More scary tiki exploitation...

Saw some commercials for Wednesday night's "Teen Choice Awards" on Fox... once again surfboards for trophies ('cause everyone knows Kobe Bryant surfs) anyways, there's tiki graphics everywhere, on the boards, banners... and probably on the stage... catch a glimpse if you're curious...

I probably said this before...The FOX show and that "Boy Meets Boy" luau both prove that rather than becoming "mainstream" (as many worry) Tiki/Poly-Pop has become a sort of "whacky" theme for shows/movies, parties, summer wear, and the occasional half assed restaurant. Usually the style of Tiki is that Party Tiki Day-Glo colored cartoonish stuff that you hope your friends never buy for you. Occasionally there's some good graphics or a well dressed set, but for the most part it's all mylar palm trees and inflatable monkeys. Unlikely to increase the demand for quality Tiki, but a few might see the light (a dim and moody light, of course) and be introduced to the true Tiki. More copies of "The Book of Tiki" in motel night stands would probably help.

Oh, things are just wacky. Go into any Walmart and check out the low-end dinnerware with tropical patterns. Surfing images, palms, pineapples, etc. - it is all the rage across the board! I just picked up some absorbent coasters decorated with lovely palm trees - not the usual folk art renderings you usually find on those things. Tiki is in vogue, for better or for worse...

Broke down and watched part of it... dancing animated hula girls and a tiki dancing with a spear or sitting in front of a tv... Tiki fonts from House Industries used for everything... the box containing the winner card was a tiki mask... (Queen Latifa called it a "Jungle Man")

Fine, use the tiki theme, its trendy now, but the worst from the start was they had an announcer that had a Jamacian accent... Fox must think that because Hawaii and Jamacia are islands that they have the same culture... oh well...

But how was David Spade?

Yeah, it's definitely all over the place, though usually I see it invoked as not much more than fun/wackiness. Certainly, it is FUN, but the exploitation is still disgusting (if not surprising). But I think that the Jamaican/Hawaiian cultural blurring is especially offensive and condescending. God forbid folks should learn about the specifics of different cultures . . . ah well, that's TV for ya.

It's not just Jamaica/Hawaii, but tiki and tropical, Buffett/tiki, and so on. It's just a vague image. It hardly gets close to "tiki."

On 2003-08-06 22:42, woofmutt wrote:

But how was David Spade?

I escorted him for a cigarette at a swanky benefit here at the Met. Museum of Art (along with his date, Parker Posey). He was EXACTLY like his character on "Just Shoot Me." A little wierd, a little annoying, pretty obnoxious, and VERY needy of attention. Parker was very sweet and nicer to converse with.

The teen awards had the tiki theme last year too. i wouldn't worry about a mainstream tiki invasion because of this program. teens who are watching tv like this are oblivious to what's really cooler than hollywood celebs! If they weren't, every 13-19 year I know would actually be buying those tiki mugs at Urban Outfitters in the past year!