Bob Geldof knows nostalgia can be fleeting. Photo / NZPA
Bob Geldof knows nostalgia can be fleeting. Photo / NZPA
My sister Sarah drives a Skoda. She loves her Skoda - she also loves to drive fast.
In the 1970s, Sarah's best friend was Janet. Janet's mum drove a Skoda. Sarah and Janet didn't love that Skoda, especially when it chugged up Ngauranga Gorge. Everything overtook the 1970s Skoda. Inthe 1990s, though, Skoda teamed up with Volkswagen. The new-generation Skodas can zoom up Ngauranga Gorge.
When Sarah saw a Skoda billboard that said "0-100 km/h, honest" she bought a new car. Sarah has a sense of humour.
Playing with the past can be profitable, as Skoda's advertising team knows. But buyers should be wary of simple appeals to nostalgia.
Trying to recreate the past rarely succeeds, despite the best attempts of re-enactors and wrinkly pop stars on reunion tours. A square pie in a country used to sushi and noodles is not the same as a square pie in a country still getting used to fast-food outlets. Some things endure; others disappear for a reason.
We are all consumers of the past, but we should be discerning. Does anyone want their Proustian moment to be the smell of a mince steak 'n' cheese pie?
• Caroline Daley is an Associate Professor of History.
