Goki's Rantage Engine: Transformers becoming mainstream

[GoktimusPrime]

Disclaimer: My "Rantage Engines" are like STL's Soapboxes and only represent my personal opinions. Kay thanks.

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For better or worse, with the advent of the live action movie, Transformers is steadily creeping out of nerd-dom and into mainstream pop culture.

Signs I've been seeing recently:
+ Last year I saw a year 10 girl with a Transformers backpack.
+ This year I saw a year 11 boy with a Transformers backpack. He was kind enough to tell me where he bought it.
+ Last week I saw a year 8 girl with a Transformers handbag (using it as a schoolbag, yeah, it's a trend with girls and not just at my school) - it's that black handbag with the rainbow coloured Autobot insignia from Jayjays.
+ We've all seen an increase in the number of TF badges on cars and people wearing TF shirts.

I've had some good and bad experiences with this...

On my way to the last Parramatta Collectibles Fair, I saw another car with an Autobot insignia on it. As I drove past I beeped my horn and waved Legends Beachcomber out the window. I couldn't see his reaction but Rampage told me that it was a positive one.

Earlier today I was shopping with the Mrs. at Westfields Parramatta - and as always, I'm walking around wearing a Transformers T-shirt, Transformers hat, Transformers backpack and holding a Transformers toy in my hand (today it was movie Deluxe 70s Camaro Bumblebee). I saw another guy walking around with a black shirt with an image of Optimus Prime in front of a silhouette of the Autobot insignia. As we passed each other I smiled at him and said, "Nice shirt dude!" but he totally ignored me and fobbed me off!

Now I don't know if either of those guys were actual TF fans or just people who decided to sport TF images on their car/shirt... it's entirely possible that they're not real fans. The thing is, I felt a bit gipped by the guy wearing a TF shirt who gave me the cold shoulder... I mean, if you are going to wear a TF shirt - even if you're not really a fan - then don't be surprised if other fans try to give you some kind of acknowledgment. To do that would be like wearing a shirt or jersey of a sport team that you don't really go for, and then becoming stand-offish when someone comes and acknowledges you for it... like say if you're not really a Sydney FC fan, but you walk around wearing a Sydney FC shirt -- if another Sydney FC fan saw you they're going to naturally assume that you like that team and maybe say something like, "Go Sky Blues!" to you.

Sometimes when people see me walking around with all my TF gear on I get people saying, "Yay Transformers!" - Last year at the Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras where I was walking around with a TF shirt and Optimus Prime helmet, a girl ran up to me and said, "Go Transformers!" and showed me her Autobot wristband! And I acknowledged her attempt to briefly connect to me as someone else who also likes/appreciates Transformers, even if she may not be a fan (of course the idea of "fan" is subjective).

I'd like to propose something that we as fan can say to other fans as a common form of acknowledgment or greeting -- and I think a good one would be "Till All Are One!" So anyway, next time I see someone wearing TF clothes or what not, I'm gonna say that to them. In fact, a few months ago I saw a car in a car park with TF stickers all over it. I got a piece of paper and gave them the web address for OTCA and wrote "Till All Are One" on it.

Anyway, I know I'm making a mountain out of a molehill - that's the entire purpose of this rantage engine and possibly future rantage engines.

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P.S.: Another sign that TFs is becoming mainstream - I saw this on NineMSN on Friday: