Rant-tastic! (Do not read if easily offended)

So, feel free to rant here yourself.

I had a bad night with some friends. They started off by making fun of my Tiki "hobby" when i was sketing out some ideas for my first carving. Calling it stupid, worthless, and a waste of time. They said that nothing useful comes of anyhting in the Tiki. I've loved Tiki since my first visit to The Enchated Tiki Room. That springboarded me into me "research" on Polynesian culture, leading to the uprising of Tiki in American culture in the 50's, to the resurgance which I am now a part of. And the worse part is not being able to defend. They don't know who Benzart, Lake Tiki, Tiki Diablo, Basement Kahuna, Sven, Otto, SHAG, or any other big names in our world. Then it dawned on me, I'm trying to discuss art with engineers (sorry to any engineers on here, scientific or train) and they have no concept with art. I've been to the Art Institute with them and as I wandered fascinated by the works done, they were bored. This was also apparent when we watched "Fido". If you haven't seen it, I reccomend it. However, it's a movie of subtle jokes (such as "Death" magazine"), jokes with a two part setup, a storyline that you can't just pick up in the middle. I.E.- NO TEXTING WHILE WATCHING. While I do see texting as a useful feature for those quick little "Hey, I'll be 5 minutes late" kinda memos, it's not something meant for full conversations. The incessive button clicks drive me crazy normally, not to mention during a movie. Then after in trying to discuss it, instead of hearing why it was "Stupid" and why it "Sucked", I just got "IT SUCKS" and "IT WAS STUPID" constantly shouted at me. I can take people not enjoying a movie as much as I do. But to have "IT SUCKS" shouted at me as well as constantly being talked over. Well that jus pisses me right off. And that is my rant-tastic story of the night. I need a drink.
-LT

Professional recommendation: New friends.

It doesn't sound like they are much of a friend, if they put your thoughts down that much.

I just had a "friend" over tonight, who at first glance at all of my tiki stuff, says,"your crazy, man", but within a few minutes, he found a couple mugs that he totally loved.

And "Fido" is a freakin' awesome movie!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

..remember. it's important to be well rounded, to not limit yourself to a particular group and have different circles of friends..those that "get" the whole tiki thing and that you can do tiki related and art related things with and those that may share other interests that maybe tiki folk wouldn't be interested in but that those other friends might....obviously it these friendships are worth salvaging for whatever reason, then maybe keepin the engineers away from the tiki bar may be less aggravating for you in the long run.....however, if these guys don't have much to offer you other than critizisim than cut them loose....

sometimes my circles of friends eclipse each other, sometimes they don't...but they are still friends and they have a place in my life on some level.....i wouldn't get too stressed about if i were you....just learn to gauge peoples reactions to various things and you'll know how far and where you can let them into your world....some will "get it" some won't, but it's hardly worth trashing relationships over, unless they are pretty much jerks across the board .....

Aloha, braddah! To paraphrase another genre "Get Up, Stand Up! Stand up for your rights!". They needn't "get it" to be good friends necessarily, and probably won't see it the same way you do. But it's nice and sure feels good to have like minds when you put your heart and soul into something, especially something as broadly influential in American culture (and American tastes across the board) as the Polynesian Pop movement. Keep the Book Of Tiki; Tiki Modern, Tiki Quest, Tiki Road Trip, "Sippin Safari, etc. around and some of the other choicer recent documentation of the era. Gives the whole thing credibility to the uninitiated, seeing it all in print. Aloha.. See you at Hukilau I hope! You really, really need to see the Mai Kai to bring it all full circle...can't stress that enough! Fight the good fight! And if they can't see Polynesian Pop for it's true worth and honest contribution, the to paraphrase Handsome Dick Manitoba "F*ck 'em if they can't take a joke!".

As someone that pretends/attempts to be an artist and engineer, I can only say that some of us can use both halves of our brain equally well. As far as people that limit themselves (regardless if they are left or right-brained) and try to pull You down into Their comfort zone... life's too short to worry about them! I think we probably all have at least one friend that doesn't get the "whole tiki thing". As the saying goes, you can lead a horse to water but can't make him drink. I am sure I have a few friends that are flustered that I don't share their passion for basketball, car races, or pop music. I don't poo-poo the things they like (ok, maybe I do with NASCAR), and if I did I would fully expect to get an earful. Get out to some local tiki events in your area (or start your own) and make some new friends that share your interests.

As for Fido, great movie. You would probably like the 2005 musical remake of Reefer Madness.

Hey Lounge Tiki, I had no idea that you were friends with my dad. Who knew???

Here's 8 toxic personalities to avoid, including Manipulative Mary, Judgemental Jim, Dream-Killing Keith, and Debbie Downer:
http://shine.yahoo.com/channel/life/8-toxic-personalities-to-avoid-461078/

If these "friends" were genuinely dismissive about your interests (and in such an aggressive manner) then I'd have to agree with a suggestion made above: New friends. People behaving that way about someone else's interests are jerks no matter how you slice it.

If this is a standard interaction between all of you (trash talking the others' interests, reviewing a movie with "It sucks.") then it's an issue of the thickness of your skin. Go make a love post about Jimmy Buffet in Tiki Music and toughen up.

Like TikiMango points out, don't put down these guys because they're engineers. We have lots of Hot Rodders here on TC that can strip and rebuild just about anything you can fling at them, from toasters to motorcycles. The engineering that goes into making a simple Tiki mug is pretty far out, (try making a freakin' mold from scratch) and while you're at it try hand-wiring the lights around a good Tiki bar. Good luck!

Your friends are just plain DICKHEADS.

Hey all.
I just want to thank you all for all you support and advice. Since that day, I've hung out with those guys less, and been on the internet less. I decided to "get out there" and I actually went and volunteered at a local Elderly Assisted Living Complex (aka. The Old Folks Home). It really put some things in perspective, expecially the "Life is too short" saying. It was nice though. I enocurage you all to volunteer at least one day. Some days it's cleaning up a bit and doing some work. But other days, it was just sitting around and talking to the residents. It's amazing how a conversation can bring up their day. And actually, I talked to a few people about the golden days of tiki. They told me of these wonderful times they had throwing luaus in their back yard. But I digress.
I would once again like to thank you all.
-LT

On 2009-05-31 21:10, The Lounge Tiki wrote:
...It's amazing how a conversation can bring up their day... They told me of these wonderful times they had throwing luaus in their back yard.

You should write down their story and share. Or record it if you can. It may take them all night to do what they used to do all night and the chance to relive those memories if just for a moment would make their day and ours too!

I bet those elderly folks would appreciate you more if you brought your tiki mugs and rum the next time!

Real friends should accept what you enjoy as a part of what makes you "you." Everyone worth knowing has something that makes them different, and how else do any of us get to find out about something new if no one tells us? If they don't "get it" then don't waste time trying to convince them.

Good to hear you found a place you can volunteer, I volunteer for the Monterey Bay Veterans (shameless plug http://www.mbv.org) and knowing that the volunteer efforts I do raise money to help disabled vets is a great feeling!

Friends are expensive.
Get rid of them and become a selfish person who takes advantage of everyone else's stuff. THEN you'll be happy.

"love post"... huhhuh - huhhuhhuh.