It looks like somone is unclear on the concept. For many of us, the great dream was to finally be able to see, touch and use the appliances that fascinated us in our youth. I do not believe that dividing the discussions into two broad time bands is discriminatory. It gives the site some chronological organization and it provides a great opportunity for younger members to have a forum devoted to what they remember about appliances as they grew up and a place to share those experiences with some of us older and more feeble members, who yes, might have caught the brass ring, a few gold rings and other precious treasures, but remember that grabbing the brass ring got you another ride for free. In the Turquoise forum, we also discuss today's machines both domestic and foreign and a person's age is totally irrelevant for that. Just because everyone does not share an interest in a type of appliance or a brand of appliance or a time period does not mean disrespect nor does it constitute discrimination against the person or appliance. How is everyone having different interests discriminatory? It would be a boring, as well as cutthroat, club if everyone liked the same thing. Thanks to the discussions devoted to older appliances many younger members have been able to read about and see the marvels of design that were introduced 50 to 60 years. A completely unexpected stroke of good fortune because of the club was the discovery that there was interest in our appliances by people almost all over the world. They have shared information about the history of appliances in their countries and, in some cases, have been able to come to our gatherings and then became regular visitors with members here which has resulted in many great friendships as well as international detergent smuggling. The same is true for the members here who visit with friends & members in other countries. Even people who have never met have come to feel that they have friendships with certain members and a welcoming community. The ability of non-members to post questions to us has resulted in some wonderful appliance finds and transactions that added to our various collections. <br
I am glad that I do not have to wade through some vast forum spanning 60 years to find a member's account of an amazingly fortunate find, nor do I think it's improper to separate major appliances from smaller appliances. I like the fact that I can share my interest in housewares and small electrics with others and that we do not have to go searching all over the site because we know we have the yellow forum for that. Why do we need to make the vacuum collectors' site one with ours? What about the equally fascinating sites for collectors of beautiful mixers and irons? We can share our vacuum, mixer, etc. acquisitions triumphs within the proper forum here and are equally free to join groups that specialize in vacuums, mixers, irons and other items that are of no less value than washing machines, dryers and dishwashers. I like cookware and pressure cookers as do some other members, but we don't feel slighted by discussing them in the yellow sandbox which is not a joke or something disgusting like yellow snow <br
But beyond this and just as important is that you or any member feels shut out or slighted. I did not know about it, nor did I mean to do it except that it sometimes happens when I start discussing those damn bounties on the wanted dead or alive lists. Those can really work against all of our members. As for comparing newer appliances with old, I believe Consumer Reports set a precedent for comparison when they compared the newer GE to the original model and noted the features that were no longer offered. I miss fluorescent lights, germicidal lamps and fewer opportunities to indulge in dial pushing, although we are finding ways to thwart the manufacturers on that also. In 1985, IIRC, when John and I toured the Henry Ford Museum with other members of his family, we noticed that it sort of stopped short of our period of collecting in many areas, roughly at the end of Ford's ability to build his collection. Johns said at that time that to make the then only dreamed of museum and club continue into the future, young members would have to be exposed to the wonders of the older appliances by having a place to see them operate and the marvelous appliances from more recent times would have to be given space and consideration as well, otherwise it dies with us. It's like the ancient wooden washing machines and the wooden dishwasher at the Ford Museum; interesting, but not things I would want. On the other hand, the vacuum coffee makers that I was collecting in the early 1960s sort of swept through the club once people saw the beautiful shapes, watched the drama and tasted the coffee they produced. I waited years to find my first Coffee Master and today, they, as well as almost every type of vacuum coffee maker, are available on the Internet for all interested parties. <br
I do not see how a genuine enthusiast needs to put down someone or any type of appliance to feel secure about his or her own appliances. I would be intereted in seeing some of the language from which you inferred that this was a group that was unwelcoming to younger members. Hell, if you know anything, you know that a group that was started by gay men would be sensitive to alienating people. Furthermore, whether you are gay or straight, you would have to know that gay men appreciate many definitions of beauty and that hardly anyone would be made to feel unwelcome because they are younger or older, male or female. I do not understand how one can say that we have not welcomed anyone who has shown an interest in appliances and who has not engaged in poor behavior. I thought that, in general, we all got along, found enough flexibility to discuss our interests and had great fun together.