As posted in a previous thread, I recently saw Scott Pilgrim vs. the World. Despite being a pretty original movie, it didn't do spectacularly at the box office, leaving many movie geeks to debate why. Many thought it was too narrowly-targeted. I can see this; much of the humor relies on somewhat obscure pop culture and video game references that won't resonate with people outside a certain age range. However, one review also pointed out another area of disconnect: the characters in the movie are hipsters, making it hard for non-hipsters to relate. I was left to try to find out what a "hipster" is. As with many subcultures, there is disagreement. I read a number of descriptions and was like "wait, I thought that was emo!?" Dr. David Thorpe, a thought-leader in the field of subcultures, asserts that 'hipster' is an umbrella term encompassing many related subcultures, as documented in his opus The Field Guide to North American Hipsters Volume I and Volume II. However, other sources seem to indicate that hipsters are a subculture all their own, which you create by reusing all the emo rules for fashion, but substituting the depressed and sad attitude with a sort of "quarter-life crisis" malaise - a little more innocent and directionless. There seems to be an evolution of these subcultures. When I was a little kid it was all about the punks with their purple mohawks and leather jackets, then it was about the goths, then it was about emo kids and now hipsters. I had an ex-girlfriend once who resembled none of these things but revealed after we had been dating for a while that she had once been a Rivethead, a sort of combination of goth and punk with an industrial music bent. FOCUS: What subcultures have you been a part of? Secretly wanted to be a part of? Hated passionately? Did your parents do everything in your power to prevent you from becoming a goth or a punk kid? ALTERNATE FOCUS: Hipsters. What's up with that?
I have an issue with goths, but not because of how they dress or act. In fact, it's not so much an issue as is it an interesting irony. As a "culture" they will never achieve cohesion because they're far too busy trying to out-unique one another, which amuses me to no end.
I dunno man, when they sacked Rome they seemed rather cohesive. Focus: Counter culture, it’s just another name for being a childish fuckwit. I don't have enough words for the amount of contempt I have for these emo/hipster/sheep dickheads. It's what boring people with no positive personality traits fall into for comfort. It also helps hide the ugly, under more ugly.
It's just fucking rebellion against a perceived societal norm. And there's nothing guaranteed to rile to dickheads up quicker than telling them that. Every sub-cultural group since whenever has been about that. They just want to be different to the oldies, mostly their parents. They take everything they hate and try and become the opposite. The next ones along try and become the opposite of that without going back to the hated thing in the first place, so they become this diametric tangent. With each extrapolation it gets funnier to watch as they eat themselves trying to be unique. I personally liked grunge and slacker culture, because it took the least effort. And I pretty much stayed there.
Focus: I've never really been part of any subculture, mostly because I've never been able to define myself as just any one thing. If I had to decide, I'd say I was a goody two-shoes up to high school and a slacker-nerd since. Yes, I'm aware that has nothing to do with music. As far as music goes, I like everything from classic hip-hop to the Rat Pack to Deep Purple to dubstep. The only real connection is a sort of disdain for commercialism that seems to be left over from all those "do it for the love of the art" speeches when I was a kid. Alt-Focus: Look at this fucking hipster. Seems to be the spiritual successor to this.
I fit in with the "scenester" group for a while, not because of some sense of rebellion or needing to go to every show on earth, I just thought the clothes looked kinda cool, and still thought chicks with too much eye makeup and dyed black and blonde short hair were hot. I've been called a hipster several times not so much of my looks but because I listen to "obscure" bands. I used to be 'that guy' who you'd imagine looking down on anyone who'd listened to terrestrial radio in the last decade but I've wised up a lot.
