❝Bear with me here.

One of the roots of capitalism is the free market. Transactions between consenting adults. Now I am going to skip over much of what capitalism has become today, the crony capitalism, the government managed economy, the "protections" and "incentives" provided by willing politicos (for a price), the "good industries" vs. the "evil industries," the differing tax rates, and so on. I want to focus back on that free market aspect. It's based on freedom of choice.

If the owner doesn't want to sell, they don't. If the buyer doesn't want to buy, they don't. But if the seller is selling, they have to offer something that the competitors don't. Usually that means a better product, more available, a better price, etc. But it also means a different style.

Don't knock competition, it's the reason that products and services improve. Competition keeps us honest. But style is a huge influence.

American pagans choose something different than the dominant monotheism. We find something that works better for us. It's a "niche market," but that doesn't mean it's a poor one. It's a craft beer. It's organic clothing. It's the vegetarian menu. It's a custom biofuel car. And yes, it's steampunk.

It's a choice. It's our choice. It's something beyond better, cheaper, faster. It's style. It expresses who we are better than a huge corporate logo. The fad of prominent corporate logos is passing. Why not have a steampunk aesthetic? It doesn't have to dominate the market. It just has to be available.

So we can choose.❞

NeoNotes are the selected comments that I made on other boards, in email, or in response to articles where I could not respond directly.

Tags: free market & choice & steampunk aesthetic & style & competition & Pagans & monotheism & niche market