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I'm obsessed with "hipsters" and meta-post-ironic commentary and sardonic mockery
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| Akridrot |
I'm obsessed with sub-culture because it's like... so fake that it's real. The entire ing idea is that you 'don't get it' and if you 'do get it' then you just think you do, so you don't. It's surrounded by A LOT of elitism and snobbery. A whole bunch of exclusivity.
Intelligent people ironically typing like 8th graders. Stupid people ironically acting like intelligent people. A lot of it is self-referential (meta. like this parentheses... referring to what you're writing while writing it and over explaining things cuz it's cool bro) Making fun of other people then making fun of yourself for making fun of other people.
Alt culture. When something is vintage enough to be considered ironically hip again. Like seinfeld.
Am I the only person fascinated by this? It's like a gigantic contest to be cool, but the thing is that no one can win because it's uncool to be cool so you have to be all nonchalant about EVERYTHING to be cool. Nothing is cool. But it's all cool.
http://newyork.timeout.com/articles...ipster-must-die
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Altbros, altbags, blipstaz, "blog house" enthusiasts, Tumblr addicts, and uneasy rock critics alike have for the past two years found themselves in thrall to Hipster Runoff, a sardonic music blog run by "Carles," a mysterious and quite possibly messianic figure whose bizarre mixture of puerile humor, savage satire, goofy naïveté, and profound cultural critique has left everyone enthralled, terrorized, and completely confused.
Whether brutally deconstructing alternative DJs, "personal brands," TV on the Radio, or the concept of Girls' Night Out, Carles mixes juvenile text-speak ("Is it ALT 2 watch the Super Bowl?") with provocative armchair sociology: The epic post "Animal Collective Is a Band Created By/For/On the Internet" attracted a particularly great deal of both deification and derision. Was its blunt assessment of the self-perpetuating and notoriously insecure Internet hype machine—i.e., the "bros who pretend to only care about judging music based on 'how it sounds' but secretly check P4k rankings on a weekly basis to construct what they 'like' based on how they perceive the masses are digesting new content"—a revelatory breakthrough or old news dressed up with new jokes? Did he even mean it? Is he laughing at us? With us? Who the hell is he, and what does he want?
Recently, Carles agreed to an IM interview (his preferred medium) to shed light on these and other salient topics. I'm not quite certain if any light got shed or not.
http://www.villagevoice.com/2009-02...explained-maybe |
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Letter from a Self Aware Artist:
crls,
you’re doing a great job keeping us up to date on breaking updates in the electro war and koowky azn fashions but what about art schools?
come on carleserslerers, this place is an alt factory. a place where impressionable 18 year olds become subjected to some of the most altyaltmcalts in their major metropolitan city (art schoolers confidence is rooted in both impeccably alt fashion choices and “culturedness” in fine arts and theory). the velocity of going from a mnstrmr to an alt in the freshman year of art school is unparalled. there’s not even an entry level alt phase. every day spent wearing boot cut jeans and messy graphic screen printed tee shirts that used to seem cool and unique in yr florida suburb back home is a day spent not making friends at fine art schools. and let me clarify the difference between art schools. schools like saic (chicago), smfa (boston), cooper union (new york) are FINE art schools. fine art schools are tiny. they make really pretentious performances pieces and spend most of their time talking about gender roles. these are the altest art schools. there are secret cliques that i can’t even tel you about because they are internet resistant the goretex on a northface jacket. these cliques are so ruthlessly hip you might never even know they exist. regular art schools, like columbia college (chicago), cal arts (san fransisco), pratt (new york), massarts (boston), mica (baltimore) are huge bro’d down schools. they all have like, 20,000 students and they’re mainly made up of animation and graphic design dave mathews band white baseball cap bros, anime loving goth sluts and entry, entry level alts. their may be a dozen or so high level alts at these huge schools but they are probably there for “art theory” and only go because “they got a huge scholarship” (while the more alt fine art school in the same city didn’t give them one, but they’d never admit to it for fear of losing cred). listen, i could babble on about this forever. art school is really important crlsrlsrs, ok?
http://www.hipsterrunoff.com/2008/0...of-the-day.html |
http://www.viceland.com/index_int.php
http://www.adbusters.org/magazine/79/hipster.html
http://www.hipsterrunoff.com/ (some parts NSFW)
Basically, the entire culture is about taking nothing seriously while simultaneously taking everything (your fashion, your words, your personality, your music choices) VERY seriously for hipster cred. <-- But that's wrong, because even attempting to explain what "it" "is" is pointless.
