in reading your post, it strikes me that you might enjoy this book: Malcom Gladwell, The Tipping Point
it examines the phenomenon of and possibilities for social change, and mentions quite a bit about the groups you are referring to (hipsters in the book are called 'early adopters') as well as the diffusion of innovations (relates to the lifecycle of hipster-->mainstream). it's interesting and written in a plain, non-academic language (i.e., approachable and useful) via story-telling. i think that many people who might be labeled as 'hipsters' don't behave as they do for reasons having to do with image ... it's that their interests are varied and they genuinely get bored with the same old same old, thus always hunting down something 'new,' even if that 'new' is just an 'old' reconfigured ... cheers - lisa ----- Original Message ----- From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Date: Wednesday, August 18, 2004 4:16 pm Subject: (313) hipster techno (fwd) > > oops, turns out i let a naughty word slip. maybe that's why it wasn't > going through. > > here's the post i was looking for > > --------------------------------------- > > interesting point chad (and how long have you been lurking around > here)i think the difference is that since the day of our > parents/teacherswhatever, the hipster profile has come to > represent someone who the masses > look towards to signal the next cultural movement (ie- > tastemakers/trendsetters, blah, blah). > > what this has meant is that those who seek out the new (in > music/clothing/art) have the additional baggage of being looked > upon by > the mass consumers, whetheer they like it or not. Another natural > reflexto this trend is that others, wishing to distance themselves > from the > 'hype' device that hipster culture has become (intentionally or > not), is > to be completely reactionary and retreat into the nostalgic. > > For this particular argument- some people on this list are inherently > seekers of the new. The hipster tag is just an accidental stamp > that comes > with such behavior in these hyper marketed times. but make no > mistake that > myself, derek, atom and plenty of other people here get excited > when they > hear/see/experience something new and are always enthusiastic to talk > about it. The fact that pehaps 25% of these things become SLIGHTLY > morepopular is a natural thing. Now, of course, the other half are > those who > see this music and this list as an institutionalized form, to be > studiedstrictly in the context of the past and herished and > protected from > outside taint. > > Or heres yet a more frank way of looking at it. I AM a tastemaker > and a > professional pushing the music I love. As is Plaslaiko, and Martin > Dustand many many others here. But some here continually rallied > around your > obscure little world and keep drawing in the wagons closer. But maybe > that's because you don't have the passion, skill, charisma, savvy and > energy to take it to the next level. > > and one more thing. don't think for a second that UR wasn't 'hipster' > techno when it first hit the streets and changed the music. > Anything new > will start as 'hipster' before becoming mass (in the small techno > sense of > course) and finally institutionalized. >
