Post #599582 by bigbrotiki on Thu, Jul 28, 2011 12:15 AM

If we would politely ignore all the Margaritaville images posted here, they would continue to stand on this site as examples of "Tiki". Most people go no further than the internet these days: They'd open this thread, see the images and think "If this is on Tiki Central, it must be Tiki!"

WE did not take the images down, we just commented on their authenticity. But now we shouldn't do that? I have never seen a post explaining the facts in a nicer tone than BB's. If that person cannot understand this kind of explanation, than their interest in Tiki was only skin deep, too.

As the Tiki Revival is moving away from its original inspirations, more and more newcomers with less and less knowledge of what Tiki really is will want to "have fun" with the style, wanting to ad it to THEIR idea of fun - be that Margaritaville, Reggae, Hot Rods, Rockabilly, Burlesque, Scooters, or Steam Punk. If we cannot even tell them "Go and do what you dig, but this is Tiki, and that ain't" what will be left of the definition of the genre?