I like the people who buy a bunch of new mugs and then leave comments on threads acting like experts. Or when the amazing artists on here post their new work and then idiots who wouldn't know how to carve their name into a tree leave their little judgemental comments. Not really sure if that is them being "snobby" or just asses...i choose the latter.

As far as being a snob personally I notice I act this way when i go to place like antique fairs or the "boutique" section of thrift stores . At the last Alameda Fair I asked this vendor how much he wanted for this hula girl cocojoe and after he said $40 I started laughing so hard and wishing him good luck at trying to sell it.Felt bad for my friend who had to apologize for my behavior but I ended the interaction with "I am sure I will see that same item next month in your case. Have fun dragging it back and forth like a lost puppy"

Same thing happened when I was at a thrift last week and they told me they wanted $25 for a pair of tiki s&p shakers that I see on Ebay daily sell for $6 and under.

I guess that is being snobby...but I think it may also lean more to me calling people out on their overpricing b.s.

[ Edited by: leleliz 2009-06-15 15:18 ]

Lele you ARE a snob :wink: If some joe in a shop can catch the right idiot willing to pay $40... good for the joe and good for the idiot. I swear, they can both be happy. And you can be happy not spending the 40 clams. It's win,win,win!

I read this thread with great interest as I am a member of a few forums that have their share of Snob's.
A Ukulele Forum where if you don't play a Vintage Martin/20's style your not playing a Ukulele, a Kayaking site where if your not white knuckled your a sissy and a Sailing site that if you have a motor your worse than a houseboater.

I do get a kick out of how folks feel they can tell you their way of thinking is the only way, I see that from the folks that think they are "purists" in all the forums.
Now don't get me wrong from the historical stand point of Poly-Pop there is only one way of doing it and if you Bar/Basement/Lanai/Backyard is claiming to be vintage tiki it better follow those rules.

But to tell me that I can't have a few plastic party city type cups for friends to drink from that ARE NOT going to be drinking from the mugs on my shelf makes you worse than a snob.

Now I know why out of almost 700 views of the basement bar I am building only 3 folks have left comments... everyone must have known I had these "mugs".

[ Edited by: Beach Bum Scott 2009-06-15 20:58 ]

On 2009-06-15 15:16, leleliz wrote:

I guess that is being snobby...but I think it may also lean more to me calling people out on their overpricing b.s.

I agree, most of this stuff was cheap like dirt in it's day and some people think it's gold lined. I get a kick of how some "traders" here act like they are dealing in old Rolex's

I guess that people look at me not so much as a SNOB but just a SOB...

At the risk of setting off the purists among us, I think tikidom will exile itself into a second decline if it doesn't allow external influences to introduce a certain amount of variation. While there are a few iconic standards that should always help define what is "tiki" and what is merely a face on a mug or a log, if tiki design doesn't start appropriating elements from other disciplines, it will soon find itself at the ass-end of a lowbrow cul-de-sac of no return.

While I think there's room for everyone under tikidom's umbrella, tiki design as a movement needs to seriously rethink its tendencies toward Rat Fink & Spongebob. The mugs of fifty years ago still resonate today because of the timeless elements of their design, itself adopted and mutated from tribal origins. Will Shag and Spongebob still hold up in another fifty years? Only time will tell.

One thing that is pretty certain is that the days of finding tiki in thrift shops is essentially over, and from here on it's eBay-only for the vintage stuff. Which means that it's up to the new guys to maintain enough tradition in their design to merit a degree of authenticity, and yet incorporate enough innovation to keep it interesting to everyone, not just tikiphiles.

Tiger Lily & I don't have a tiki bar in our home, just a kitchen bookshelf with all our bottles. We do have tiki art throughout the house, and a magnificent moai (courtesy of Basement Kahuna) out back, but it's all incorporated into a wider design motif of Polynesian, Adirondack, Asian and whatever-the-hell-we-like. Our display items are constantly revolving because we consciously choose to live in a small, uncluttered home, and so our refinement (or snobbishness) is a necessity born of physics. We aren't big socializers, because we're self-employed shop owners and are usually just too tired to entertain anyone except the cat. And as much as we enjoy our occasional jaunts to the Mai-Kai, neither of us wants to live there. How exotic can it be if you come home to it everyday? And doesn't tiki puritanism ultimately evolve into everyone having the exact same mug collection?

