Self-governing watch: The meaning of adult coloring books!

FRIDAY, MARCH 18, 2016

Coloring inside the lines:
It isn't polite to criticize people for what they do for relaxation during their spare time.

In our view, it isn't a great idea to criticize regular people at all, as opposed to people in positions of authority or power.

That said, how did we manage to miss the latest major craze? Hard-copy headline included, Sarah Halzack penned this lengthy report in Sunday's Washington Post:
HALZACK (3/13/16): Relaxing outside the box of 64 colors

The amateur artists can be found coloring in airport lounges, doctor's office waiting rooms and while they watch TV shows at home. They are forming coloring meet-up groups at libraries and coffee shops so they can chit-chat as they doodle. Coloring books for adults—a genre once considered little more than a novelty—are suddenly a big business, a bright spot in the financial results of publishers and retailers alike. Nielsen Bookscan estimates that some 12 million were sold in 2015, a dramatic jump from the 1 million sold the previous year.

Whether it is a short-lived fad remains to be seen. The new generation of books are typically filled with intricate black-and-white illustrations that are art themselves. While many find the act of coloring to be a calming distraction from hours spent tapping, swiping and staring at screens, some early adopters aren't exactly hooked. Several reviewers on Amazon.com found the need to stay in the lines to be anything but soothing.

"Most of the pages are full of pictures that are so small I can hardly see the details to color them, which causes more stress than if I hadn't tried to color in the first place," wrote one reviewer of a popular coloring book on Amazon.
"It isn't polite, it isn't polite." That's what we kept telling the analysts.

The truth of it is, it isn't polite, however much the latest craze may seem to capture the society's sad decline.

At one point, the dumbness seemed to be Over There. Now, it's also rampant Over Here, within our own self-impressed tribe.

With our gatekeepers gone, we can do and think whatever we like. The dumbest and the greediest people are filling our heads full of crap.

With the gatekeepers gone, we can do what we like. Apparently, we like to be fed silly partisan crap reinforcing our Hard Tribal Bullroar.

Also, we may like to color! Or so one analyst said.

Great minds thinking alike: Late in her lengthy report, Halzack quoted a publishing exec commenting on the new craze:
HALZACK: It's not clear whether the rise of adult coloring books has come at the expense of sales in other categories, but the impact of the craze can be seen in various corners of the retail industry: Barnes & Noble has said that strong demand for adult coloring books and artist supplies provided a tail wind to the chain's total sales in the last three quarters. Walmart, meanwhile, moved in November to add a dedicated four-foot section for adult coloring books in 2,000 of its stores.

[...]

"I've been in this business for 20 years, and I've never seen anything like this," said Kathleen Schmidt, vice president at Running Press, which hurried to publish four adult coloring books last year when it saw the category gathering momentum.
Schmidt, a publishing exec, says she's never seen anything like it!

Full disclosure: We've been in this "business" for 68 years. We had the exact same reaction!

17 comments:

  1. The appeal of many pastimes is not understood by those who do not partake in them. Hobbies like needlepoint that relax the person but involve no creativity or mental effort are very similar to adult coloring books. Hobbies like golf and watching sports are similarly mindless activity, free of creativity or any skill that is any more important to society than coloring well. Libs love to signal their hypocritical and baseless snobbery.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Needlepoint and golf both take skill. Coloring between the lines of a design someone else has created is not comparable. Sewing, knitting require skill and technique, sometimes complicated techniques. Sometimes people do them to relax, but often those people are already very good at what they're doing. Also some people design their own needlepoint, knitting, and sewing projects, which is extremely creative and requires brainpower and skill.

      Delete
    2. Ok, I'll admit it, I've tried "coloring" with my girlfriend. We bought a mess of fine art colored pencils and a nice book of detailed Moorish inspired prints and patterns. A lot more creativity than one might think, and it's relaxing. Much different than one might remember from childhood.

      Delete
    3. All the hours viewing TV for relaxation, including mindless fare, and somehow coloring books are an extraordinary waste of time.

      Delete
    4. Not to mention the hours spent watching MSNBC and reading the New York Times so you can blog about "those damned kids" and how much money they make to an audience that numbers in the dozens.

      Delete
  2. It's similar to the widespread trend of adults reading YA (young adult) books, which really took off with the Harry Potter series and has only escalated. Many adults just don't want to challenge themselves. You can turn off half your brain to read YA books, and all your brain to color.

    Over at Goodreads, children's coloring books were banned from the database until the adult coloring book craze began, then suddenly all coloring books were legit and in the database. The word must have come down from their overlords at Amazon that the market niche for adult coloring books was too big to ignore.

    ReplyDelete
  3. Perhaps Bob should ask an adult coloring book fan why they prefer such fare to an Einstein Made Easy blog series.

    Unfortuinately Bob only askes why others don't ask people questions. It never occurred to him, or it seems, his readers, that he could try the same thing.

