Post #271515 by Dr.TikiMojo on Sat, Dec 9, 2006 11:13 PM

On 2006-12-07 19:28, VampiressRN wrote:

I wish there was a "Wild for Tiki" program on The Travel Channel. Wouldn't it be great to take all the expertise of so many knowledgable people on this board and get your 15 minutes of fame on a weekly show. :)

I've not only thought many times about this but also looked into it a little. Besides the more I learn about the "Real World" careers of many of our Tiki Central Ohana there are already people working within television and film careers that could certainly make it happen, or at least easier than you or I.

I've mentioned about "DOUBLE EDGED SWORDS" before and here's the two sides to that scenario:

Pros: A Travel Channel/Fine Living program would bring massive public awareness to the Tiki scene, lifestyle, artists, musicians, restaurants and bars. This would not only mean an increase in business for all those retailers involved but most importantly our ever diminishing HISTORICAL TIKI LOCATIONS would receive the revenue they need and a broader public interest in PRESERVING them!
And talk about a "shot in the arm" here at Tiki Central...try to imagine online membership going from over 5,000 members currently to over 500,000 or more in a year!

Cons: First and most importantly is the usual "sub-culture" mentality. We call TC members our "Ohana", (family), and a pretty close knit bunch of people, (the nicest I've ever known! :D ), suddenly every Tom, Dick & Harriet who saw an episode on TV is dropping in that doesn't know jack about Tiki/Polynesian Culture, (besides what they just saw on TV), posting threads that have no relation to anything here and TC would be a mess of epidemic proportions, (kinda like MySpace), eventually becoming so large and hard to monitor that it would be bought out by Google or somebody!
Suddenly the market would flood over with complete TIKI CRAP! Target, Walmart, Toys R Us and so on would be selling everything from Tiki Barbies to Tiki Toilet Paper, (and some people worry NOW if some of this offends Polynesian Cultures and Beliefs!). Everyone would be trying to cash in on the "Tiki Craze", (more so than now), all of the small direct retailers and many artists would go out of business because the Giant Chain Stores can do it cheaper, faster and reach a larger audience.
Think certain Tiki events sell out too fast now, are too crowded now, can't find a seat, (or sometimes even standing room Tiki Ti), at your favorite Tiki Bar or Restraunt.....places would have velvet ropes, (or hopefully Bamboo Poles), outside as you wait in lines outside for hours hoping to get in.
Not to mention all the big corporations that would want to jump on the band wagon. Imagine chain Tiki restaurants as common as McDonalds all over the world, Tiki bars popping up as fast and generic as StarBucks!

Would we all still enjoy the "scene" as much?
Would it lose it integrity?

I had a pretty good pitch for the show and now there are plenty of "special interest" channels to support it but in my mind the cons out weighed the pros.

Sorry, to the poster of this thread for going off track....just wanted to answer the question.

[ Edited by: Dr.TikiMojo 2006-12-09 23:17 ]