"hipsters."

[Dimensional Transition]

I think I am a hipster now. Great. Except that I don't drink PBR and smoke cigarettes and am not that much of a fan of vegetarianism and coffee. I hate labels.
I just thought tight jeans looked more mature, more than the baggy ass jeans everybody else seems to be wearing. Shirts? I have a lot of plaid shirts. And I happen to like a lot of hipster music. Sigh. Yes I do draw a lot, I paint, I sketch, et cetera et cetera... I am a psuedo intellectual probably, too.

But what can I do about it? Should I change the music I listen to and like? Wear different clothes because it's now all HIPSTERRY? I think I actually am gonna stop wearing plaid shirts then. If that spares me from another label then that's good.

I've always hated labels but also being an average kid, and therefore refuse to wear everything in black, or the same boring old blue baggy jeans and nikes, or some sort of other specific clothing item and refuse to refuse() to listen to anything that does not fit in 'my subculture'. I listen to anything from Electric Wizard to of Montreal to Bombay Bicycle Club to Neutral Milk Hotel to Flying Lotus and MF DOOM. As long as it sounds good.

I don't even know anymore. Damn labels everywhere.

 

[Agapooka]

I wonder what the label is for someone who doesn't push an opinion on others and asks poignant questions at unexpectedly significant moments...

 

[Dimensional Transition]

I wonder what the label is for someone who doesn't push an opinion on others and asks poignant questions at unexpectedly significant moments...

Nerd, geek, weirdo.

:c

 

[SpaceYeti]

I just thought tight jeans looked more mature

They definitely look better.

 

[Dimensional Transition]

They definitely look better.

That's what I thought. And now all of a sudden it's SO HIPSTER!!!@11

Well as long as I don't roll up the pipes to show my ankles I'm good too probably.

 

[Agapooka]

Either way, labels are just a form of social control.

If confronted with any kind of label, I tend to say, "oh, you've found a way to generalise about X?"

 

[cheese]

That's what I thought. And now all of a sudden it's SO HIPSTER!!!@11

Well as long as I don't roll up the pipes to show my ankles I'm good too probably.

Yeah, when did that happen? It's like this scar-faced fashion trend with a shady past leapt out of nowhere and clubbed me over the head with an army of fliratious calves. I hate it.

 

[Cavallier]

Okay, about the rolling up pants and showing calves thing: Being as I live in Portland, which is the motherland of hipsters*, I'm relatively certain this trend came from the fact that it NEVER STOPS RAINING HERE!!! Thus, the pants get rolled up to keep them dry. Well, drier than they might otherwise be. Also, your pants get caught in the chain, pedals, and spokes of a bicycle if you leave them long.



*Real hipsters don't drink PBR. Nasty horrible stuff. It's not worth looking ironic**. Real hipsters drink Rogue because it's delicious. They drink it ironically because it's a regional brewing company that has gotten too big. (I.E. Larger than some hairy guy's basement.)

**Though it is serviceable for beer pong. You don't waste the good stuff on beer pong but there is no person on this planet that will make a real beer lover drink any of that nationally mass produced rat piss called Bud.

Too hipster?

 

[Agapooka]

Beer? Gross.

 

[Fukyo]

 

[EyeSeeCold]

^ lol

 

[SpaceYeti]

Either way, labels are just a form of social control.

If confronted with any kind of label, I tend to say, "oh, you've found a way to generalise about X?"

Such as when?

 

[SpaceYeti]

Yeah, when did that happen? It's like this scar-faced fashion trend with a shady past leapt out of nowhere and clubbed me over the head with an army of fliratious calves. I hate it.

... What? What trend? Chicks are showing off their calves? What the fuck ever happened to cleavage?!

 

[Mello]

I roll up my skinny jeans. Well, only my blue ones.

 

[Agapooka]

Such as when?

Mostly when it's applied to me.

"Oh, you're a anti-conformist. Me too."
"You bothered to come up with a broad term that encompasses me being me, regardless of what other people are doing?"