    ReplyDelete
  4. http://centumentltdreview.com/cloud-trader-review/

    Many traders choose binary options over regular stock and Forex trading, because its principles are relatively simple. You don't need to know about a hundred different factors, and worry about prices falling a few years from now. Brokers for binary options make it even easier for you to get the most out of this style of trading.

    http://autobinarysignalssoftwarereviews.com/cloud-trader-review/

    ReplyDelete
  5. http://explorereading.net/tr-profit-system-review/

    Publishers, advertisers and consumers all have skin in the game when it comes to the use and proliferation of ad blockers. Like everyone, I am deeply concerned where the industry is and more importantly, what has to be done to reconnect with disaffected, disgruntled consumers.

    ReplyDelete
  6. "Full disclosure: We've been in this "business" for 68 years. "

    Christ, Bob. Are you really ninety years old?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. He just had an extended period where his critics derided him as "youngish."

      Delete
  7. My life became devastated when my husband sent me packing, after 8 years that we have been together. I was lost and helpless after trying so many ways to make my husband take me back. One day at work, i was absent minded not knowing that my boss was calling me, so he sat and asked me what its was all about i told him and he smiled and said that it was not a problem. I never understand what he meant by it wasn't a problem getting my husband back, he said he used a spell to get his wife back when she left him for another man and now they are together till date and at first i was shocked hearing such thing from my boss. He gave me an email address of the great spell caster who helped him get his wife back, i never believed this would work but i had no choice that to get in contact with the spell caster which i did, and he requested for my information and that of my husband to enable him cast the spell and i sent him the details, but after two days, my mom called me that my husband came pleading that he wants me back, i never believed it because it was just like a dream and i had to rush down to my mothers place and to my greatest surprise, my husband was kneeling before me pleading for forgiveness that he wants me and the kid back home, then i gave Happy a call regarding sudden change of my husband and he made it clear to me that my husband will love me till the end of the world, that he will never leave my sight. Now me and my husband is back together again and has started doing pleasant things he hasn't done before, he makes me happy and do what he is suppose to do as a man without nagging. Please if you need help of any kind, kindly contact Happy for help and you can reach him via email: happylovespell2@gmail.com

    ReplyDelete
  8. Testimony By Wendy Owen, How I Get My Husband to Love Me Again!

    I was hurt and heart broken when a very big problem occurred in my marriage seven months ago, between me and my husband . so terrible that he took the case to court for a divorce. he said that he never wanted to stay with me again,and that he didn't love me anymore.So he packed out of the house and made me and my children passed through severe pain. I tried all my possible means to get him back,after much begging,but all to no avail.and he confirmed it that he has made his decision,and he never wanted to see me again. So on one evening,as i was coming back from work,i met an old friend of mine who asked of my husband .So i explained every thing to him,so he told me that the only way i can get my husband back,is to visit a spell caster,because it has really worked for him too.So i never believed in spell,but i had no other choice,than to follow his advice. Then he gave me the Email address of the spell caster whom he visited. Templeofloveandprosperity@gmail.com. So the next morning,i sent a mail to the address he gave to me,and the spell caster assured me that i will get my husband back the next day. What an amazing statement!! I never believed,so he spoke with me, and told me everything that i need to do. Then the next morning, So surprisingly, my husband who didn't call me for the past 7 months, gave me a call to inform me that he was coming back. So Amazing!! So that was how he came back that same day,with lots of love and joy,and he apologized for his mistake,and for the pain he caused me and my children. Then from that day,our relationship was now stronger than how it were before,by the help of a spell caster. So, i will advice you out there if you have any problem contact Dr Frank Ojo, i give you 100% guarantee that he will help you.. Email him at: Templeofloveandprosperity@gmail.com ,or visit his Web site to know more about him: http://africatemple.yolasite.com ,and i lives in United Kingdom. Thank you sooooo much!!!

    ReplyDelete
  9. life without peace and joy is nothing, i want to give thanks to this greatman name Dr. Agbazara who help me to get back my lover who left me for 6month,but this great man he help me to get back my lover who i never thought will ever come back but this great help me to get her back to me,all thanks to DR AGBAZARA TEMPLE who help me to get him back people that have problem should call him with is private cell number +2348104102662 or email him: agbazara@gmail.com

    ReplyDelete
  10. Thank you so much for the blocks. I hope you had a wonderful time. I'd have loved being in that class with you!
    gclub
    gclub casino online
    จีคลับ

    ReplyDelete
  11. I having been trading on binary for the past 6 months and never made any profits but recently i saw a comment on line on how a spell caster helped win $70,000 with lucky spell and strategies and i decided to give it a try which i did and in less than 3 days of making contact i traded and the profits i made was tremendous and i was overwhelmed. If you are a binary trader and you need luck to win then do not hesitate to contact eduduzadsontemple@yahoo.com for immediate results

    ReplyDelete
  12. Today, it is really pleasurable to be able to deepen into these feelings. Coloring can distract you from your problems for even a couple of hours, which can have an unusually positive effect.
    coloring books for adults

    ReplyDelete