One of the underlying problems is that steampunk has turned into mostly a cosplay/SCA: Victorianana movement. People feel they need to create a persona to take part in steampunk, and everyone wants to be a lord/lady/airship pirate. So when other people point out that incorporating "Wild West Indian", "Great White Hunter", or "Gypsy" into their personas & costumes is at the least uninformed and clueless, and at the worst offensive and racist, the usual response has been "But it's just a costume! We're just playing! It looks awesome! Why are you being so meeeeean?"

I was much more excited about steampunk when it looked like there was going to be a stronger focus on the Maker Movement, and less about pretending to be someone else. If I wanted to LARP, I'd go back to the Camarilla.

When I left the Rite Aid this morning, a white dove and some black crows flew right past me. I felt as if I was in a 70's rock song.

You should have dived sideways in slow motion while firing off a gun in each hand, Scrappy.

However, the steampunk convention I'm attending at the end of the month is going to be the first one where I WILL be in a character-specific costume. The theme is Victorian Monsters, and the Infamous BlueJay and I have taken this as the opportunity for me to dress up as a Victorian gender-swapped Beetlejuice. I'm really looking forward to it.

I was much more excited about steampunk when it looked like there was going to be a stronger focus on the Maker Movement

Yup. This.

Jilli, can you suggest "explorers" ?

Jilli, can you suggest "explorers" ?

I will, but I suspect that the people behind the event really REALLY want to wear pith helmets and feel like they're the heroes in a Rider Haggard novel.

I cannot stop laughing at these [link]

I suspect that the people behind the event really REALLY want to wear pith helmets and feel like they're the heroes in a Rider Haggard novel.

yeahhh. You can glue a lot of cogs on a good pith helmet.

OMG, those made me laugh out loud.

everyone wants to be a lord/lady/airship pirate

OK, is it wrong that I feel like it's OK if everyone is dressing up as a lord/lady and swanning about in drawing rooms and whatever? Like, somehow I think it's acceptable to play just the far-away benefits of colonialism? Or is that just because I'm typing this on a computer while wearing cheaply-made clothing?

OK, is it wrong that I feel like it's OK if everyone is dressing up as a lord/lady and swanning about in drawing rooms and whatever?

To be honest, it wouldn't bother me as much as it does if everyone doing it quit trying to put on a British accent. Pete won't go to steampunk things with me because he can last about 10 minutes before he wants to kill everyone with an affected accent.

I was much more excited about steampunk when it looked like there was going to be a stronger focus on the Maker Movement, and less about pretending to be someone else.

Also, apparently, about goggles.