In
our class discussion, we talked about Frank’s thoughts on hipster media, “There
is not a simple dichotomy that pits mainstream media against counterculture”. Mainstream
media and counterculture feed off of one another in a continuous cycle. It
appears that counter culture can never really exist and “hipsters” are just
cool-seeking, mainstream conformists. But what exactly is a hipster anyway?
Many people would classify hipster as a style of new-age thinkers, who dress in
seemingly effortless vintage style, wear thick rimmed glasses and listen to
indie-folk music. Urban dictionary points out however, that being hipster is
about more than just style, “‘hipsterism’ is really a state of mind”. This
state of mind is typically characterized by liberal views and the notion of
what I call “pioneer thinking”. Pioneer thinking is the mentality that you were
“the first” to come up with an idea or thought. These pioneer thoughts are
similar to the idea that “cool-kids” are the first to invent a new style or
trend before it actually becomes popular.
Being
hipster is more than just a style, it’s a state of mind. This pioneer lifestyle
of thinking is not missed by media though. Many mainstream corporations play
off of this rebel, non-conforming, higher thinking attitude by creating ads and
marketing their products in ways that evoke your emotions rather than reason.
One such example of this is the Walt Whitman Levi’s commercial appealing to the
pioneer and rebel we all aspire to be. Hipsterism is truly escapable.
So you read this and think, “Sure
hipster culture is escapable... I haven’t conformed!” Well even if you don’t
consider yourself a stereotypical hipster because oh I don’t know… you’re above
that or because you don’t want to be another band wagoner or conform to the new
mainstream culture… that thought alone makes you a hipster. The thought process
of wanting to be separate from, think differently and above the rest of
“mainstream” culture which at the moment is the “hipster style” makes you just
that- a hipster. The thought of wanting of pioneer and be the first and only
one of your kind is what the hipster mindset is. So by not conforming, you are
conforming. There is no escaping the hipster world.
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