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I absolutely agree. I think the trick is realizing that the mechanism is exactly the same for apple as it is with any other "affiliation"; Apple just happens t

I absolutely agree. I think the trick is realizing that the mechanism is exactly the same for apple as it is with any other "affiliation"; Apple just happens to be particularly effective at it. Democrats and Republicans can get by with painting the opposition as Communists or Facists (who is supposed to be who? it seems to change every other week...) whereas Apple goes with "cool" vs. "lame", or variations of. Almost universally I believe, the tendency of humans to fall for it stiffles critical thought. I don't delude myself by thinking I can put an end to it (it probably is just basic human nature), but I do oppose it when I recognize it. Aside: what are your thoughts on the concept of 'hipster'? (the popularity of liking unpopular' things) I would like to think that perhaps it's some sort of "immune response meme" to the phenomenon, but I fear that is wishful thinking at best.

bane 16y ago
Hipsters are the most persistent, insidious type of this phenomenon. They are quite literally the epitome of the phrase "let's be different, just like everybody else". Their affiliation/identity is based on artificial or perceived scarcity. It's no different than the type of people that walk around flaunting their bespoke clothes and car, and talk about the singular performances of operas and ballets they've attended (but probably don't really understand). There doesn't have to be any actual substance to the trivia they know, only that know that to fit into their affiliation they must adhere to certain guidelines regarding scarcity. For hipsters it's unknown bands, a certain psuedo-bohemian style of clothes pastiche and a few other odds and ends that mark their affiliation. But the attitude is not really any different. What's always striking about hipsters is that when you see a lot of them quickly, one can't help but be struck by the boring sameness of it all. Reminds me of this site: http://www.latfh.com/ http://www.latfh.com/ What makes it particularly insidious is that once somebody joins this affiliation, how completely consuming it becomes. It affects everything that person does down to their transport. But in the end it's really just a quest for personal identity by people who are unable to self actualize that identity for themselves.

bane 16y ago

Hipsters are the most persistent, insidious type of this phenomenon. They are quite literally the epitome of the phrase "let's be different, just like everybody else". Their affiliation/identity is based on artificial or perceived scarcity. It's no different than the type of people that walk around flaunting their bespoke clothes and car, and talk about the singular performances of operas and ballets they've attended (but probably don't really understand). There doesn't have to be any actual substance to the trivia they know, only that know that to fit into their affiliation they must adhere to certain guidelines regarding scarcity. For hipsters it's unknown bands, a certain psuedo-bohemian style of clothes pastiche and a few other odds and ends that mark their affiliation. But the attitude is not really any different. What's always striking about hipsters is that when you see a lot of them quickly, one can't help but be struck by the boring sameness of it all. Reminds me of this site: http://www.latfh.com/ http://www.latfh.com/ What makes it particularly insidious is that once somebody joins this affiliation, how completely consuming it becomes. It affects everything that person does down to their transport. But in the end it's really just a quest for personal identity by people who are unable to self actualize that identity for themselves.