About the VIP fuss at Kulture Klash 4

Image by Twitter user SvetlanaMinxImage by 20090421-lounge.jpg The VIP Lounge was received less well than this dubious snack in the lounge.

If you were irked by Kulture Klash 4's "VIP" lounge you weren't alone, but the coordinators say it was never meant as elitism and you shouldn't be offended. 

Read more stories on this subject in our Kulture Klash topic page.The fuss basically boils down to this: Having a VIP lounge sends the wrong message of "elitism." 

I believe Dan Conover over at Xark! best captured this sentiment. An excerpt from his piece:

The lesson I hope the excellent people behind the influential Kulture Klash series learn from this glitch: You're misreading our new culture when you add a VIP room to your party. ...

But if Kulture Klash means anything -- and from talking with its originator, artist Scott Debus, I believe he wants it to have meaning -- then this flirtation with artificial status distinctions via VIP lounges is a dangerous rope to walk.

But Amergre Sloan -- one of KK's coordinators -- wrote in defense of the the lounge in a comment on Dan's piece. Her basic thrust was that the intention of the lounge was misinterpreted. An excerpt:

We just wanted to say thank you to some people and if everyone else takes it personally, there is really nothing I can say... I'm glad you got to experience it as a result of the door glitch. Our (my) intentions for the "VIP" (which perhaps should have been named the Sponsor Lounge) were all positive and gratitude driven. To here complaints just hurts my heart. I don't understand what the big deal is. It's not about anyone feeling like a "celebrity", it's about saying thank you.  

So, I suppose there you have it. Perhaps next time it will be called the "Thank. You. Very. Much. (TYVM) Lounge".

You can learn loads more details about the debate at Xark!