The rant below, which I’m copying from a recent post on Facebook, is essentially about the label “Steampunk”. But it also applies to so very many of the other hobbies/communities I’ve participated in over the past few years. Indie/Hippie/Narrative/Story roleplaying games. Podcasting. And oh, dear gods, Religion. Freakin’ identity politics. “I’m in, you’re out.”; “I define this, and you don’t fit.”
I’m really pretty tired of trying to fit somebody else’s labels. I’m tired of putting effort into trying to get other people to bless my fun, my beliefs, and my worldview as “valid”.
Now I must admit, there is plenty of recorded and written evidence out there that proves I’ve pulled this very crap on people myself. I’m guilty. And I apologize. If I’ve done it to you or in reference to something you love – if I’ve shat on your thing merely because it’s not my thing, please forgive me. But I’m still tired of it. I wanna be done with it. I wanna put energy into MAKING, and stop wasting energy on UNMAKING, whether it is my own or someone else’s.
I realize that there is value in cleverly pointing out and calling out that some folks do stuff just to ride a wave so they can make a buck or get some attention. I realize there is crappy art that is done for gain and not for love. I realize there are lots of people who are “just gluing gears onto stuff and calling it Steampunk”, and those things deserve to be called out.
I also realize that labels need to exist.
But geez, can we stop shitting on things with such broad strokes?
Anyway, here’s my Facebook rant. Somewhere in there, it almost feels like a mini-manifesto. Maybe I should nurture it into one, I dunno:
While this vid is well made, hilarious, and admittedly a worthwhile nose-tweak to folks who are just riding a wave of popularity with the use of the word “Steampunk”, I’m really getting tired of self-appointed gatekeepers playing identity politics trying to keep other folks out of their own personal in-crowd. It happens in gaming, podcasting, religion, geek fandom, and just about everything else and i’m tired of it. Fine. Whatevs. I now choose to generally avoid labeling anything I create or write as Steampunk. I will do my art, even when it involves gluing gears onto stuff. I will write my stories, even when they don’t overtly involve a steam engine. I will make and wear my costumes and portray my personas, even if the fictional world they inhabit is not Victorian Britain. And I will enjoy it. And other people will enjoy it and value it and those who don’t, fine. I’m not here to worry about your labels and your gatekeeping. I’m here to be a maker.But still, the vid is really funny.
