Hence my theory arose: there's no such thing as a "hipster." The hipster is an assemblage of half-hearted characterizations, designed as a sort of cultural "folk devil." Few people share all these characteristics, and there's no real sense of scope to the label. I wouldn't even have a problem with this, but none of us — normal people, or members of the vehemently anti-hipster crowd — have a problem with any of these characteristics taken individually. Drink PBR? What's the problem? Listen to indie rock, talk about the politics of the bands? You may be a music snob, but who cares? Live in Williamsburg? Sure, it's a growing neighborhood. If you're a friend of mine, you can fit three, four, five of these characteristics and not be a hipster, cause it's all in good faith. But if I don't like you, and you exhibit even ONE of these qualifications, you're a damn hipster. I hate you people.
This "cultural folk devil" concept (which I am currently coining as a variation of the classic "folk devil") is actually fairly common. There are always large groups who have been stigmatized and blamed for culture's problems, from Jews to Teenagers to Fags. These days, this kind of stigmatization has gone from "evil" to "annoying"; we tend to label concepts as stupid, bothersome, played-out, and obnoxious. Admittedly, it's a step up, but it's still a bad social habit. Some of the cultural folk devils stigmatized in recent times have been "sXe (straight-edge)," "emo," "postmodernism," and "chavs." It's up for debate whether each of these deserves its widespread ire. However, all of these ideas and subcultures have at least existed on some level.
I repeat: the hipster doesn't exist. It's an imaginary scapegoat, a convenient target for our disapproval and ridicule. I know this because I've looked for a definition that was worthy of my own distrust, and I've found nothing of the kind. It's sort of a cultural stereotype, so my main avenue has been asking friends, but none of them seemed to have a good definition for me. In fact, many of those who gave angry-but-vague definitions were people who themselves fit a number of commonly-cited characteristics. Finally, looking for something comprehensive, if not exactly "precise," I consulted Wikipedia. This is really the best function for Wikipedia to fulfill — even if it's rarely well-written or accurate, it's at least a good representation of generally-held cultural beliefs on certain topics.
Article comments
1 - Elvira Black
Nice piece, and I think you're playing the devil's advocate a bit, but my def of a hipster might include a poseur--someone who takes on the superficial acoutrements of the "artsy." Dilettantes who want to be "artists" without the requisite effort involved. Stuff like that. Irony and a sense of general dissatisfaction with the world helps too.
2 - Jesse
Thanks for the comment, EB.
I'm sort of playing the devil's advocate, yes... but the basic idea here is still sound, at least according to my logic. "Hipster" is a label that gets thrown around a lot, but it's almost never applied to a particular person, and when it is, it's always someone we don't know that well. "The hipster" is like "the other."
I realized, after I started writing this, that if anything, it's a response to a common brand of cultural hysteria: projection of anger on an invented adversary. The "hipster" article in Time Out is the best example of this, and it's sloppy editorializing, in my opinion... it shows they don't have a whole lot of interesting material to feature right now.
I'm going to develop this idea more in my blog. I'll keep ya up to date.
3 - Jesse
I don't know if EB, or anyone, has any more interest in following this strange thread and line of logic, you can check out a follow-up post here:
Operation Hipster Freedom.
4 - Matt
This is the most hipster article imaginable..better luck next time, cool kid
5 - derek
"...i'm a fucking philosopher." really? fuck.
6 - Jesse
Wow! It took you folks a while to find this article! How'd you run across it after it left the front page?
How 'bout some substance? I should go back to posting exclusively in politics. Someone over there occasionally manages to articulate an idea.
7 - Michael
I think it's just that you are a hipster â€" you should be trying to reclaim the word and justify hipsterness, not claim it doesn't exist. More specifically, I'd say you're on your way to becoming a post-irony Believer-reading type hipster.
Neither Bright Eyes nor Wes Anderson are okay.
Yay for sincerity! Do something good! Sheesh.
8 - Jesse
Fine, fine, I may fit into your personal mold of "hipster," but is that really compatible with post-irony? That's one of the only characteristics of "hipsterism" that really makes sense to me. Time Out specifically said "Under the guise of 'irony,' hipsterism fetishizes the authentic and regurgitates it with a winking inauthenticity."
This doesn't leave a whole lot of room for post-ironic hipsters, in my opinion. Your specific mentioning of Wes Anderson and Bright Eyes is interesting, because I don't see either of those two as particularly ironic (Wes is definitely reserved and intentionally awkward, but his films are pretty sincere). Same with burlesque and post-punk... the few people I know who are interested in those things aren't particularly ironic about it. They're invested in the cultures, largely because they care about the performance and/or the music.
Sometimes I think "hipster" is shorthand for "anything that finds a niche in New York." And that's a lot of stuff.
I WILL agree with you on your last point... yay for sincerity. The more people can manage to totally devote themselves to the things they love, the better we'll all have it.
9 - Doug Wolf
Disagree completely
I hang out with hipsters, and i'm just beggining to realize it. Intellectual, indie snobs who hang out in cliques. Oh, they're out there. I know.
And i live in Michigan
10 - Christopher Rose
I have a different take on this. There is no such thing as a hipster these days because it just isn't possible to be hip anymore.
There hasn't been a truly new creative movement for so many years now, just re-treads of what has gone before.
Now that all things cult have just become mundane everyday mass culture, the day of the truly groovy fuckers outside of the mainstream has slipped away into history.
Whilst I miss that to a certain point on a personal level, I'm left feeling unsure as to whether this is a good thing or not and to where it may be leading us.
11 - bc
i find this absolutely hilarious. perhaps everyone should find a brick wall and repeatedly try and move it with their forehead. anyone who does anything because someone or some group says it is cool is a douchebag including hipsters. try doing things because there is nothing else you would rather do. remain unclassified.
12 - Stead
Amen. Bullshit social constructs have power regardless of how bullshit they are. Thank you for doing your part to disarm this one.
13 - Stead
And Christopher. There hasn't been anything truly original since ancient Greece...
14 - Christopher Rose
What, not even Rock'n'Roll?
15 - karinakarina
This "what is a hipster?" argument was solved in an essay entitled "On Douchebags." You can find it on the Wag's Revue website . It's about 29 pages long, and you can definitely skip the first three, but once you get past the overblown rhetoric, it's pretty amazing at explaining the issue at hand.
16 - You are soo hip
The thing about hipsters is that hipsters always deny being hipsters. Even when they admit to identifying with more than a few aspects of hipster culture! Congratulations, you have successfully reinforced hipster irony..
17 - Bullitmore
Nice article and some good views. I have been reading a few of the hate hipster articles including the aforementioned time out one and it seems the most ironic thing (unless im stating the obvious) is the self deprecation and the fact most of the people writing them would be regarded as hipsters if they were caught out on the street without their soapbox to shout from. I mean come on blogs venomous sneering to people considered 'other' aren't these the characteristics that most of these social critics are defining as hipster. People should just take a step back and learn how to laugh about themselves. Come on hippies didn't stop Vietnam, punks didn't destroy capitalism there just the same as hipsters except they didn't have the internet to spread the news about their scene then turn and sneer at the very people who were adopting this scene, some of the people that given the time , or whether they had a culturally relevant job, or where friends of friends they would probably be their friends. The reason that nobody wants to create anything different is fear of the venomous backlash that will happen from critical bloggers and such . come on we're all people there's a lot more troubling things to worry about.
Hipster and proud
ps sorry for bringing up and old thread but i wanted to have my say
18 - Dacc
GREAT article. You seriously said all there is to say about this hipster bullshit. Thank you.