What do you think about it? If you live in a major metropolitan area, you had to have seen them. Unless, you're like, living under a ing rock. |
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| pmoisse |
I think it's trying way too hard in order to accomplish nothing.
But hey, to each their own. I don't really care what anyone wears or does to be cool or counter-cool.
Am I being cool by being dismissive about this? Please give me the validation I need to survive!!! :p |
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| Akridrot |
| quote: | Originally posted by pmoisse
I think it's trying way too hard in order to accomplish nothing.
But hey, to each their own. I don't really care what anyone wears or does to be cool or counter-cool.
Am I being cool by being dismissive about this? Please give me the validation I need to survive!!! :p |
You get it. I just find it so entertaining and intriguing if that makes any sense.
I think a lot of the exclusivity is constructed so that they will have some place to fit in. I remember someone saying that some people like more obscure movies/albums/books because they can find things that seem almost tailor-made for them, compared to the watered down mainstream "appeal to everybody" garbage. Also, if you find someone who likes the same obscure stuff that you like, that probably indicates a much higher compatibility than if you both like some super famous all-time classic.
Obscurity is just another way of finding people with the same tastes as you. A really elitist way, but another way, nonetheless.
Is the hipster culture going to be what we remember when we think of the 00's? Apathy and irony? |
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| L.E.N. |
| Isnt this common with all the anti-establishment trends? Trying so hard to be original that you're just like all the others with the same intent thus making you unoriginal. |
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| Akridrot |
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Hipster 4169 up, 531 down love it hate it
Listens to bands that you have never heard of. Has hairstyle that can only be described as "complicated." (Most likely achieved by a minimum of one week not washing it.) Probably tattooed. Maybe gay. Definitely cooler than you. Reads Black Book, Nylon, and the Styles section of the New York Times. Drinks Pabst Blue Ribbon. Often. Complains. Always denies being a hipster. Hates the word. Probably living off parents money - and spends a great deal of it to look like they don't have any. Has friends and/or self cut hair. Dyes it frequently (black, white-blonde, etc. and until scalp bleeds). Has a closet full of clothing but usually wears same three things OVER AND OVER (most likely very tight black pants, scarf, and ironic tee-shirt). Chips off nail polish artfully after $50 manicure. Sleeps with everyone and talks about it at great volume in crowded coffee shops. Addicted to coffee, cigarettes (Parliaments, Kamel Reds, Lucky Strikes, etc.), and possibly cocaine. Claims to be in a band. Rehearsals consist of choosing outfits for next show and drinking PBR. Always on the list. Majors or majored in art, writing, or queer studies. Name-drops. May go by "Penny Lane," "Eleanor Rigby," etc. when drunk. On PBR. Which is usually.
I am not a ing hipster! (sweeps bangs to side dramatically and takes a swig of PBR) |
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Hipster 3056 up, 967 down love it hate it
You, for reading ironic, pseudo-intellectual dictionary entries on the word "hipster".
"These dictionary entries on hipsters are so comical! I'm going to email this link to 800 of my closest acquaintances, head to Value Village, grab a chai and then play kickball in a headband and short-shorts." |
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hipster 2526 up, 665 down love it hate it
people in thier teens to 20s who generally listen to indie rock, hang out in coffee shops, shop at the thrift store and talk about things like books, music, films and art.
I saw a bunch of hipsters hanging uot at the coffee shop today. |
| quote: | hipster 1368 up, 384 down love it hate it
Hipsters are a subculture of men and women typically in their 20's and 30's that value independent thinking, counter-culture, progressive politics, an appreciation of art and indie-rock, creativity, intelligence, and witty banter. The greatest concentrations of hipsters can be found living in the Williamsburg, Wicker Park, and Mission District neighborhoods of major cosmopolitan centers such as New York, Chicago, and San Francisco respectively. Although "hipsterism" is really a state of mind,it is also often intertwined with distinct fashion sensibilities. Hipsters reject the culturally-ignorant attitudes of mainstream consumers, and are often be seen wearing vintage and thrift store inspired fashions, tight-fitting jeans, old-school sneakers, and sometimes thick rimmed glasses. Both hipster men and women sport similar androgynous hair styles that include combinations of messy shag cuts and asymmetric side-swept bangs. Such styles are often associated with the work of creative stylists at urban salons, and are usually too "edgy" for the culturally-sheltered mainstream consumer. The "effortless cool" urban bohemian look of a hipster is exemplified in Urban Outfitters and American Apparel ads which cater towards the hipster demographic. Despite misconceptions based on their aesthetic tastes, hipsters tend to be well educated and often have liberal arts degrees, or degrees in maths and sciences, which also require certain creative analytical thinking abilities. Consequently many hipsters tend to have jobs in the music, art, and fashion industries. It is a myth that most hipsters are unemployed and live off of their parent's trust funds.
Hipsters shun mainstream societal conventions that apply to dating preferences and traditional "rules" of physical attraction. It is part of the hipster central dogma not to be influenced by mainsream advertising and media, which tends to only promote ethnocentric ideals of beauty. The concepts of androgyny and feminism have influenced hipster culture, where hipster men are often as thin as the women they date. The muscular and athletic all-American male ideal is not seen as attractive by confident and culturally-empowered hipster women who instead view them as symbols of male oppression, sexism, and misogyny. Likewise, culturally-vapid sorority-type girls with fake blond hair, overly tanned skin, and "Britney Spears tube-tops" are not seen as attractive by cultured hipster males who instead see them as symbols of female insecurity, low self-esteem, and lack of cultural intelligence and independent thinking. Hipsters are also very racially open-minded, and the greatest number of interracial couples in any urban environment are typically found within the hipster subculture.
Although hipsters are technically conformists within their own subculture, in comparison to the much larger mainstream mass, they are pioneers and leaders of the latest cultural trends and ideals. For example, the surge of jeans made to look old and worn (i.e. "distressed"), that have become prevalent at stores such as The Gap, American Eagle, Abercrombie and Fitch, and Hollister, were originally paraded by hipsters who shopped in thrift stores years before such clothing items were mass produced and sold to the mainstream consumer. The true irony here is that many of the detractors of hipster culture are in fact unknowingly following a path that hipsters have carved out years before them. This phenomena also applies to music as well, as many bands have become successful and known to mainstream audiences only because hipsters first found and listened to them as early-adopters of new culture. Once certain concepts of fashion and music have reached mainstream audiences, hipsters move on to something new and improved.
Because of the rise of various online photo-blog and social networking sites, insights into urban hipster culture is reaching sheltered suburban audiences at an exponential rate. Cultural "norms" have been deconstructed by hipster culture as a whole. Hipsterism is often dismissed as just an image thing by some, but the culture as a whole is effecting changes in society, leading to feelings of insecurity and resentment in people who are no longer a part of the cultural ruling class. For example, a lot of anti-hipster sentiment evidently comes from culturally-clueless suburban frat boy types who feel that the more sensitive, intelligent, and culturally aware hipster ideal threatens their insecure sense of masculinity. Anti-hipster sentiment often comes from people who simply can't keep up with social change and are envious of those who can.
A conversation outside a hipster bar in downtown NYC:
Frat Boy #1: Dude, are you having any luck picking up chicks in there?
Frat Boy #2: Man...I haven't experienced anything like this before. These chicks are totally rejecting me and going for all these hipster guys in tight pants and shaggy hair instead.
Frat Boy #1: Maybe we should head back up to that bar in Murry Hill where you hooked up with that drunk b*tch from Alpha Sigma Phi last week?
