Monday, February 1, 2010

I think hipsters are the dead end of western civilization.

"Oh my gosh we are so cool!"
You all know how much I despise labels. so I apologize for spending time talking about a certain one, but I think we can all agree that things need to be said about hipsters.

First, let's go back to the history of the term. According to Wikipedia, "hipster" was a term first used to refer to aficionados of the jazz age. You know, the middle class white people who began to try to "emulate" the (musical) styles of African Americans. Jive talk, hot jazz, etc. A literary scene eventually became associated with this subculture after WWII.

And now my favorite commentary on the hipsters of contemporary days:

"Hipsters are the friends who sneer when you cop to liking Coldplay. They're the people who wear t-shirts silk-screened with quotes from movies you've never heard of and the only ones in America who still think Pabst Blue Ribbon is a good beer. They sport cowboy hats and berets and think Kanye West stole their sunglasses. Everything about them is exactingly constructed to give off the vibe that they just don't care." -Time 7/09

I love all people, but sometimes liking certain ones doesn't come easily, and maybe not at all. I see nothing wrong with identifying oneself to a certain style or like of things, however, I'm not okay with seeing someone buy or "be interested" in things and issues because that's what people like them are supposed to be interested in. You know, I can just see their thought processes:

"I shop at thrift stores because I don't give in to consumerism and capitalism. Although I have no problem spending all my money on music and plays and road trips and band shirts and expensive shoes (you know the kind I'm talking about)." Because apparently that doesn't benefit capitalism. I feel like these people take what's genuine, claim it as their own, and strip it of it's genuineness by doing so. You know why? Because they and all their friends and their friends' friends and their myspace music gods, and their indie film actors are all the same. So I see nothing authentic.

Then there's the most well-known attribute of these folk: their disdain for their peers and their apathetic nature. "Let's criticize them for their hair/clothes/money/car/music/movies/book tastes because ours is better and the world just doesn't understand it. Let's be judgmental and give weird apathetic looks because we are a pathetic people." And yes I meant to spell it that way.


But then again, I've never had a true conversation with very many of these people. I only go on appearances and attitudes and emo blogs. Just the surface stuff. So maybe I'm the judgmental one.
I just want to be me. Even though I don't fully know what that means, I do know it means no pretending. So help me not to. You're the only ones who can. And when I forget, please remind me. That's all. Thanks.

1 comment:

  1. I think that I totally agree with this blog. This = everyone who isn't greek, on campus. It makes sick.

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