Hating on steampunk seems to be the cool thing to do lately. It seems like I can’t turn around without my invisible fluffy bunny tail brushing up against some author or blogger somewhere who found a cogwheel in his or her soup and isn’t happy with the waiter, and wants the entire Interwebs to know about it.

So obviously I’m going to step in here and address a few of the issues that seem to be cropping up the most. As a disclaimer before I begin: I obviously do not speak for all steampunks, just the clockwork rabbit variety.

1.) Steampunk is Overdone

I’ll actually concede the point on this one although I also don’t think it’s the end of the world. Steampunk is getting a lot of press and attention right now and I think it’s primarily because of a few reasons: One, it’s attractive to a lot of different pre-existing groups and subcultures (goths, punks, geeks, makers, etc.), two, it’s so different than traditional fantasy or sci-fi, and three, it just plain looks cool if you need a spiffy wedding or Halloween party in a pinch.

There seems to be a concern that a lot of people are jumping onto the steampunk bandwagon, and a lot of non-steampunks are ranting about it. Guess what, though, a lot of bona fide steampunks are ranting about it as well. (Trust me, “Steampunk is going mainstream, everyone run for cover” is basically the most repeated thread subject on the steampunk forums I frequent.)

My overall opinion is that the exposure is good because yeah, you’re going to get the bandwagoners, but you’re also going to get the people who finally realize “This is it! This is the term for what I have loved all this time!” and in the end the wheat will separate itself from the chaff and it’s not a huge deal. I’ve seen it happen in other fandoms and it’ll happen again here.

2.) Steampunk is just a bunch of plastic gears glued onto nerf guns and top hats.

This stereotype is perpetuated by what you see so often on Regretsy and truthfully some steampunks themselves. To which, in response, I invite you to really dig into the culture and spend some time on the “maker” sections of steampunk websites. Not only will you figure out within five minutes that “glued-on gears” is largely (though not universally) frowned upon within the culture itself, but the steampunk subculture has an inordinately high percentage of members with backgrounds in engineering, mechanics, and other related fields. These are people who value items with function. Things that are beautiful and that work. “Post pictures of your workshop” threads are pages and pages long. These aren’t just people who are sticking old clock pieces on random items and calling it steampunk, these are people with garages filled with lathes and power tools.

3.) Steampunk is silly and is about stuff that doesn’t work in the real world.

This is a criticism that is frequently leveled against steampunk literature by the serious hard sci-fi folks. While there is some truth in this generalization, that’s frequently the nature of the genre. It’s fun! That’s why we’re here.

That said, do refer to my previous answer. Most steampunks are well aware of the fact that their imaginary tech bends the rules of physics. Several of us, myself included, work hard to make sure that said fantastical objects are at least almost real. I have seen several multi-page forum threads that delve into the detailed minutiae of mechanics problems presented by various sorts of imaginary airships or automatons and said threads always impress me with the vast amount of knowledge in this area that many involved in steampunk possess.

4.) Steampunk fans want to bask in the glory days of upper-class Anglo-Saxon masculinity as embodied by the Victorian Era, or some such.

No, seriously, I see this a lot, and it always cracks me up. These people apparently don’t know that the possibilities offered by non-European steampunk are a frequent topic of discussion, enough that there are entire blogs and websites dedicated solely to said concept, oh, and that most steampunk is less about the upper-class and more about the middle and (especially) lower classes. That’s where the “punk” comes in to play. Sure, there are the dandies among us, and items such as top hats and monocles are fun to play with, but it’s not like we’re part of some vast steampunk conspiracy (although I like the sound of that) to return the world to 19th century imperialism. We are all aware of the fact that the 19th century had major problems. We think the 21st century has some pretty big problems, too, and that’s the connection and that’s the point.

5.) It’s not a “real” subculture/genre/etc., it’s just a fad, et al.

I’ll be the first to admit that the definition of steampunk as both a “subculture” and a “genre” still seems to be rather tenuous. Most steampunks, being a largely intelligent lot, will admit the same. “What is steampunk?” discussions inevitably derail into long, complicated, rambling essays and no one ever comes to a conclusion. Perhaps the one conclusion that most people make is that right now it’s a bit of a jumble. Art and literature that defines itself as steampunk or steampunk-inspired runs the gamut from retro-styled science fiction to relatively accurate historical fiction to pulpy action novels to fantasy/alternate universe stuff to post-apocalyptic stories, and that’s just the surface.

Likewise, if you identify as a steampunk, you could be one of many people that fall under that umbrella: literature fans, art fans, writers, artists, musicians, people who dress up, people who don’t dress up, makers, people who view it as nothing more than a fashion style, and people who take it very seriously as a sort of political/social statement. When you throw all of those people into a room and they all choose to identify as one label, things get a little muddled, and you know what? That’s completely understandable.

Ultimately, I see the steampunk movement as one that is about camaraderie, imagination, beauty, science, and above all, optimism all mixed up in a blender and topped with a shiny pair of goggles that you modded yourself. It’s about figuring out why something works the way it does, making it better, and making it stylish while you’re at it. Some of us think we could to do that to society. Nothing wrong with that, right?

Plus, did I mention the airships? Because the airships are awesome.