"Hating hipsters is the new hipster." Or so I've heard.

[kane_magus]

Nowadays, everyone on the Internet hates hipsters, it seems. I would like to talk about that, but first I think a defining of terms is in order.

What is a hipster?

...

...no, seriously. I'm actually asking here. What, exactly, categorizes one as a "hipster" in modern society? From what little I can glean from the often conflicting and contradictory information on the Internet, it has something to do with how they dress, or the music they listen to, or their facial hair, or the type of beer they drink, or some such things. It also apparently has something to do with them doing or liking things "ironically" (whatever that even means).

So yeah, I hear about hipsters all the time and how much they supposedly suck and all that, but my response is usually either furrowed brow and awkward silence, or feigned lukewarm agreement.

And that brings me back to the subject line of this post. More and more often I'm seeing that phrase, "Hating hipsters is the new hipster," or some variation of it. And this just adds to my confusion. So is hating hipsters a good thing or a bad thing? If I want to be one of the Cool Kids™ on the Internet, should I be hating them or defending them? I'm being perfectly candid here when I say I have only the barest inkling as to what any of this is about.

On the whole, I think it's pretty safe for me to just ignore hipsters and those who obsess about them (assuming there's any real distinction between those two groups). But that's easier said than done, given how much "hipster" is bandied about on the Internet as an insult.

Comments

[tokoz.livejournal.com]

My working definition of 'hipster' was anybody who is arrogant and pretentious in their mannerisms or interests, and usually trying to be avantguarde and anti-mainstream, but failing (or being so transparent about it that it's clear they don't really care about the thing, they're just doing it because somebody told them it was 'in'). so in short, a poseur or a tool. *shrug* ymmv. Have you tried urban dictionary?

[rabbitucker.livejournal.com]

Pretty much this, usually with a more-trendy-edge-than-thou attitude.