I’m not a steampunk, but I like the aesthetic and enjoy seeing the occasional band of them walking around the city, which I still do incidentally. Prior to reading this article I never thought that there was really anything more to steampunk than cosplay and design fun, and still don’t. I certainly don’t think that there is enough intellectual basis to it to burden it with this: “Steampunk had to contend with the historical truth of its own ironies, its fetishistic relationship to an age of imperialism, colonialism, and sexual and racial inequality.” Boy, that crap is getting tiresome. It’s like it is mandatory for everything now. No wonder the punks want to live in a fantasy world. Who sees them walking around in their leather coats, top hats, and little sunglasses and thinks they are going to start burning crosses or colonizing India? Um, nobody. Steampunk was never meant to be serious, just fun make believe in a time that never really existed. Steampunk is mainly about those elaborate costumes that people wear, much like the furries and the goths, and people still have that expensive clothing, and a quick search indicates that they still have conventions and festivals.