Let Off Steam with Nostalgia
An enjoyable day trip to the Worth Valley Steam
Railway last month prompts a look into why this type of consumption takes our
fancy and what it tells us about our lives today.
It’s hard to believe that in days gone by transport by steam train would have been the means to get from A –B. But now in an age of slick electric trains, we long for the very experience, labelled vintage and consequently pay more for the novelty value.
It’s hard to believe that in days gone by transport by steam train would have been the means to get from A –B. But now in an age of slick electric trains, we long for the very experience, labelled vintage and consequently pay more for the novelty value.
Picture it now…The journey is steady, as you chug along,
allowing the senses to take hold. Admiring the scenery (no 3G yet you see) and
letting the steam remind you of the manpower and technology it takes to run
like clockwork. The compartmentalised carriages encourage chatter, a far cry
from the intent to avoid eye contact at all costs on a Virgin East Coast
service. It all seems idyllic, tame if you will, as you conjure up the image of
the Railway Children sitting on the bank unrestricted by fears of health and
safety.
Of course to some it’s all about the steam train per
se but otherwise perhaps the nostalgia of steam railways is down to a general
reminiscence to a simpler time. Our ‘plugged in’ culture (Bull, 2005) allows
the use of mobile devices to check emails and such like, travelling with us as
we move through time and space. Our
sensual experience may decrease as our focus sits in our laps on a commute
rather than taking in the pleasures of the journey itself as the main event.
Ironically, although we may be more connected (with
digital interfaces) in the contemporary, we seem increasingly disconnected. The
breakdown of local structures from continually changing social networks, jobs
and homes characterises Liquid Modernity according to Bauman (2000). Nostalgia may help to escape this
uncertainty and the hardships of the present by finding stability; sentimentality
for a less transient time may facilitate temporary relief.
Does this argument ring true for you? What role does
nostalgia play in your life? _______________________________________________________________________
Bauman, Z. (2000) Liquid Modernity. Cambridge:
Polity Press.
Bull, M. (2005) No Dead Air! The iPod and the
Culture of Mobile Listening. Leisure Studies, 24 (4), pp 343 -355.
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