"Young people these days..."
"I "like" how you prefer to generalise than to consider me as an individual."

Etc.

 

[echoplex]

People saying they're a hipster apparently can't be one because all hipsters insist they aren't hipsters. If you think you are one you're a wannabe hipster which is apparently even worse. I don't know/care what any of this means but I read it somewhere so it must be true.

Seriously though, one thing I don't get is why being into obscure things is so socially desirable. I mean, yeah, I guess it may make you seem more perceptive than most, but it may also mean you have "too much free time" or "no life" which are typically negative things in most circles. Many people are just too busy (read: 'successful') to know about obscure things. Perhaps the glorification of obscure interests was an attempt by so-called hipsters to make up social ground lost by the fact that they lack other signifiers of success. The idea is that by 'changing the rules' to make obscurity cool (rather than a sign of irrelevance/failure) people have a chance at social acceptance who would otherwise struggle.

When obscurity is cool, one might argue that 'being cool' becomes much easier. I mean, what's easier than being obscure? Anyone can do that, we all start out that way. And even if something 'sucks' (by many standards) it can still gain 'cool points' (or 'cutting edge') simply by not having yet existed -- nevermind the fact it possibly never existed for good reason, lol. For example, I could start a new genre/style of music that just so happens to cause people to vomit due to its unpleasant sound, but I suppose a 'hipster' would sooner have that on their player than a song by a popular, mainstream band, despite the fact that the latter is maybe listenable and possibly even quite good. Heck, maybe they're popular for a good reason. But no, vomiting will then become a sign of cool. After all, being cool is very important and you should be willing to suffer for it.

Of course, I'm sure they don't actually call it "cool" as that's a very mainstream word you're not allowed to use.

Despite my tone, I don't hate/have a problem with such people. They're just desperate for acceptance, I think, or maybe it's a huge misunderstanding and they're simply trying on various social roles for reasons only they understand. I'm not entirely sure who 'they' is either. People do crazy things for love, but sometimes people just do crazy things because humans are crazy. I do appreciate irony, fwiw. And I always kinda liked plaid shirts, wtf?

 

[Glordag]

Most "hipsters" I know are into "obscure" things because it makes them feel like they have an uncanny ability for realizing talent or appreciating art that "normal" people do not have. They basically feel like they have powers above and beyond the norm for experiencing things that most do not.

Loads of generalizations in there, but that's how I see it.

 

[cheese]

... What? What trend? Chicks are showing off their calves? What the fuck ever happened to cleavage?!

No, GUYS are. That's what makes it so fucking SICK. All that hairy musclyness that is best kept under wraps... cleavage is still alive and well, as my surreptitious surveillance camera records will testify.

Oh, and if you think we're safe from male cleavage - we're not. At least in sydney, dudes seem to think low-cut singlets and rolled up pant legs are the height of fashion.

 

[crippli]

People saying they're a hipster apparently can't be one because all hipsters insist they aren't hipsters. If you think you are one you're a wannabe hipster which is apparently even worse. I don't know/care what any of this means but I read it somewhere so it must be true.

Seriously though, one thing I don't get is why being into obscure things is so socially desirable. I mean, yeah, I guess it may make you seem more perceptive than most, but it may also mean you have "too much free time" or "no life" which are typically negative things in most circles. Many people are just too busy (read: 'successful') to know about obscure things. Perhaps the glorification of obscure interests was an attempt by so-called hipsters to make up social ground lost by the fact that they lack other signifiers of success. The idea is that by 'changing the rules' to make obscurity cool (rather than a sign of irrelevance/failure) people have a chance at social acceptance who would otherwise struggle.

When obscurity is cool, one might argue that 'being cool' becomes much easier. I mean, what's easier than being obscure? Anyone can do that, we all start out that way. And even if something 'sucks' (by many standards) it can still gain 'cool points' (or 'cutting edge') simply by not having yet existed -- nevermind the fact it possibly never existed for good reason, lol. For example, I could start a new genre/style of music that just so happens to cause people to vomit due to its unpleasant sound, but I suppose a 'hipster' would sooner have that on their player than a song by a popular, mainstream band, despite the fact that the latter is maybe listenable and possibly even quite good. Heck, maybe they're popular for a good reason. But no, vomiting will then become a sign of cool. After all, being cool is very important and you should be willing to suffer for it.

