Signs of The Times - March 2024

Erik Sine · March 1

As the Signs of The Times Magazine circles the toilet fighting to stay a float these days, something of actual relevance pops up on their site, yet..it didn't even come from them....

https://signsofthetimes.com/opinion-historic-neon-signs-are-irreplaceable-inimitable-cultural-treasures/

With the Community Organizer over there away from the Keyboard and the take over by the current Hipsters they still can't get it right.

No one in that SOT staff currently has ever fabricated, installed, or processed Neon in their lives. The closest any of them has ever been to a piece of glass is probably at the ISA show in Vegas with them possibly taking a tour at the Neon Graveyard.

They probably stared at at the magnificence in all its glory in awe...maybe even jaw dropping while sipping on a fruity cocktail. Not even a whisper that the very publication they work for....helped to enable its fall. Or know, that the publication did what was easy, and take advertising money from the LED sector and allow them to buy influence in not only our supposed Trade Magazines which is nothing more than a brochure rag, but bought influence in our Trade Associations as well....and kill the very Soul of Neon, the greatest Heritage in our Trade. Yet, our Trade Journalism did nothing about it. Nothing to protect our Electric Sign Trades Greatest Heritage, & Tradition that helped put us on the map in Perpetuity....Neon.

Destruction of our very roots from within...or are the Trade Magazines & Sign Associations truly counted as one of us, or part of the "Whithin". I say, and always have said that "They" are not "Us". This is best left for another day, but very briefly for those that do not know. Most Sign Trade Magazines are not souly based on one trade, most have magazines that coexist in different sectors like Hospitality or Construction. The same is for the Core Executive that actually pick up a check at The International Sign Association, their employees who head it up never ever came from our Industry, they came from others, Power Lift Gates & Plastics Industry one day and Musical Chair the enxt right into our industry...they're outsiders coming and bringing that recycled business model they used in some other sector/trade into ours.

Back to the Article...

This Ball less Rag still, to this day has to label this article/letter as "Opinion"

That's mainly because the Hipsters that run the rag think it's just entertaining but know there's a hint of truth somewhere....they just can't figure out where.

Forget the fact that SOT like others have become irrelevant at the current state. They're all basically 15 pages long these days, with little to no information that you can't get by logging into LinkedIN, Facebook, or watching a TikTok / YouTube Video where the "pay/rent for SOT Keyboard" days are over.

Even the LED Manufacturers that once bought space at SOT is over, Social Media and the Internet killed these Rags. All that one sided Light Source influence of LEDs Good....Neon Bad, is gone. They're lucky to have maybe one ad a month from LEDs.

Yet, here we are today after much devastation with our Tardes Greatest Heritage hanging on by a nut hair..and this comes out.

Where was even so much as an opinion 12 years ago? Forget even having so much as one of their so called Journalists do a little digging in putting up the Pro's and Con's of both Neon & LED, or the Benefits of each. Nothing.

Countless articles I myself have written here with real Return On Investment figures here for all to kick around ...which we did a good job of.

But, now the Hipsters that run the SOT in their tight pegged Jeans, Drinking their Starbucks, petting their purse dog that sits on their lap at the local restaurant that barks at everyone thought about putting this Man's letter up for all to read his "opinion"

The Sign Trade Associations & Trade rags still suck after all these years (I haven't picked one up in years, not even for shits and giggles or while sitting on the pot).

In Rags & Associations....Some know, some have known....my experience not only here, being in the field of our trade, and being in a Sign Association for a brief stint has still remained true.....they all lack Courage.

There is NO courage to do what is right, only to do what comes easy in both our trade rags and sign associations like ISA...or The International Sign Association.