I LARP'd back in the day, most of the kids that were in the games I played were either goths, theater nerds or just nerds. For the most part the goths were the most normal and well adjusted members. The guys who are always in character (ie. would call you by game name and speak Shakespearean at school) were always hilarious. They would take the game and themselves so seriously it was unbelievable, a lot of them can be best described as being Dwight Schrute like in their convictions. Best/scariest thing we did while LARPing: Shortly after graduating college, me, my friend and his brother drove from Boston to Ohio for Raknarok which is I think the biggest LARPing event in America, full week, 1,000+ people. Well, my friend had to fly back to Boston for a few days which left me and his inexperienced (LARPing wise) brother to fend for ourselves. We get smashed and after everyone else falls asleep he convinces me we should steal a really well made flag from another camp. I luckily still have the clarity to tell him we shouldn't show it off to our newly acquired friends by our camp. The next day the organizers of the event are going around searching camps for the flag and threatening to shut down the event until it turns up. Some crazy motherfucker* runs out of his tent swinging a real sword yelling "if I catch those assholes who stole the flag I'll cut their fucking heads off." Luckily they let the event go on and a few days later we leave the flag in an empty field that is visible from anywhere on the camp grounds and never get caught. I still say LARPing is a more interesting cultural experience than visiting any country. Oh and despite the stigma, there are a ton of hot chicks that play or hang out at events and they're REALLY easy. *The guy's house (in Seattle) had just burned down and he was late on insurance so he got nothing. Instead of staying home and trying to figure shit out he takes his wife and toddler to bumfuck Ohio so he can play swords.`
I feel like I'm constantly falling into sub-cultures without meaning to. In high school, I listened to a lot of pop punk and died my hair colors not found in nature, but there was nothing punk about me besides that, which is barely punk to begin with. By senior year, everyone thought I was emo, even though I had blond hair, nothing pierced, and only occasionally wore black. This may had to do with the fact that I was genuinely depressed and eventually went on medication. Now, apparently, I'm a hipster because I own vinyl records and watch a lot of BBC America? or something. I really have no idea anymore.
Stupid me forgot the one catch all exception: guys who join a scene to fuck girls already in a scene. It was so fundamental, I overlooked it.
Alt focus: We have hipsters in England, but everything they do is just an exact copy of what goes on in Brooklyn: fixed gear bikes, skinny jeans, plaid, post-irony (whatever the fuck that is) and now even imported Brooklyn Lager . Everything but the pizza. I visited NY a few years ago, and was amazed at how pervasive the hipster aesthetic had become. This article is a pretty great critique of the scene: "The hipster represents the end of Western civilization – a culture so detached and disconnected that it has stopped giving birth to anything new." Hipsters are hard to define, easy to identify, very easy to mock, but ultimately harmless. I know I'd rather run into some hipsters down a dark alley than members of most other subcultures. Plus, some of their music is really good.
In my mid-teens to early twenties I was deeply into the hardcore music/skate scene. I got out at just the right time too because all my old friends that kept taking the train to Boston to skate and see shows eventually got hooked on hard drugs and became burnouts. It was fun as fuck while it lasted though. So much time spent wandering the underworld of train tunnels and train yards skating and spraying graffiti. I use to be able to ollie a picnic table (the short way) and had no fear of dropping in on a sketchy homemade halfpipe. If I tried either now I'd destroy myself. Every so often when I'm cleaning out old shit I'll find some obscure CD and throw it on for old times sake. Shit it great to workout to.
Growing up, I never felt the need to define myself by what I wore or how I looked. I wore what I liked, and if that was JNCOs, a baby-tee and a ball chain necklace, then so be it. The next day I'd be wearing keds and abercrombie. That being said... I have a very strong dislike for hipsters--not so much the girls as the guys. I feel like calling yourself a hipster is an excuse to have your hair long and greasy, wear eyeliner, be a musical elitist and not have a job. I live outside of Philly and the amount of these creatures in the city is unbearable. Most of the people I know who call themselves a hipster have mommy and daddy STILL giving them money and they're in their mid-20s and buy clothes at a thrift shop because "that's the hipster thing to do". They do nothing to help society and talk about world issues like they know what the fuck they're talking about. I may have an irrational hatred towards these people, but just seeing one infuriates me. I'm all for expressing your individuality, but most hipsters I've come in contact with just think it's the cool thing to do. They don't actually stand for anything.