Frat Boy #2: Yeah...I don't think we have what it takes to compete with these guys in here. These hipster chicks won't even give us the time of the day! |
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5. hipster 1295 up, 407 down love it hate it
The modern Bohemians. A mid-twenties person who works at a low paying job, is interested in "Artsy things" Hipsters tend to swarm around the determined "Hipster" part of town, ex. Wicker Park in Chicago. Hipster Ladies should have short hair and wear thrift shop clothes and Male Hipsters should be anemically skinny to let people know that they are poor and cant afford enough food.
When I grow up I want to live in a studio apartment in Wicker Park and work at Starbucks, it would be cool being a Hipster. |
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6. hipster 2196 up, 1582 down love it hate it
Someone who thinks that they are being "special" and "unique" for liking some underground bull no one else cares about. And they pointlessly look down on people who don't know anything about indie culture, because that's the only thing they know anything about. They're quick to call the rest of the world conformists when in reality, they are the ones conforming by partaking in a "too cool for mainstream so i am going to reject it by looking and acting like a grungy " way of life only to seem uber-fashionable. They just end up looking like idiots.
1) Hipster: I won't drink at starbucks, it's too corporate.
2)Non-Hipster: I want a Louis Vitton purse because they are cool
Hipster: You're such a conformist, haveing a Louis Vitton purse is so unoriginal. I like my purse I found in the gutter for $4 dollars.
Non-hipster: but it's fugly
Hipster: yah, but no one else has it. It's completely unique.
Non-hipster: that bum over there has something pretty similar though.
Hipster: You're ignorant because you can't see the real beauty in life.
I don't have time for this, I'm gonna go to my cave of an apartment and listen to some indie rock you've probably never heard of....
Non hipster: You need to see a therapist
Hipster: I am my own therapist. |
http://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=hipster |
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| Akridrot |
| quote: | Originally posted by L.E.N.
Isnt this common with all the anti-establishment trends? Trying so hard to be original that you're just like all the others with the same intent thus making you unoriginal. |
Yeah, but this time we have the INTERNET to BLOG ABOUT IT. |
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| stren |
| quote: | Originally posted by Akridrot
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Isn't that Clovis ? |
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| pmoisse |
| quote: | Originally posted by Akridrot
You get it. I just find it so entertaining and intriguing if that makes any sense.
I think a lot of the exclusivity is constructed so that they will have some place to fit in. I remember someone saying that some people like more obscure movies/albums/books because they can find things that seem almost tailor-made for them, compared to the watered down mainstream "appeal to everybody" garbage. Also, if you find someone who likes the same obscure stuff that you like, that probably indicates a much higher compatibility than if you both like some super famous all-time classic.
Obscurity is just another way of finding people with the same tastes as you. A really elitist way, but another way, nonetheless.
Is the hipster culture going to be what we remember when we think of the 00's? Apathy and irony? |
Entertaining is a good way to put it. And hey, if people are having fun with it all the better.
To me it's just another counter-culture fad that will change/die with time, to be replaced by something else once "hipster" gets too big for hipsters. |
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| Joss Weatherby |
Hipsters... ugh...
I had a friend that ran heavily in the hipster crowd in high school... soooo bloody annoying.
Around here they were also emo... but like not goth light, they just listened to emo crap like ing Bright Eyes and .
:p |
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| L.E.N. |
| quote: | Originally posted by stren
Isn't that Clovis ? |
ouch:stongue: |
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| Domesticated |
I've never been part of a fashion-dictated sub-culture. I just don't get it. It's almost like people are so insecure about who they are and where they "belong" in society that they have to dress and act like other people to make themselves feel better. When I see people like that I automatically think they have low self-esteem.
I mean, of course, everyone plays that game to a certain degree - we all wear clothes outside because it's weird not to, but what I don't understand is people who all of a sudden say "I want to be part of [x] culture, I had better go out and buy appropriate clothes." |
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| Halcyon+On+On |
Well people only say that sort of thing after they've been told to.
It seems a subtle and mysterious little phenomenon only because we live in a world inundated with advertising, making it impossible to tell the difference. But that's not to imply that contagious behaviour and fashion is a new thing at all.
In fact, none of this is new at all. |
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