Post #537000 by Baron von Tiki on Thu, Jun 17, 2010 12:39 AM

For me, anyone who says anything less than "Thank you for thinking of me" when receiving a gift is a contender for the throne of King of The Assholes.

Anyway. . . .

When someone asks me what culture the Tiki aesthetic comes from, I always say "American." After that puzzled look on their face goes away, I explain how Tiki is a product of Mid-Century Lounge culture and that most Tiki places made no attempt at staying true to the origins of Tiki . . . just like Mid-Century cowboy movies made no attempt at any authentic portrayals of Native Americans. As someone else has said, Tiki is like pornography: "I don't know what it is but I know it when I see it."

As such, Tiki is very much a matter of personal interpretation. And that's why I like it. If there wasn't an element of fantasy and kitsch, I wouldn't be interested in it at all. Unfortunately, some don't understand the difference between "kitsch" and "crap." For example, I had a friend who was into Tiki long before I got into it. And the reason he didn't get me into Tiki was that his decor included way too much generic Party City tropical crap -- i.e. "Margaritaville."

If a Tiki-phile can have poor judgement as to what is Tiki, people who aren't into Tiki probably will too. And they certainly won't know what you like about it. So, if you've got someone, like a close friend or family member, who's always giving you, on a regular basis, Tiki stuff that doesn't quite hit the mark, lend them a copy of Tiki Style (NOT your Book of Tiki. One should have a copy of Tiki Style as a "lender.")

Once they get a feel for that Tiki aesthetic, and finally buy you something good, your "Thank you for the gift" will be enthusiastic rather than reluctant.

[[[((8-0))]]]
The Super Secret Sigil of The Electric Tiki Society(tm)

[ Edited by: Baron von Tiki 2010-06-17 00:40 ]