I was into the whole grunge thing in my early teens. Ratty flannels, band shirts, shorts with combat boots, long hair, the whole nine yards. I grew out of it after a few years, but I still love the music. To this day Soundgarden and Alice in Chains are among my favorite bands. I have a 19 year old cousin that's a fucking hipster. He puts a lot of effort into looking like a complete dipshit, but for some reason he's always a good shit when he's around me. He's intelligent, has a good sense of humor and seems to have a good head on his shoulders for someone his age, but I've never understood the skinny jeans, crustache and greasy hair. He probably makes a point to not act like an ironic asshole around me because he know's I'll hold him down and stuff dirt in his mouth if he does.
From Emo? Scene? Punk? Grunge? I don't think I fit into any of the subcultures. At least, none I know of. Probably others labeled me as a dork. Whatever. Lately my style hasn't changed much, though I've recently adopted wearing jeans with my tshirts instead of khakis.
I don't fit into any subcultures and never really have. I agree with everyone else about hipsters. Do they not realize the irony of their existence and failure of their "goal" to break out of the mold that is the stereotypical American consumer while becoming a stereotypical consumer themselves? I've never seen anyone put so much effort into looking like complete shit. They are so concerned with not conforming to anything but conform to the hipster stereotype at the same time. How's that for logic? From Urban Dictionary I hope this isn't what all hipsters think although I have my doubts. What in the hell does being a hipster have to do with social change? Hipsters are nothing more than bunch of white kids from middle to upper class families who are trying to inject some sort of meaning into their shitty meaningless existence without doing anything. Needless to say, I can't stand these douche bags and will not pass up an opportunity to shit on them mercilessly.
I'm a gamer, which I've been for almost 20 years. I think the gamer subculture is more of a genuine subculture as opposed to goths or hipsters, because gamers don't come to identify as gamers simply to feel like they're part of a subculture; we become gamers because we like playing nerdy games and seek out others who enjoy the same hobbies. One relatively recent development I've noticed is gaming subcultures within the gaming subculture in general, which more resembles the hipster subculture ridiculousness you see. I see people on the World of Warcraft forums haughtily looking down at people who play Dungeons and Dragons, which is hilarious as far as I'm concerned. Frankly if you play WoW you're in no position to make fun of someone who plays D&D.
If your primary concern in life is your "image", you're a douchebag. Focusing on something outside of your ego is tough though, it's not subjective as one's image. With the right ego, you can never go wrong with your hipster image. Accomplishing something outside of your psyche may result in failure. A fragile hipster's ego couldn't handle that.
Juggalos, man. If ICP's music didn't suck, and if I wasn't an old man, I would totally be down with the clown. I actually lived in SE Michigan in the mid to late 90's (when ICP was definitely a big deal in the Detroit area), but I was more into going to Mule shows. (I guess that puts me closer to the hipster category than anything else). Tying it all together-- if you had your choice, who would you rather party with? Hipsters or Juggalos? Definitely Juggalos.
I think what's funny about hipsters is that they have deviated so far from what they originally were. From what I understand, they were skaters in Brooklyn who listened to thrash metal. Now, they were artsy, photographers, visual artists, musicians and the like, which adheres to the current incarnation. I don't really get the emo comparison though, as I don't find hipsters to be overly depressed. What bugs me about them, at least where I live, is that they seem to pretty clicky, and have an aire as if they think they are on the cutting edge of fashion. Really? You guys haven't been cool since, what, 2002?
Alternative focus: I'm embarking on a month-long trip to the US in October and in my trolling of Yelp for cool bars (come on, planning a trip is almost as fun as the trip itself) I come across a lot of reviews that say "there's no hipsters here", and I wonder whether the reviewer is actually a hipster and is completely fucking clueless of it. Focus: Once upon a time, in the early years of high school, I used to try desperately to fit into the "skater" subculture. All I can do now is look back and cringe, since I could barely ride a fucking skateboard.