Of course, I'm sure they don't actually call it "cool" as that's a very mainstream word you're not allowed to use.

Despite my tone, I don't hate/have a problem with such people. They're just desperate for acceptance, I think, or maybe it's a huge misunderstanding and they're simply trying on various social roles for reasons only they understand. I'm not entirely sure who 'they' is either. People do crazy things for love, but sometimes people just do crazy things because humans are crazy. I do appreciate irony, fwiw. And I always kinda liked plaid shirts, wtf?

I think you make very good points here. It is like most pioneering activity. You may stumble onto something really new. But will soon be run over if the idea catches interest. Most everything is a competition. In the game selection on here it is much easier to become champion in the games with less activity. Reminds me of sports for women. Any number of things. Why is there a president in a country?

 

[Artsu Tharaz]

I use the term hipster in two distinct but probably related senses, in the type of people common to both. The second kind is more just a behaviour.

The first is the particular fashion and other interests that you would immediately think of when you here hipster, the kind that the mere sight of fills one with a burning desire to punch them the fuck out; the second as a general term for someone who takes on any interest for insincere reasons, for "irony", because it's "hip" - in a way that it's obvious they don't take the thing seriously and are just making fun of it because it's cool in their social scene to do, as opposed to say a "poser" who wants people to think they take the thing seriously and understand it.

 

[crippli]

The first is the particular fashion and other interests that you would immediately think of when you here hipster, the kind that the mere sight of fills one with a burning desire to punch them the fuck out;

What passion. Does it work the other way around too? What makes you sparkle with the burning desire for lovemaking? The opposite of hipsters? what may that be?

 

[shoeless]

obscure music is good when it's good obscure music.
popular music is good when it's good popular music.
i like to judge things based on their content rather than based on their societal standing.

also, man calves what?
my boyfriend still wears baggy jeans. it makes him look like he's from the 70's. but in a good way.
if he showed off his calves in public i'd probably have to get my friend to kick him with his steel-toed boot. in the calf.

 

[Fukyo]

^ lol

She also uses Arial ironically.

 

[Oblivious]

if he showed off his calves in public i'd probably have to get my friend to kick him with his steel-toed boot. in the calf.

What if he shaved?

 

[SpaceYeti]

Mostly when it's applied to me.

"Oh, you're a anti-conformist. Me too."
"You bothered to come up with a broad term that encompasses me being me, regardless of what other people are doing?"

"Young people these days..."
"I "like" how you prefer to generalise than to consider me as an individual."

Etc.

Ah, so you're essentially just a jerk who considers himself above language. Okay, I understand.

 

[SpaceYeti]

No, GUYS are. That's what makes it so fucking SICK. All that hairy musclyness that is best kept under wraps... cleavage is still alive and well, as my surreptitious surveillance camera records will testify.

Oh, and if you think we're safe from male cleavage - we're not. At least in sydney, dudes seem to think low-cut singlets and rolled up pant legs are the height of fashion.

I don't give a crap how dudes dress. More power to them. I don't look at them the way I look at chicks. A dude could walk around the mall nude, I wouldn't care. I'm not anti-thingsIdon'tenjoy.

 

[Cavallier]

I don't find the pretentious aspect of liking things that are obscure just because they are obscure very irritating. What's irritating is the rejection of things they don't enjoy as "lame". That is so very close minded for somebody who would otherwise consider themselves open-minded.

Egads. I'd forgotten about the leg hair. It's practically a road hazard here what with all the leg hair blowing the wind.

 

[Agapooka]

Ah, so you're essentially just a jerk who considers himself above language. Okay, I understand.

Was this really necessary?

Essentially, I don't want others to presuppose that I have certain traits, just because they believe they can fit me in a category.

