The H-Word

[zesty_pinto]

Hipster.

It's a pretty dirty word in New York, one that is often related with trendy douchebags that think the world revolves them. I had no idea what it was, though, until I wiki'd it.



In the 1990s, the term became a blanket description for the trend in the "alternative", "anti-fashion" fashion of middle class and upper class urban, young people moving into "regentrified" or soon to be "regentrified" neighborhoods in city centers. Often hipsters came to these poorer neighborhoods from well-to-do suburbs of major cities. In youth culture, the term hipster usually refers to young people who may have an appreciation for independent rock, a campy or ironic fashion sense, or an otherwise "bohemian" style. They are typically associated most closely with alternative culture, particularly alternative music, independent rock and independent film.

Hipster culture is associated with indie, independent, DIY, non commercial, and non profit choices of consumption in any and all aspects of life. This includes listening to independent rock or any form of non-mainstream music, thrift store shopping, eating organic, locally grown, vegetarian, and/or vegan food, drinking local or brewing beer, listening to public radio, etc...

Contemporary hipsters are largely associated with leftist or liberal social and political views and sometimes a general appreciation of intellectual pursuits, with an ironic appreciation of lowbrow or lower class culture and subculture...

The term is also used in a pejorative fashion, to assert that a person may be superficially following recently mass-produced, homogeneous, urban fashion trends, overly concerned with their image and the contradictions of their identity. Often in its negative connotation, 'hipsters' are considered apathetic, pretentious, and self-entitled by other, often marginalized sectors of society they live amongst...

Today, hipsters are among the most highly sought after demographic by media corporations such as Sony or AOL Time Warner... [5]

I cut out the side stories and whatnot, but that's it to a t. I can represent with 80% of this shit.

Appreciation for indy music? Yeah.
Anti-fashion? I dress like a slob, check.
DIYer? I tinker crap, yes.
Leftist? Mostly in the middle, but very sympathetic towards the libs.
Dumb humor? I'M A NERD ENOUGH SAID.

Holy shit, the iPod generation is me! THEY WANT MY MONEY AND WISH TO STEAL MY BRAIN!!! angrybunnyman no doubt betrayed me for a new iPhone!

The saddest part is that I don't even get the advantage of the "coming from upper middle class families" bit. Hell, I barely have any money as-is! Most of my decisions have been out of practicality and desire for new things more than anything else. The organic knowledge and shit is because my dad owned a macrobiotic restaurant since I was 4! Most of the other stuff is out of learning survivalist techniques.

I hate being trendy and not knowing it, especially when I'm part of a group that sounds like douchebags all to themselves. I want to be a douchebag all to my own! I feel very Holden Caufield right now.

Comments

[abmann.livejournal.com]

I did. I'm not sorry.

[zesty-pinto.livejournal.com]

Just for that, I'm taking your Nikkon lenses and replacing them with Raynox.

O NO I DINNT!

[abmann.livejournal.com]

That may be awfully hard since I don't own any of these "Nikkon" lenses of which you speak.

[zesty-pinto.livejournal.com]

Did I mention how I would replace your Nikon glass with that knockoff Nikkon first? No? Well maybe I should stick to that instead of giving you Raynox since that would probably be even more terrifying than buying a 2 dollar set of Coby earphones.