3 ms·

It's even simpler than that- the word "hipster" is meaningless by itself so you choose a bunch of people who all look the same, categorize them as "hipster", an

It's even simpler than that- the word "hipster" is meaningless by itself so you choose a bunch of people who all look the same, categorize them as "hipster", and they all look the same by tautology.

tormeh 12y ago
Of course. The word derives its meaning from the thing it is assigned to. Doesn't make bearded, tracksuit-wearing, mechanical video camera-wielding men talking way too much about authenticity look less like clowns, though.
- serve_yay 12y ago
  Agreed, my only addition is that the people who tend to really harp on "hipsters" and how bad they look, often don't look so much better themselves. It's symptomatic, this obsession with who is a "hipster".
- logfromblammo 12y ago
  Except that clown makeup patterns are considered a form of trademark among performers, and are registered with Clowns International by painting them on goose eggs, or egg-shaped ceramics. It's very bad form for one clown to design a look that is too similar to another. I suppose if an enterprising performer designed a character-type clown based on a caricature of hipsters, they might all look like that particular clown, but I don't think it's fair to slight a profession that encourages authentic individuality in that way.
gaius 12y ago
No hipsters are something different - they are people who hijack the symbols of other subcultures without contributing anything to those subcultures. The guy with the sailor tattoos was never in the Navy - he works in advertising and drinks lattes. The girl with the thick-rimmed glasses has never rolled a D12 or written a line of assembly - she thinks only about cupcakes and "vintage" dresses. That is why they are looked down on by everyone, their sense of entitlement.
- serve_yay 12y ago
  Give me a break, quite frankly. You see a guy with thick framed glasses and all of a sudden you know that he's a culture vulture? I don't buy it.
  - Dylan16807 12y ago
    The post wasn't about how to identify hipsters, it was about things hipsters do. The culture vulture is a definition, maybe not the best one. But of course definitions are tautologies from some angles. It's not based on looks, but certain thought patterns that often lead to certain looks.

It's even simpler than that- the word "hipster" is meaningless by itself so you choose a bunch of people who all look the same, categorize them as "hipster", and they all look the same by tautology.

tormeh 12y ago

Of course. The word derives its meaning from the thing it is assigned to. Doesn't make bearded, tracksuit-wearing, mechanical video camera-wielding men talking way too much about authenticity look less like clowns, though.

serve_yay 12y ago
Agreed, my only addition is that the people who tend to really harp on "hipsters" and how bad they look, often don't look so much better themselves. It's symptomatic, this obsession with who is a "hipster".
logfromblammo 12y ago
Except that clown makeup patterns are considered a form of trademark among performers, and are registered with Clowns International by painting them on goose eggs, or egg-shaped ceramics. It's very bad form for one clown to design a look that is too similar to another. I suppose if an enterprising performer designed a character-type clown based on a caricature of hipsters, they might all look like that particular clown, but I don't think it's fair to slight a profession that encourages authentic individuality in that way.

gaius 12y ago

No hipsters are something different - they are people who hijack the symbols of other subcultures without contributing anything to those subcultures. The guy with the sailor tattoos was never in the Navy - he works in advertising and drinks lattes. The girl with the thick-rimmed glasses has never rolled a D12 or written a line of assembly - she thinks only about cupcakes and "vintage" dresses. That is why they are looked down on by everyone, their sense of entitlement.

serve_yay 12y ago
Give me a break, quite frankly. You see a guy with thick framed glasses and all of a sudden you know that he's a culture vulture? I don't buy it.
- Dylan16807 12y ago
  The post wasn't about how to identify hipsters, it was about things hipsters do. The culture vulture is a definition, maybe not the best one. But of course definitions are tautologies from some angles. It's not based on looks, but certain thought patterns that often lead to certain looks.