In other words: the connotations of a particular category, combined with the broadness thereof are often unjustified. It is based on similar thinking to:

"Oh, all Mexicans are lazy and..."
"All young people are stupid and don't know the first thing about..."

When I am faced with such generalisations, I react.

If you would consider that to be acting like a jerk, go ahead and believe that.

It's not like someone who works for the military has an opinion worth considering.

Now, would it necessarily be acting like a jerk to refute the above statement on the basis that the generalisation be too broad?

 

[Oblivious]

Agapooka, Yeti is a jerk too. He just wants more jerks around to jerk off with him, the manwhore.

 

[Glordag]

obscure music is good when it's good obscure music.
popular music is good when it's good popular music.
i like to judge things based on their content rather than based on their societal standing.

How do you judge whether something is good or not, though? Considering that quite a bit of taste in music is altered over time, this could be manipulated or changed depending on desires or subconscious, I would think.

 

[SpaceYeti]

Was this really necessary?

Essentially, I don't want others to presuppose that I have certain traits, just because they believe they can fit me in a category.

In other words: the connotations of a particular category, combined with the broadness thereof are often unjustified. It is based on similar thinking to:

"Oh, all Mexicans are lazy and..."
"All young people are stupid and don't know the first thing about..."

When I am faced with such generalisations, I react.

If you would consider that to be acting like a jerk, go ahead and believe that.

It's not like someone who works for the military has an opinion worth considering.

Now, would it necessarily be acting like a jerk to refute the above statement on the basis that the generalisation be too broad?

I don't deny that there are people who paint with a very broad brush. However, just because some people wrongly apply generalizations, it doesn't mean labels are innately wrong or bad. It's essentially generalizing about labels. Sure, assuming Mexicans are lazy and whatever is bad, but calling someone a "Mexican", which is a label, is not wrong. They're a Mexican, after all. It's simply accurate. And if you are against conforming, you're an "anti-conformist". It's simply an applicable label, nothing more. The problem is when people assume things about you which are not innate to that fact that there's a problem. "Anti-conformists" do not have anything innately in common except that they're against conforming, for example. The label itself is simply a word that describes that aspect of someone, not the person as a whole. Calling something what it is could not be bad, but the person the label is applied to may not like it. Hell, someone could even make a mistake and use a label that simply doesn't apply. People make mistakes, it's no big deal. But to be against labels is essentially to be against language, as language is labels. Every word I used in this post is a label for a thing or concept. Labels are not bad, they're necessary for communication.

 

[teleforce]

 

[Agapooka]

I don't deny that there are people who paint with a very broad brush. However, just because some people wrongly apply generalizations, it doesn't mean labels are innately wrong or bad. It's essentially generalizing about labels. Sure, assuming Mexicans are lazy and whatever is bad, but calling someone a "Mexican", which is a label, is not wrong. They're a Mexican, after all. It's simply accurate. And if you are against conforming, you're an "anti-conformist". It's simply an applicable label, nothing more. The problem is when people assume things about you which are not innate to that fact that there's a problem. "Anti-conformists" do not have anything innately in common except that they're against conforming, for example. The label itself is simply a word that describes that aspect of someone, not the person as a whole. Calling something what it is could not be bad, but the person the label is applied to may not like it. Hell, someone could even make a mistake and use a label that simply doesn't apply. People make mistakes, it's no big deal. But to be against labels is essentially to be against language, as language is labels. Every word I used in this post is a label for a thing or concept. Labels are not bad, they're necessary for communication.

Yes, I see your point. In fact, it's not particularly different from mine, except that you may have misinterpreted mine.

I was specifically referring to instances in which a label is used to imply (or explicitly state) that it is associated with attributes that are not innate to it.

Through experience, I find that labels, especially when they are applied to people, seem to effect an excessive amount of ad hominem fallacies. "This person is X, so their words necessarily mean Y." This doesn't allow for proper discussion of ideas, as the judgement precedes the discussion.

 

[EyeSeeCold]

[bimg]http://i55.tinypic.com/2r3a0l4.jpg[/bIMG]

Hipsters are an absolute.

