Hipsters get a bad rap. As I think about it more and more I believe that the only thing wrong with a hipster is the connotation that’s associated with the label. I have not earned the title “Hipster,” nor am I trying to. My wife hasn’t either, even though we both find their fashion, home décor, music, etc, quite appealing. I believe in being who you are; let the inside shine, blah blah. I have a lot of friends many would consider hipsters, but I assure you they are the most genuine, loving people you would ever meet. They just like the way they dress and the life style they’ve chosen to live.
My friend Ian, above; In his defense, he's purposely making that expression
So when one genuinely enjoys the lifestyle that a typical Hipster tends to live, is it wrong? Do these people need to change in order to be seen as an individual rather than another character of another counter-culture, or can we, as a society, look past their similarities and see them as a person? We, myself included, tend to judge people based on how we generalize and group people. We, as a society, hate it when we can’t fit someone into a box, and when we can’t we tend to force them into one even if they don’t quite fit.
I've had my run-ins with "Hipsters" that left a bad taste in my mouth; that would make me not want to be associated with a counter-culture that they were a part of. But I look at it in the same light as, say, Christianity. Are all Christians homophobic, closed-minded, anti-alcohol, fire-and-brimstone haters? Absolutely not. However, a lot of the people that associate themselves as Christian are terrible examples of Jesus Christ -- the person these so-called Christians should be modelling themselves after -- and sadly these tend to be the people who get the most media attention. The Westboro Baptist Church, the Chick-Fil-A fiasco, Pat Robertson, Jerry Falwell, Jim Baker, the Tea Party, etc. One individual's actions shouldn't effect the reputation of an institution, religious or otherwise. Hipsters can be looked at in the same light. Not all Hipsters are pretentious, arrogant, vain posers. They can be wonderful people.
So this leads me to my final point. How does this affect society? I think it is a shame that we, in general, can't accept people based on what they bring to the table as an individual, but rather what the sub-culture we associate them with can bring to our lives. I think we'd be surprised by the wonderful people we'd meet if we could just accept people without prejudgments.
PS: The Unites State of Indiana (seen on t-shirts in the photos above) is not a Hipster brand...let that be known.
I've had my run-ins with "Hipsters" that left a bad taste in my mouth; that would make me not want to be associated with a counter-culture that they were a part of. But I look at it in the same light as, say, Christianity. Are all Christians homophobic, closed-minded, anti-alcohol, fire-and-brimstone haters? Absolutely not. However, a lot of the people that associate themselves as Christian are terrible examples of Jesus Christ -- the person these so-called Christians should be modelling themselves after -- and sadly these tend to be the people who get the most media attention. The Westboro Baptist Church, the Chick-Fil-A fiasco, Pat Robertson, Jerry Falwell, Jim Baker, the Tea Party, etc. One individual's actions shouldn't effect the reputation of an institution, religious or otherwise. Hipsters can be looked at in the same light. Not all Hipsters are pretentious, arrogant, vain posers. They can be wonderful people.
My friends Ben (left), Meredith (Middle), and Graham (Right)
So this leads me to my final point. How does this affect society? I think it is a shame that we, in general, can't accept people based on what they bring to the table as an individual, but rather what the sub-culture we associate them with can bring to our lives. I think we'd be surprised by the wonderful people we'd meet if we could just accept people without prejudgments.
PS: The Unites State of Indiana (seen on t-shirts in the photos above) is not a Hipster brand...let that be known.
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