Goki's Rantage Engine: Transformers becoming mainstream

[Hereticpoo]

Oh I remember the uncool years at high school. Even in late primary school it was uncool to be a kid. So I became a mundaner and followed the crowd and forgot about TF's. Complaint little Hpoo. Finally I've woken up.

I'm glad the complaint hordes of programmed lemmings like TF's now. Because its easier to be a fan. Now instead of people thinking your a total wacko for liking kids toys, they usually say "oh cool i remember those". (thank you subliminal and suggestive advertising!)

Kids aren't well adjusted, decent human beings. They're all tricksy and evil and rotten to the core, too bad none of us understood that when we were kids. Thankfully most of us grow out of it, but for those really nasty ones I secrety revel in their failures. (C'mon, we've all revelled in a bullies demise)

Society will always shift and change its POP attitudes, so as a fan its important that we enjoy our hobby no matter what POP culture is doing at the present. If you want to dress up as Prime and go to the shops for milk and Bread, good on you for having the balls to do it.

[Geminii]

I think I must be approaching this from the wrong angle. I have no problems at all when a fandom of mine goes temporarily mainstream. It means that there will be a lot more money poured into producing stuff in that fandom, which means a lot more choice of things for me to buy now AND a lot more things for me to pick up second-hand in a couple of years when the hype dies down.

As for the clothing thing - to be honest, I wouldn't say anything to anyone I didn't know who was wearing TF gear unless I was waiting for people to turn up at a meet, or maybe at a generic con.

I don't wear a lot of TF gear myself (and even then, only at meets and cons) for much the same reason, but then again I'm one of the minority who actually knows about fandoms and the people in them. I could totally see people who have zero knowledge of fandom just wearing something TF-related because it was 'in' or giant robots are cool, without ever wanting to strike up a conversation with a hardcore fan.

As a bonus regarding mainstreaming, more of the general public have at least a vague conception of "robots which turn into vehicles". I was talking to a bunch of 40-something folks the other week and mentioned that one of my hobbies was designing toys, "sort of like, you know, have you ever run into those toy robots which turn into cars and planes?" "Oh, Transformers!" "Uh, yeah!"

(Of course, part of that may have been that they were mainly engineers, but hey.)

[bruticus]

I dont mind Transformers going mainstream. All the closet TF fans can now come out of hiding and openly admit that they like TFs which is to my benefit as i now have more avenues to acquire TF toys.

The only downside that i can see is that TF toys (and other merchandise) will be hiked up in price as it becomes an ever more popular brand name. Look at some of the other toys and see how cheap they are compared to TFs of similar size/quality/features. We are getting jipped big time just for buying "branded" goods.

But dont be shocked if there are some people that just put on TF gear and have no real interest in what they mean.
Take the Playboy brand for instance. Its really popular nowadays and yet if you see a chick in the street wearing playboy gear, you are not going to go up to them and assume they are promiscuous or willing to strip for money. Thats just not on.
Some things are just popular and hip at the moment and people buy into it. So some people are just like that.

Anyways, sounds a bit like dating Gok. You got balls for making the move and taking the first step. Its just too bad that you got shot down cos you read the signals wrong, that's all. hahahahahaha....

But seriously, if they want to reach out and talk to you about TFs then good, but otherwise respect their privacy. I'm sure that if they are true fans, they WILL find a way to communicate appropriately (eg. OTCA ).

[GoktimusPrime]

"They're not responding to our hailing frequencies, captain!"

There are definitely advantages and disadvantages to TFs becoming mainstream, just as there are pros and cons to TFs being in obscurity. Not too long ago I remember walking into stores and if I asked any staff members about Transformers their reaction would be, "Transformers?! They don't make Transformers anymore." (-_-)

But it seems that Transformers isn't completely mainstream yet. Yesterday I was in Toys R Us and a guy was looking at Transformers toys, and his mate was giving him a hard time and kept on saying, "How old are you?" "Remind me again how old you are." etc. - I so wanted to tell him off, but I needed to catch up with my wife who'd moved on and was waiting for me elsewhere. I walked past and glared at him though and he met my stare and his jolly teasing expression changed to one of an awkward smile - as in, he couldn't say anything with the very embodiment of that which he was teasing walking right by him.

Gah, I would've totally lectured him if I had the time. (-_-)

[Trailer Park Ninja]

Dude, you're gonna have to accept that the majority of the population aren't going to subscribe to the point of view of fanatics in terms of collecting Transformers and knowing everything about Transformer lore and being passionate about it like some sporting team.

I think it is a case of apples and oranges to compare the acceptance of rabid sporting fans to transformers fans. You may not like this situation (and I understand why) but that is the reality of the situation.