 

[shoeless]

How do you judge whether something is good or not, though? Considering that quite a bit of taste in music is altered over time, this could be manipulated or changed depending on desires or subconscious, I would think.

i'm not saying it's objectively good.
i'm just saying it's good to me if it's good to me and it's pointless to generalise across the board, whether it's music or television or anything like that.

 

[cheese]

I don't give a crap how dudes dress. More power to them. I don't look at them the way I look at chicks. A dude could walk around the mall nude, I wouldn't care. I'm not anti-thingsIdon'tenjoy.

I don't give a crap what YOU think. More CRAP to YOU, you STUPID, BADLY-DRESSED CRAP CRAP. Your MUM is a HAIRY NAKED CALF.

 

[Glordag]

i'm not saying it's objectively good.
i'm just saying it's good to me if it's good to me and it's pointless to generalise across the board, whether it's music or television or anything like that.

I think the problem here is that the type of person that many see as a "hipster" enjoys the music or art they enjoy largely because of popularity within certain circles or lack thereof. That doesn't make it wrong, of course, but it does sort of lend some credibility to the label. I have a pretty well defined label for "hipster", but I generally try to avoid using it for anything other than my own internal scheming. In other words, I think it's OK to have labels like "hipster" to help manage your own categorization, but acting prematurely based on the labels or verbalizing them is another matter entirely.

 

[SpaceYeti]

I don't give a crap what YOU think. More CRAP to YOU, you STUPID, BADLY-DRESSED CRAP CRAP. Your MUM is a HAIRY NAKED CALF.

Touche.

 

[Yet]

this is what we call a hipster in Holland ... a type of knicker, broad around the hips

so I was expecting us to discuss underwear here ...

 

[SpaceYeti]

I'm down for discussing those knickers. Who started this thread? Dimension? Hey, D, put a pare of those on and let us see if they suit you.

 

[Dimensional Transition]

It was shoeless who started this thread, but I'm still willing to put a pair of those on.

EDIT: I actually photoshopped myself with 'hipster underwear' on. I removed it for the sake of not becoming an internet meme. I don't want that stuff to go float about the internet.

 

[nexion]

EDIT: I actually photoshopped myself with 'hipster underwear' on. I removed it for the sake of not becoming an internet meme. I don't want that stuff to go float about the internet.

Shit shit shit I wanna see.

 

[SpaceYeti]

It was shoeless who started this thread, but I'm still willing to put a pair of those on.

EDIT: I actually photoshopped myself with 'hipster underwear' on. I removed it for the sake of not becoming an internet meme. I don't want that stuff to go float about the internet.

Could you send me the pic? Now I'm stupendously curious.

 

[nexion]

Could you send me the pic? Now I'm stupendously curious.

Indeed.

By the way, Dimensional Transition, you should have expected this. Hehe, if you really didn't want us to know you wouldn't have even made that edit, you would have just deleted that picture.

 

[nexion]

Also, on the topic of so-called "hipsters," apparently liking triangles is a sign that you may be a hipster, according to a few friends of mine.

 

[SpaceYeti]

^ Hey, yeah!

Edit; Yeah, about the pic. On a side note, the shape or the instrument. Triangle the instrument is boring.

 

[Yet]

no way D
you should not let a pic of yourself in a 'hipster' circulate on internet D
That will only hit back at you in an awkward moment.

 

[Agapooka]

It could be good advertising for a future brand. Call it astroturfing, but you could turn the internet's memechanism to your advantage. :P

 

[Dimensional Transition]

no way D
you should not let a pic of yourself in a 'hipster' circulate on internet D
That will only hit back at you in an awkward moment.

That's what I thought :')
I will probably release it in a few years though, when I'm a famous artist or something... hopefully. Then it's just 'being an eccentric artist'. Oh. I accidentally deleted the picture anyways. I still have the same base though, but with a japan-theme this time.

Now THIS is the definition of hipster.

 

[Yet]

planning to become 'big in Japan' hey
(Alphaville)