The first wave of tikidom was all about escapism: a fictionalized throwback to a simpler, more authentic reality than the Space Age offered. Now, we can escape by simply turning off the phones, TVs and computers. I, for one, don't need or want to escape my reality: I've taken reality by the ankles and made it my bitch. For us, tikidom makes reality preferable to escapism.

Let's venture out into the wilderness of style and see what we can snare to bring back for the betterment of the tribe.

I guess I'm a "snob" in that I'll correct people sometimes if they call the Party City stuff tiki and say it's tiki themed. That and the difference between Hawaiian, Maori, Tongan, Marquesian, etc.. styles of carving and design. Also, constantly arguing with my Canadian friend that their carvings, while beautiful in their own respect, are not tiki. I'm saving the true snobbery for when tiki culture makes a comeback.

"You mean you HAVEN'T read "The Book of Tiki"? Anyone who wants to be hip needs to read "The Book of Tiki". scoff"

-LT

On 2009-06-17 09:50, Pahoehoe Ule wrote:
I think tikidom will exile itself into a second decline if it doesn't allow external influences to introduce a certain amount of variation. While there are a few iconic standards that should always help define what is "tiki" and what is merely a face on a mug or a log, if tiki design doesn't start appropriating elements from other disciplines, it will soon find itself at the ass-end of a lowbrow cul-de-sac of no return.

I think these are gems of wisdom. Granted, my most snobby action has been to 'school' someone at an antique fair about their overpriced mug (even went so far as to give them my card if they had questions later--OUCH!) , and further, as a true purveyor of Tiki, my physical collection is still in it's infancy, but I do feel that Pahoehoe has an excellent point. I think that Tiki as it is today appropriates from diverse elements, and evolves. Ratrod style tiki mugs, Jazz-age Bob paintings that we would all die for, hyper-pop style paired down tiki signs... The world is a big place. There's enough tiki for everyone. Besides, how can you be into Tiki the 'wrong way'?

~Zero

I, for one, don't need or want to escape my reality: I've taken reality by the ankles and made it my bitch. For us, tikidom makes reality preferable to escapism.

Tony, my fellow Athenian, is a walking, talking "Gem of wisdom". Jennifer, his lovely wife, as well.

My name is Tim and I am a Tiki Snob! Without more of us there would be more of this!

(Hanford, this is only being posted for reference)

Ojaitimo, is that a picture of a restaurant filled with tiki snobs, bravely conducting, uh... "field research"? :)

No, they were not. If you look in the upper right of that picture you see a picture of someone who will remain nameless. The only purchase I made there was for a kukui necklace to support the Save the Tatas Foundation that has nothing to do with Marg......, I mean ,err.

I see this whole thing as a subculture. As one enters any "scene" there is going to be standard set. Those standards aren't set in stone but they are there for a reason. I got into this thing and wanted to get into the history and know what initially made it happen. Sure I owned and still own some crap but I am constantly trying to push for the old school standards. I define a snob as someone who looks down or talks down to others. I try not to do that, I am human and I have many many faults. I'm a snob in the sense that I want the standards to be upheld to the best of ones abilities. Many of us , I noticed, have landed here after being involved in various other subcultures. I think back and realize that I approach every "scene" the same way, with awe and respect for those who came before. Sure there is room for some evolution as we have all seen, but natural selection exists. Those crappy things I've owned don't last. Cliches ring true.. you get what you pay for. I don't mean any disrespect towards the people who are ok with the "crap". Just don't profess to be something if your not willing to learn what makes it all tick. Every "Johnny-Try-Too Hard" has a chance once he settles down, to mature and learn to respect what attracted him to this scene in the first place.
I'm kind of rambling I suppose.
Peace with every step.

[ Edited by: Matt Reese 2009-06-26 21:18 ]

Yes.

YES !!

Blah. Blah. Blah.

Enjoy ESCAPISM!

Shouldn't the title be "Tiki Slob"?
Maybe.

