Goki's Rantage Engine: Transformers becoming mainstream

[GoktimusPrime]

Some people may buy a shirt for it's design, colour or comfort. If you wear a polo shirt, that doesn't make you a golf fan does it? I own a Star Wars shirt but that doesn't mean i want to marry George Lucas.

If you're already wearing a TF shirt I think it's different. For example, two years ago I was wearing a London Underground T-shirt which was a gift from my brother who lives in London. I've never been to London and I don't have deep knowledge about it. One of my work colleagues saw me wearing this shirt and she immediately started doing an impersonation of the platform announcements on London train stations. She'd previously lived/worked in London's east end. So I smiled at her and and gave her a wave. I'm not a Londonphile like her, I have no intention of ever being one really. But I acknowledged her enthusiasm for what my shirt represented.

And that's all I would expect from a person wearing a Transformers shirt - if I address them, just reply with some kind of acknowledgement. Hell, just make eye contact!!

And because someone doesn't respond to you in public doesn't make them a jerk. I don't reply to every stranger that talks to me. Just try not to take the fob offs personally.

Oh I never said he was a jerk and I'm not personally offended. I felt that he wasn't being necessarily rude per se... just unfriendly?

If the shoe was on the other foot - as it was in the London Underground shirt example - I would have made acknowledgement.

Hey Goki, can we get a photo of you in max TF gear mode?

My "max" TF gear mode would actually be walking around in public wearing a Transformers costume, which I've done. Twice. And both times I copped abuse. Mind you, my costumes look silly. If you want to see pics of me in my regular "TF civvies" then just look at any pics of me at any fan meet. That's pretty much how I dress almost all the time (except at work, although I do wear TF belts, a TF hat and use a TF pencil case with TF stationery and I carry my TF backpack - and I've drawn TF logos on my markbook ). The backpack is new though, I've yet to bring that to a TF meet, but it looks like this:



There's good and bad things about Transformers becoming mainstream, no doubt's there. And my rant is not at all about demanding that anyone wearing TF shirts has to be a TF fan, but rather, if you're going to wear the TF brand then at least show some acknowledgement when a real fan comes along and addresses you. Even a basic nod or smile then just keep walking. That's all.

P.S.: I just had a year 9 class where a student showed me a G1 Transformers pencil case that he found at the Reject Shop over the weekend! I'm gonna check it out and see if I can find one! It had Dreamwave art of Sideswipe, Bumblebee and Optimus Prime. Apparently it comes with lollies. It also has an Autobot logo magnet attached to the pencil case and the Bumblebee picture on the pencil case is also mildly magnetic (it kinda works )