Play Meter

editorial
A Laughing Matter
CI:
One of the first things a child learns is how
to protect himself from what Shakespeare's
Hamlet called "the slings and arrows of out-
rageous fortune." He does this by developing an
attitude toward himself that allows him certain
defenses. This attitude is healthy; it is part of
the child's sense of self.
This sense of self-defense serves the normal
child growing up under normal circumstances
well. But a child constantly embattled must
turn within and find something more. He must
constantly assert to himself that he has some
value, that he is good. He becomes defensive.
The coin industry has grown up much like
the embattled child. For a long time, the industry
was the victim of bad publicity, and like the
child who is always downgraded, it was forced
to develop a defensive attitude.
But recently, for the first time in its history
perhaps, the industry is getting some good press.
Television, the newspapers and even an oc-
casional general interest magazine are interesting
themselves in the coin industry, and they are
generally finding positive things to say about it.
The media - and through education by the
media, the general public - are beginning to find
that our industry has a place in the entertainment
world, a valuable place. They are beginning
to appreciate us as we have had to learn to
appreciate ourselves.
The last thing the embattled child learns - if he
does indeed ever learn this - is to laugh at
himself. His circumstances have made it ex-
tremely difficult, if not impossible, for him to
develop a sense of humor about himself, to realize
that he can be ridiculous on occasion.
This is something that the coin industry
must learn if it is to reach full maturity. Play
Meter never runs a humorous article, it seems,
without being attacked by a number of people
who have somehow taken it seriously.
We can take time-now that we're not being
attacked on every side [indeed now that we
are getting some long overdue praise] - to enjoy
ourselves, to learn to laugh. Let's.
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