There has been many instances of some form of pop culture becoming mainstream albeit for a short time and then fading back into the background.

You may not like that people may get into the fad of wearing Transformers t-shirts because it is "cool" or the "in-thing" and have no knowledge or desire to collect toys, books, dvds but there is no point gettting worked up about it.

So I can see why it may frustrate, annoy or upset you that people jump on the bandwagon and are like lemmings but aren't really into Transformers but I don't really mind it. Like someone said, if they were really keen that they would find their way to places like this.

This whole discussion about Transformers becoming "mainstream" makes me think about how videogames have become so and are now more socially accepted by the general populace.

When I was in high school and into video games and arcades, I was deemed to be a nerd or a geek. Nowadays, it is the norm to be into Xbox 360s or Wiis or Playstation that they have become part of the language. It isn't just kids playing video games but also adults and family members etc because of the variety of arcade games, educational and general interest titles (e.g. Wii fit).

I don't perceive Transformers to go this way as people will always look at as a toy hobby and not know about the background history etc of the characters. However, I think that it's time in the spotlight may encourage new collectors and a degree of social acceptance but this will pass.

I'm not going to be critical of someone who is jumping on the bandwagon because it is the in-thing and isn't a true Transformer, that would be an elitist attitude that is the dark side of fandom.

If you're cool with buying toys at your age then what does it matter what someone else thinks. Is it really worth having an unresolvable heated argument in a public place?

[SMHFConvoy]

Trailer Park Ninja, I wholeheartedly agree with your comment.

[STL]

Dunno about it being an in-thing but I frown on a sports fanatic the same way I'd frown a toy fanatic. I enjoy my sport but I sure as hell am irked by sports crazed fanatics who carry on like the whole world needs to know about them and their team. And I'd do the same for someone who likes TFs or another toyline, hobby that passionately. And i think there are a lot of other people like that. There's a line in the sand about how passionate one should be about anything till people just frown and shake their head.

[snazzbot 101]

So basically you're miffed because someone wearing a TF shirt chose not to acknowledge your existence?

[Paulbot]

If you were wearing a TF shirt and another person was wearing a TF shirt and there was no acknowledgement at all then that other guy was a jerk, but that's not this situation.

In this instance you say you were "walking around [a shopping centre] wearing a Transformers T-shirt, Transformers hat, Transformers backpack and holding a Transformers toy in my hand"

Perhaps this other person saw a 30ish man in that outfit (and in a normal shopping centre not at a convention or anything) and made the assumption that this man walking around with a child's toy in his hands and saying hello to a total stranger had an intellectual disability of some kind?

I've at times responded politely to people with intellectual disabilities that have suddenly started talking to me on public transport but at other times I've ignored them too. People do that, it's kind of mean but it can also be very uncomfortable to talk to someone with a disability like that.

Wearing a t-shirt is one thing, and it's now a common thing. But Carrying around a child's toy, wearing a backpack and hat goes to a place that no matter how mainstream Transformers is, is not going to look right on someone over 10 years old.

[GoktimusPrime]

So basically you're miffed because someone wearing a TF shirt chose not to acknowledge your existence?

Yeah! "Miffed" is a good word. I'm not like angry or upset about it. Just "miffed" - as in "Pah!" but not as in "GYAAAAAAAAAAAAAARGH!!!"

Perhaps this other person saw a 30ish man in that outfit (and in a normal shopping centre not at a convention or anything) and made the assumption that this man walking around with a child's toy in his hands and saying hello to a total stranger had an intellectual disability of some kind?

JaAM?! Hahaha, he probably did think, "Who's this raging retard greeting me with a TOY?" - though I hope a part of his mind did think, "Dude, you have a picture of a toy on YOUR shirt... that makes at least semi-tarded too!" Mmm... Herman's Head.

But Carrying around a child's toy, wearing a backpack and hat goes to a place that no matter how mainstream Transformers is, is not going to look right on someone over 10 years old.

Probably true, but it ain't gonna stop me. I freaked out these two guys in a jewellery store yesterday cos I walked in with REV in car mode making car noises, then making skidding and transforming noises as I transformed the toy, then making jump jets and shooting and exploding noises as I played with it in robot mode. I got weird stares and I'll admit that I totally deserved them.

On the other hand, a few years ago (7-8 years ago?) I walked into a comic store during a TF Sydney meet and there was a section where they sold action figures. I walked in with Spy Streak in my hand and I fired a missile at the toys and made flying and shooting noises. The manager of the store yelled at me and went, "GET OUT OF MY STORE! WE DON'T PUT UP WITH SUCH CHILDISH BEHAVIOUR HERE!" -- now, if that had been a jewellery store, okay... but this was a comic book store. Like hel-looo?