially when it things for myself. I rarely buy top shelf liquor for instance. My last bike I bought was a $50 used one I found at a pawn shop. I got that from my dad, although it really didn't set in until I became a parent. My dad spent so little on himself so that the family would have better. And I'm the same way. I'll buy my boys a $60 game without flinching. Or back before my wife had her ankle fused I'd grab a $50 pair of heels I liked hoping she would too without thinking of the money. For better or worse I ... don't deprive myself, since happy is healthy, but I definitely don't get myself the best, but on rare occasions. So Emperor Doom was a treat for me, as the going prices elsewhere were double that and there was only one copy left at that website so I jumped on it. It's now the third most expensive comic I've bought in 25 years of buying. It also helps I shed a lot that collector mentality I started out with and am not as concerned with condition and flipping comics for money. Now I just flip the pages and read them. Sometimes with cheetos. {Spoiler: Click to show}Just kidding lol I don't buy top shelf liquor much anymore, either, but I've certainly raised my floor from when I first started. A $30-40 bottle used to be an extravagant splurge. Now that's pretty par, though I rarely get anything more than that anymore. I still have the last $80 bottle of Scotch I bought, and I don't even remember how many years ago that was. |
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Post by beccabear67 on Sept 25, 2020 16:03:42 GMT -5
I looked for a stuffed kangaroo/wallaby for years like one I used to have (but let the cat rip up), for many years, not sure of the maker for most of those years, then... two turned up! The first one was pretty damaged and worn but I was tempted and it did let me know the maker so I could refine my search, a few months later still looking at the damaged one and wondering if I could settle for it a new old stock with the tag still on appeared. I bet they could've priced it at $150 and I wouldn't have hesitated, but it was very affordable and arrived safely. Now I have back (kind of) a piece of childhood that I can hop around on the sofa and all that backwards stuff ('this way to the regress'). Happy happy joy joy bounce bounce.  The other thing I don't hesitate to spend on for quality is a pizza. There is no point having cardboard pretending to be a pizza. I may have fewer pizzas but they are always real pizzas with real flavors! |
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Post by adamwarlock2099 on Sept 25, 2020 17:14:57 GMT -5
The only time I spend good money on pizza is when I'm craving anchovies. There's only two local places that have anchovies on the menu and both are expensive. But at least the one place that delivers is a bit cheaper than the others.
It's also incidentally why Fishful of Dollars is my favorite Futurama episode. As I'd spend millions, if I had it, for the last know tin of anchovies too.
Anchovies are the best pizza topping. (Also good in salads.)
There I said it.
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