And while I agree that steampunk is not in any way required to be historically accurate, I DO think steampunk should be aware and respectful of the problems inherent in it, not just go WHEE CULTURAL APPROPRIATION AND COLONIZATION!
I think there's a rather large gap between "not historically accurate because real Victorian jackets didn't have this many gears glued onto them" and "not historically accurate because if I took a step back and looked at who I'm really cosplaying it wouldn't be fun anymore."
He nodded a lot, and said something along the lines of, "But we're reinterpreting the history the way we want it to, without the awful parts",
Ignoring the atrocities is totally the way to make it okay? That's not even historical fiction, it's just creepy and wrong.
(I mean, personally, I love most steampunk clothes and jewelry. Gears and goggles and parasols and airships make me happy. But I think the being in character all the time thing is creepy and weird, and once you start actually placing your characters in a quasi-historical context, you have, on some level, a responsibility to be honest about what that historical context is.)
points and nods up there ^^^ at Jessica's spicy brains
(I mean, personally, I love most steampunk clothes and jewelry. Gears and goggles and parasols and airships make me happy. But I think the being in character all the time thing is creepy and weird, and once you start actually placing your characters in a quasi-historical context, you have, on some level, a responsibility to be honest about what that historical context is.)
Totally this. Gears are awesome. Lots of that stuff is awesome. Purposely ignoring all context, not so awesome.
Jessica, this is why I love you. Well, one of the reasons why I love you.
(I mean, personally, I love most steampunk clothes and jewelry. Gears and goggles and parasols and airships make me happy. But I think the being in character all the time thing is creepy and weird, and once you start actually placing your characters in a quasi-historical context, you have, on some level, a responsibility to be honest about what that historical context is.)
True. Have y'all seen Silver Goggles? It's a blog that's all about racial issues vis a vis steampunk. [link] The latest entry goes in-depth about some recent and not-so-recent racefails in the subculture:
This is a call-out of the steampunk community that will allow this kind of racism to stand.
This is a call-out of the steampunk community that refuses to discuss openly the myriad ways racism manifests in the subculture.
This is a call-out of the steampunk community that remains silent in the face of open racism.
This is a call-out of the subculture I love and of the community I participate in even though it is ever so alienating every passing year.
How do African American participants in steampunk culture address these issues? I know in NYC, there was quite a growing Steampunk community in Harlem.
