Additional Examples of the Elitists: Reginald Pikedevant and Dr. Fidelius

Looking at steampunk as a varied and complex subgroup, it is easier to examine elements of steampunk culture that may be considered elitist without then viewing the entire culture as such. On this page, I will explore several examples of members who show elements of the more elitist subgroups within steampunk.

The elitism expressed by some of the subgroups is apparent in some steampunk music, particularly the song linked above, "Just Glue Some Gears On It (And Call It Steampunk)". While predominantly a critique of commercialization of the term "steampunk," the language used in the song could also be suggested as promoting the image of steampunk as exclusive or elitist. As Pikedevant says: "Gears are appropriate to introduce if they look like they have a legitimate use. Although Nixie tubes are undeniably splendid, they date from long after the Age of Steam ended. Pity, really; I just love Nixie tubes. Anyway, I hope you’ve comprehended. So use the word steampunk correctly, old chap, don’t use it to refer to crap!" (Pikedevant).

The lyrics of the song strongly suggest a Jeterist/Prescriptivist attitude that could be seen as exclusionary. The singer even admits to loving Nixie tubes himself, but being unable to use them in his version of steampunk because of a technicality. As even the steampunker himself is unable to fully integrate his interests into the culture due to prescribed "rules," the song strongly suggests that his approach to steampunk is one that does not welcome people or things that do not "belong." By having this exclusionary attitude, Pikedevant could be argued as belonging to an elitist "tribe" or subgroup of steampunk that contributes to the idea of steampunk as elitist.

A rather self-aware example of this elitism is Dr. Fidelius, a Steampunk Empire user who explains his approach to steampunk: 

Although the tone of Fidelius' post makes it difficult to tell if he is being sincere or ironic, the post still shows a clear example of how certain subgroups of steampunk are often perceived as being elitist. He states that he is "condescending," and he is working on "saying rude and insulting things in a manner which leads the listeners to believe [he is] just displaying a mordent wit." Whether Fidelius is being sincere in this description or not, the ideas that he mentions are ones that are very much attached to the idea of elitist tribes within steampunk, illustrating how some aspects of steampunk culture could be seen as promoting an "elite" image that excludes potential members.

These two examples show how particular members within the steampunk community have the potential to display an elitist attitude. Despite this attitude being dependent on individuals and individual subgroups within the greater steampunk community, from the perspective of an outsider who is not aware of the different tribes it could be easy to see examples like this and consequently interpret the entire community as elitist or exclusive.

Sources:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TFCuE5rHbPA

http://www.thesteampunkempire.com/forum/topics/steampunk-language?id=2442691%3ATopic%3A1558037&page=2#comments