June 17, 2009

On my generation, continued:

In reference to my original post, my question was not about what it means to be a “hipster*,” although that idea comes up frequently. The post was also not meant to provide theories on post-modernism and “hipsterism,” even though, if you’ve read this blog long enough, you would know that I constantly rehash that idea.

Rather, my original post was reflecting my own interests in actual backlash or even anger by those who consider themselves true outsiders to the cultural phenomenon. When I write this, I’m also not talking about older “hipsters” getting angry over the fact that their “culture” has been transformed into a viable teenage collective identity of aesthetics seemingly appropriated by mainstream society to the point where they are no longer considered unique.

My sister, an outsider, said something to me along the lines of, “Where are we going? What is the progress?”

Taking into account what she has said, I think the idea of progress is key. To observe the situation with that perspective is to hold the belief that we are constantly moving towards something. Her thoughts are grounded in the idea that there is a greater eventual outcome for the actions taken within each youth generation. Constant cultural progress and a collective identity make change, in whatever capacity, a more viable reality.

With “hipsters” then, from the perspective of outsiders, there is a fear that we are delaying cultural or societal progress by only looking towards the past to shape our identities in the present. It is the belief that the need to shape ones own identity in such a manner makes it difficult, if not impossible, to define ourselves as a whole.

From my own observations, it seems like there are three perspectives (possibly more, but I haven’t hashed them out enough to want to write here) when looking at the generational situation:

You can believe that we are going somewhere or leading up to somewhere and hipsterism is ultimately delaying that.
You can believe that we are going nowhere, that the idea that we are going somewhere is a myth perpetuated by the idea of history and the way it frames historical events as representative of the progression to an end point. “Hipsterism” then reflects the realization of this myth and the fact that perhaps everything doesn’t just lead to another step, but rather, that our lives are constantly in metamorphosis. There is a greater belief then in the individual than the group as the group reflects an unrealistic, collective ideal. It is the belief of personal aesthetics over collective aesthetics because “collective aesthetics” are a perpetuated myth.
You can believe that we are going somewhere culturally, but that “hipsterism” is a reflection of the fact that that cultural place is no longer defined by collective “tastes.” Ones tastes are irrelevant in the grand scheme of things and our generation’s ethos is defined by something less othering and more equalizing. We can no longer seek collective progress culturally through traditional means as we are no longer a group of citizens strictly defined by those aesthetic identifiers (clothing, hairstyles, music, art). Our tastes are our tastes but our tastes are not the only thing that defines us. We have the ability to like numerous things because we are no longer constricted to the one narrative that is meant to appeal to us. Individuals seem to curate their own tastes and favorite things but what defines us is what makes it possible for us to focus so much on the individual: technology. It appears to be the one equalizer in terms of providing access to culture and the one equalizer in making individuals come together as a whole entity.

Therefore, the “hipster” backlash might be unwarranted or at least coming from a misunderstood place. Rather than try to rehash the past, “hipsters” might just reflect that contemporary society is far more complex than one would imagine. We seem to be transitioning from a phase in which we use the cultural past to define our present to a realization that those interests are just a small part of our identities.

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* Using the term “hipster” because it is the most recognizable and easily understood. I don’t really see the point in debating it. It is what it is.

Sidenote: I am no longer in school. I didn’t mean for this to be so long, but coming off of a couple of weeks of intense paper writing, it’s sort of difficult for me to snap out of that mindset. Also, although I was an English major, I also largely focused my studies and minored in philosophy, comparative literature and rhetoric and discourse, which is why I find a lot of this stuff to be more interesting than it probably actually is.

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