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I 've tried defining steampunk in the past, but as anyone else who makes a similar attempt will tell you, the community has a lot of opposition to the real definition of trying to create steampunk.
It may sound ridiculous to some, but it is a very serious thing for others.
With the recent announcement that Tescon 4 will be called the Steam conference, I think it would be appropriate to talk about why all of these things are worth it.
In this article, I will try my best to explain both sides of the problem and then explain why the definition is both important and misunderstood.
Definitions limit steampunk those who oppose the creation of definitions, who believe that the actual boundaries of steampunk will kill creativity and lead to stagnation and decay of aesthetics/genres/sub-cultures, etc.
For them, steampunk is the embodiment of creativity and self in many ways
So it is very irritating to let others tell them how to express themselves and how to express themselves.
This is perfectly reasonable.
Who wants to be told how you can dress, perform or do anything?
Definitely not me.
They think steampunk is for fun and should not be taken too seriously.
It should be open to everyone and everyone should feel welcome.
Definitions explain steampunk those who claim definitions think that the boundaries around steampunk already exist, regardless of whether they are named or not.
They believe that an effective definition will help people outside of steampunk get familiar with steampunk easily and help with aesthetic/genre/subculture etc.
Grow by making it easier to reach new members.
Steampunk is a specific subset of larger categories (
According to who you ask, science fiction or alternative history)
It should be named like this.
They believe that the word "steampunk" would become meaningless without definition, because it represents nothing.
Why define steampunk?
As you may have noticed, both locations are perfectly reasonable and that's exactly what the problem is.
The same is true of many controversial issues in the world;
Not everything has a right-wrong dichotomy.
In this case, however, I think the reason for the contradiction between the two positions is because our society has fundamentally misunderstood the definition.
I am not saying that those who oppose the definition are somehow ignorant or at fault;
In fact, instead, they responded to a larger trend.
That is to say, any and all means in human history that they can use to bring down the trend of others.
You can ask a psychologist why this is the case, but I can only say that this is sure to happen.
People don't need to look at this phenomenon more deeply than the Internet, especially in steampunk.
If you don't hear someone say, "it's too hard to be a steampunk," or "It's not enough to be a steampunk," then you haven't been to the steampunk forum online.
This is similar in many ways to the current popular "Fake Geek Girl" syndrome in which both men and women feel the need to "defend" their culture, so as not to be replaced by those who have not "paid their dues", so to speak, or by those who are not sincere
Again, with a solid definition, many steampunk think it will lead to persecution for those who do not fit the ideal steampunk model.
Considering what was mentioned earlier
It is a fear that is perfectly reasonable.
Unfortunately, this fear is often wrong and wrongly excluded from the definition itself, not those who are persecuted.
People who intend to persecuted others will find some way to do this, regardless of whether the definition of steampunk exists or not.
The image of Matt Silva from GeekologieI assumes that if we look for a bad analogy in the market, you can compare it to gun control.
Guns do not kill themselves, but are operated by people who intend to kill.
Guns don't go to jail for their co-conspiring role in murdering someone.
Again, a definition is like a gun;
It itself is not harmful unless someone who is malicious uses it.
Yes, I know, I did say it was a bad analogy.
You may understand, though.
Steampunk's definition of work does not affect the fan base, nor does it take away someone's pleasure unless someone else uses it to exclude that person.
Personally, I think people are too attached to the idea that they are steampunk or not, which speaks to their desire to "fit in.
This can almost certainly be the result of the past being put down, although the results of everyone will certainly be different.
I shouldn't generalize like this.
Still, I 've never seen anyone being driven out of steampunk because they didn't wear the right clothes, and I 've also seen a lot of weird things in steampunk, including non-
Anime, post-80 s movies, horror movies, video games, and even just the steampunk characters in regular costumes.
So given that everyone is welcome in steampunk activity and is not afraid to be excluded, why is there such an anger about definition?
I'm not sure, frankly.
Exclusion, however, makes no sense because the role of the definition is not a constraint, but an explanation.
Definitions should evolve naturally over time, not directly reflected.
It's a lot like grammar rules for a writer: you should know them so you can break them on purpose and create specific effects.
Also, I'm sure I can come up with more rhyming words if you give me time.
So, to sum it up: I think cover it!