Post #73516 by EnchantedTikiGoth on Fri, Jan 30, 2004 12:01 AM

This sort of topic comes up perpetually in several communities I'm a part of, and I can certainly appreciate the concern. There is a reasonable fear about the cheaping of Goth, the increasingly poor quality of the anime imported to the mainstream, or the possibility of Neo-Victorianism and Steampunk going above ground (okay, maybe the last one isn't so reasonable...). In this case, it's the growing popularity of Tiki, which my even being here may or may not be a consequence of.

Upon analysis, however, I sometimes wonder what the real problem is from the perspective of either camp. On one hand, if you genuinely love Tiki (or Goth, or anime, or Steampunk, or...), then I don't necessarily see the problem. One's affections are a positive value, not judged on a scale of who or how many others like it (a negative value).

If you genuinely love it, then it's popularity or lack thereof becomes a non-issue. You'll love it if it's hip and you'll love it if it's not. You'll love it if it makes you hip and you'll love it if it makes you a geek. You'll love it if there's only a few quality items to be found at thrift stores and you'll love it if it's hanging mass produced from the displays of every five-and-dime in the country.

Speaking from my personal experience, where genuinely loving something places you when it goes mainstream is that it gives a base from which to assess quality. As a Goth I can criticize Hot Topic not merely for it's existance, but because they sell ugly clothes and bad music. As a Steampunk fan, I can criticize the LXG movie not simply because it exists, but because it was a bad movie and a travesty of the comic. Far be it from me to consider myself a Tiki fan, but the mere existance of, say, neon blue Tiki lights doesn't bother me... I just wouldn't pick them up for my Tiki room because I think they look bad.

On the other hand, if you're into Tiki because noone else is, then I don't see the major issue. What forms the basis of this affection for Tiki is not Tiki itself, but the fact that liking Tiki makes you different. No biggie: when Tiki becomes popular, just move on to the next thing that makes you different. Since mainstream fads are cyclical, there's never a shortage of lifestyles you can adopt that will distinguish you from everyone else.

The point I did find interesting was the one made about how other peoples' perceptions of you change when you haven't changed at all. It is frustrating, to be sure, to always have to qualify what you say about yourself (in my case, "no I don't like Marilyn Manson, I don't watch Pokemon and 'it's a bad example, but Steampunk is kinda' like Wild Wild West'.") or to have people think you're so passe. But if you love the thing, then I'm sure one can deal. Heck, a witty comeback is always a welcome opportunity ("no honey, I'm not behind the times... I'm beating you out the next time you jump on the bandwagon.").

I dunno'... For whatever it's worth...

Cory