Tuesday, February 23, 2010

Antiquing With The American Pickers: No Sign Of Guilty Pleasures For These Junksters, Just Pure Joy

Is Junking A Guilty Pleasure? Ask The American Pickers

Do you think Mike and Frank, (The American Pickers) suffer from guilty pleasures when they are out junking everyday ? What exactly is a guilty pleasure anyway. Is junking a guilty pleasure? Read on and see what you think.

Is Junking A Guilty Pleasure?

A guilty pleasure is something one enjoys and considers pleasurable despite feeling guilt for enjoying it. Often, the "guilt" involved is simply fear of others discovering one's lowbrow or otherwise embarrassing tastes, rather than actual moral guilt. Fashion, music, and food (especially unhealthier foods high in sugar and/or fat) can be examples of guilty pleasures. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Guilty_pleasure

I would add junking to that definition of guilty pleasures. Many junksters beat themselves up mercifully thinking about how much time and money they spend on hunting for junk.

MALE Junking Genes

But truthfully, I highly doubt Mike and Frank are thinking too deeply about guilt. These guys were born with the MALE junking gene. They are not bitching about eating too much chocolate or spending too much money on way too many vintage tablecloths. Nope..these guys are not freakin over the same things we do. Do you think Mike and Frank are saying to themselves.....gee I better get home early enough from junking to make dinner ? Not a chance.

Listening To Barbra Streisiand's Guilty Pleasures While Blogging

And there are other differences between our hard core junkers and the baby boomer bloggers and softies you'll meet on Etsy. Here is where I am going with this. You know for sure, Mike and frank are not blogging while listening to Barbra Streisand's 2005 album she did with Barry Gibb called "Guilty Pleasures".
And Mike and Frank are not sipping a cup of tea while they are posting photos of their goodies online. But to give Mike a little credit where credit is due, he does have a softer side afterall. The guy has attempted to make some journal entries (at least for PR purposes, I imagine) , so we can get into his psyche.

Mike's Personal Journal Entry

Here is one of Mike's "personal" journal posts :

"when frank and I are out pickin on a gravel road in the middle of nowhere and the sun is high in the sky we both realize how incredible our jobs really are.No clock to punch,no one to answer to,Its us and our instincts that carry us through". http://www.antiquearcheology.com/journal.php?id=22

Do you hear any guilt there? Nope ....they love what they do......they do not suffer from one ounce of "guilty pleasures".

Isn't it time for all of us to learn how to junk just for the pleasure of it!

Photos Courtesy of http://www.antiquearcheology.com/
For More on American Pickers read:
http://cdiannezweig.blogspot.com/2010/03/american-pickers-clinging-to-their.html

http://cdiannezweig.blogspot.com/2010/03/american-pickers-antiquing-underground.html
http://cdiannezweig.blogspot.com/2010/02/antiquing-with-american-pickers-no-sign.html

http://cdiannezweig.blogspot.com/2010/02/fetch-and-kvetch-what-does-it-take-to.html

http://cdiannezweig.blogspot.com/2010/02/junking-along-with-american-pickers.htm

C. Dianne Zweig
is the author of Hot Kitchen & Home Collectibles of the 30s, 40s, 50s and Hot Cottage Collectibles for Vintage Style Homes. She is also the Editor of Iantiqueonline.com an actively growing internet based resource community for people who buy, sell or collect antiques, collectibles and art. You can find Dianne’s fabulous retro and vintage kitchen, home and cottage collectibles at The Collinsville Antiques Company of New Hartford, CT, a 22,000 feet antique emporium with an in-house retro cafĂ©.

To read more articles by C. Dianne Zweig click on this link:
C. Dianne Zweig’s Blog Kitsch ‘n Stuff

Email me at dianne@cdiannezweig.com

Visit my website, CDianneZweig.com

Dianne is a member of:
The American Society of Journalists and Authors
The Authors Guild, Inc.

7 comments:

  1. I have really been enjoying this show. I keep hearing people complain that they are praying on these old people. I do not see any difference from the people who go to a yard sale and offer $2 for a $5 item, knowing that it is probably worth $20. In addition we are seeing more and more dealer's come in the shop and offer $45 on a $75 item (we have seen the item priced in another shop for $125) because they need to make money off the item, what do they think the dealer that owns the item is trying to do?

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  2. I enjoyed watching the show,after you recommended it, but too bad it is all guy stuff! We need some female American Pickers. I live in the Sierria Nevada Mts. so have to go all over to get dolls, usually what people call me about, and then find I have to look thru boxes of junk to find the dolls, and then they offer me old toys, antiques, etc. I once was referred to someone by a realative, and their mother died out in the middle of the Yucca desert. It was like a 3 hour drive for me, so I took my sometimes partner with me not knowing what to expect. It was like what these pickers go thru, she had dolls all over the house, in closets, boxes, and all the rest were outside. Outside was really just out back in the desert outside her house. I had to wear gloves, and the woman said watch out for the scorpions and the rattlesnakes! I was terrifed to stick my hand in these boxes and look thru them. The dolls were covered with filth, some with rat and mouse poop, etc. But after all day in the hot sun sorting out, we bought a lot of stuff that would have to be cleaned up. Some dolls, I run into this in my area also had feet and hands chewed off by rats! So I know what it is like to be a "Picker", it surely has its ups and downs. Alot tof the stuf cleaned up nice, some didn't but it was one expereince I wont forget.

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  3. Oh, I'd like to follow the American Pickers series but it doesn't seem to be on the History channel in Canada yet

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  4. no guilt here!! every day should be spent junkin:)...as much as I love it, I don't know many as hardcore as my Mother! She is the queen of junkers!...when you head out with her in the morning to just "run over and check out a rummage sale...." you better clear your schedule for the day!! so much work....but WHAT FUN!!

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  5. What a GREAT post...so true. I used to be a real junker and had these huge sales then sold my better stuff on e-bay then kind of quit ...burned out I guess. But lately I have been feeling "the urge" ...and going to start my non-guilty pleasure again this weekend...I live 40 miles from Sun City Az...the retirement capital of the West...lots of good "stuff"...can't wait!

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  6. On the Purple Hoody episode I watched them go through all these tunnels to the purple hoody's lair and then the just left out th front door!

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  7. picking in johnston rhode island today!!!

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