I don't really agree with the article as well. But it romanticizes it in so much as it celebrates elements from a (relatively) totalitarian era. It's pretty ha

I don't really agree with the article as well. But it romanticizes it in so much as it celebrates elements from a (relatively) totalitarian era. It's pretty hard to argue that enormous parts of the Steampunk aesthetic and appeal comes from at least some level the fondness of the era of the industrial revolution, an era that in real history relied on non-trivial degrees of human suffering. Of course, the author is really trying to make a much stronger connection. That Steampunk (and many future Sci Fi) fans and authors are on some level supporting a degree of totalitarianism by enjoying/writing works where totalitarianism "works". While I can see the connection, I really don't think it's something you can legitimately hold against Steampunk or any genre the realities of their historical basis. While the 19th century certainly sucked for a lot of people, the preceding 40 odd centuries also sucked a lot.