Snobs in any 'scene' are lame. Period.

And besides, how can anyone live with so much 'Aloha' and 'Mahalo' and all that jive being a 'Snob'??? Seems like a double standard to me....

On 2009-06-26 23:14, RevBambooBen wrote:
Blah. Blah. Blah.

Enjoy ESCAPISM!

This is also a very great point.

On 2009-06-27 08:46, Dartin Menny wrote:
Snobs in any 'scene' are lame. Period.

And besides, how can anyone live with so much 'Aloha' and 'Mahalo' and all that jive being a 'Snob'??? Seems like a double standard to me....

Posers in any scene are lame.
Just kidding, I know what you're saying.

Matt Reese wrote:
Posers in any scene are lame.

I think both are equally as lame as the other.... but at least posers seem to have more fun in their innocence...

On 2009-06-27 08:46, Dartin Menny wrote:
Snobs in any 'scene' are lame. Period.

And besides, how can anyone live with so much 'Aloha' and 'Mahalo' and all that jive being a 'Snob'??? Seems like a double standard to me....

I think the spirit of this thread was intended to be FUN and not a put down to anyone.

I think the "humorous" term Tiki Snob is just about being well informed and having preferences based on that information. Its not about hating on others.

Years ago used to be stoked on Party City decor... now.. not so much.

Every time a Tiki snob gets his ass kicked, a Menehune gets a new set of wings.

On 2009-06-29 10:21, Unga Bunga wrote:
Every time a Tiki snob gets his ass kicked, a Menehune gets a new set of wings.

...crickets chirping...

:)

Not now.

Maybe later, after the collection and decour becomes more refined and expansive, but likely not.

'Am also a beer drinker, for that matter.

On 2009-06-26 21:14, Matt Reese wrote:
I see this whole thing as a subculture. As one enters any "scene" there is going to be standard set. Those standards aren't set in stone but they are there for a reason. I got into this thing and wanted to get into the history and know what initially made it happen. Sure I owned and still own some crap but I am constantly trying to push for the old school standards. I define a snob as someone who looks down or talks down to others. I try not to do that, I am human and I have many many faults. I'm a snob in the sense that I want the standards to be upheld to the best of ones abilities. Many of us , I noticed, have landed here after being involved in various other subcultures. I think back and realize that I approach every "scene" the same way, with awe and respect for those who came before. Sure there is room for some evolution as we have all seen, but natural selection exists. Those crappy things I've owned don't last. Cliches ring true.. you get what you pay for. I don't mean any disrespect towards the people who are ok with the "crap". Just don't profess to be something if your not willing to learn what makes it all tick. Every "Johnny-Try-Too Hard" has a chance once he settles down, to mature and learn to respect what attracted him to this scene in the first place.
I'm kind of rambling I suppose.
Peace with every step.

Sorry, but this a requiered quote.

That is very well said and written.

This board, and the Tiki Culture it represents is pretty much spelled out. I think people who come on this board and want to talk Jimmy Buffet or Neon tiki wall hangings are missing out on what this genre is about. There are other websites they can go to find like minded people who can talk about Parrot Heads and Party City decor, AND THERE IS NOTHING WRONG WITH THAT, it's just not here. So does that make me a snob. Ok, but I would never try to put anybody down for their tastes. This idea of snobbery is about capturing the spirit of post war Polynesian culutre in the continental states, and talking about the music, drinks, food, architecture and aritifacts from that time period. I don't call that being a snob, I call that being passionate about a hobby I love.

On 2009-07-18 09:01, dewey-surf wrote:

That is very well said and written.

This board, and the Tiki Culture it represents is pretty much spelled out. I think people who come on this board and want to talk Jimmy Buffet or Neon tiki wall hangings are missing out on what this genre is about. There are other websites they can go to find like minded people who can talk about Parrot Heads and Party City decor, AND THERE IS NOTHING WRONG WITH THAT, it's just not here.

AND THERE IS NOTHING WRONG WITH THAT.

[ Edited by: bradalbone 2009-07-18 09:48 ]

[ Edited by: bradalbone 2009-07-28 12:12 ]