Monday 8 September 2008

In the beginning...

I recently read an article from Adbusters about the state of the hipster union. I found it pretty engaging and damning. I most especially am interested in what led to all of this, because although hipster was always a derogatory word, the evolution of the contemporary hipster is a curious phenomenon. At what point did this subculture become so numerous and so enthralled in popular culture and the products pushed by mega-corporations like American Apparel? I think it was a reaction to the late-90s early 2000s desire to be into only the most obscure cultural production. A lot of this article was foreign to me as I have been quite disconnected from the internet’s sizeable contribution to the morphing of this generation since I don’t have internet at home and therefore spend very little time (5 minutes /day) connected with the virtual side of this world. I think this may be where everything went dreadfully wrong as well (not that there was anything all that useful being created/destroyed in the non-virtual world). The article mentions the marketing side of the reworked Barthian fashion semiotic, but ignores the more damaging element which is causing our society to slip into a new barbarity. The anonymity the internet provides allows for a great social mask and shows what this generation is capable of, especially in regards to the filching of the name. I’ve seen friends verbally chewed alive by faceless online slander, much of it done in the guise of lazy gossip by hipster chatters/bloggers. This is akin (though admittedly a bit more harmless) to the kind of shit that went on behind closed doors during the Spanish Civil War, Nazi Germany, Stalin’s Russia, or McCarthy’s America—you settle a score with a neighbor by anonymously denouncing him as a red/Jew/dissident, etc. Cowardly and vicious, but very effective, the new hipster may have evolved in a curiously ugly and vapid cultural manner, but is often caught displaying a real stagnation or even degradation of the spirit.

2 comments:

kate ellen said...

I saw this issue of adbusters at the book store this summer and was totally engrossed in this article. I agree with you that the internet is a huge problem for snarky people who have absolutely NO courage or heart. As much as I LOVE the internet as a tool, I long for the old days when life seemed more relaxed and people seemed kinder. Now I get sad way too often.

kate ellen said...

I actually just created a blog today so I can start complaining about this in more detail : )