Megalextoria
Retro computing and gaming, sci-fi books, tv and movies and other geeky stuff.

Home » Sci-Fi/Fantasy » Steampunk » steampunk whitewashed? (The Steampunk Empire)
Show: Today's Messages :: Show Polls :: Message Navigator
E-mail to friend 
Switch to threaded view of this topic Create a new topic Submit Reply
steampunk whitewashed? [message #285378] Wed, 04 March 2015 14:02 Go to next message
William J. Jackson is currently offline  William J. Jackson
Messages: 3
Registered: March 2015
Karma: 0
Junior Member

A bit from Mister Reeve in Aether Chronicles #24 suggests steampunk may suffer from imitation without the substance. What I mean is, folks wearing gears and going on about the airship/ray gun/ etc but no real heart or knowledge of Victoriana and its ups and downs. Perhaps it has become more cosplay than serious genre asking serious questions about life via the lens of science fiction. I actually [partly agree with this but will give details later.

What do my fellow punkers think of the state of Sp in general? Good? Two-dimensional, growing, etc.?



---
http://www.thesteampunkempire.com
Re: steampunk whitewashed? [message #285405 is a reply to message #285378] Thu, 05 March 2015 09:58 Go to previous message
CyberkNight is currently offline  CyberkNight
Messages: 1606
Registered: July 2012
Karma: 0
Senior Member

I think Steampunk as a genre and subculture is still growing. I also think there is room for all kinds. Just as a science fiction book can be a straightforward adventure or a commentary on the problems of society past and/or present, participation in the Steampunk subculture can also be either and there is nothing wrong with either approach. To imply that only a certain kind or level of participation is correct is to be exclusionary and reduces the size, impact and potentially the longevity of Steampunk. It also comes across as a bit pretentious.

I admit that my own participation doesn't amount to much more than reading the occasional book, and dressing up for a convention or two each year and for Halloween. I have some vague ideas for a book I would like to write one day and my Steampunk persona (not that it is really much of a persona except in the costume and in my head...I'm not really the play acting type) is loosely based on a vague character idea. But I'm not kidding myself. I may never get around to the book (full time jobs and a family make having time for that sort of thing difficult) but that's not going to stop me from enjoying the Steampunk genre/subculture/whateveryoucallit at whatever level I can. The worst thing that could happen to Steampunk is for participants to look down upon those who do not meet their arbitrary Steampunk standards.

If there is one set of values important to Steampunk I would say that it is to be inclusive, welcoming and friendly to all who have an interest no matter what level of interest it is.



[Updated on: Thu, 05 March 2015 10:09]

Report message to a moderator

  Switch to threaded view of this topic Create a new topic Submit Reply
Previous Topic: “Pound of the Basskervilles” by Poplock Holmes is the Sepiachord Featured Video.
Next Topic: Doctor Q’s set list from The Blackheart’s Ball~
Goto Forum:
  

-=] Back to Top [=-
[ Syndicate this forum (XML) ] [ RSS ] [ PDF ]

Current Time: Thu Mar 28 13:34:52 EDT 2024

Total time taken to generate the page: 0.06244 seconds