Othering hipsters
So I'm super-into blogging again (thanks to the nice feedback of my readers, particularly Ayana). I was going to find a coffee shop and hang there, since I love being a coffee shop bum more than anything as regular readers know, but it's yucky and raining right now and I'm enjoying sitting on the chair we got off the street and watching the DVR'd Colbert Show interview Craig of Craigslist, so I'm not. But I will coffee shop soon and give a Williamsburg coffee shop analysis of course.
But I promise when I do that coffee shop analysis, I won't refer to people as "hipsters." Since living in Williamsburg, not surprisingly I've been thinking and talking a lot about hipsters. Well, after hearing other people who loook, act and talk like what I consider a hipster talking derogatorally (sp?) about this same population, I realized I'm going to stop. This is a completely stupid conversation had only by people who have some stake in defining what a hipster is. When my dad came to move me in, I tried to point out hipsters to him on the street, and he said, "Everyone looks normal to me" because he has no stake in this discusssion. The only people who care who is/isn't a hipster are people who are close enough to that line
It's the same way when I was younger I always talked about who was/wasn't jappy, but Katie hadn't even heard the word jap until she came to college, since she didn't know any jews, and even after she obviously learned the definition at Northwestern, I doubt she used the term as much I have. And how my friends who are 1st generation Americans often refer to others as fobs, but I've maybe used that world maybe 5 times in my life. Because I'm pretty secure with my place as an American, so I feel no need to define others as not-as-much.
oooh, to use all my social science education, this is all about othering. I don't have to define myself as long as I'm defining everyone else and defining myself as "not it."
And at least I find it much easier to define other people then define myself. I don't know if other people feel liek this about themselves, but I think I'm so weird I can't be put into any one category, but I guess that's totally narcisistic in a way. Thoughts to ponder.
But I promise when I do that coffee shop analysis, I won't refer to people as "hipsters." Since living in Williamsburg, not surprisingly I've been thinking and talking a lot about hipsters. Well, after hearing other people who loook, act and talk like what I consider a hipster talking derogatorally (sp?) about this same population, I realized I'm going to stop. This is a completely stupid conversation had only by people who have some stake in defining what a hipster is. When my dad came to move me in, I tried to point out hipsters to him on the street, and he said, "Everyone looks normal to me" because he has no stake in this discusssion. The only people who care who is/isn't a hipster are people who are close enough to that line
It's the same way when I was younger I always talked about who was/wasn't jappy, but Katie hadn't even heard the word jap until she came to college, since she didn't know any jews, and even after she obviously learned the definition at Northwestern, I doubt she used the term as much I have. And how my friends who are 1st generation Americans often refer to others as fobs, but I've maybe used that world maybe 5 times in my life. Because I'm pretty secure with my place as an American, so I feel no need to define others as not-as-much.
oooh, to use all my social science education, this is all about othering. I don't have to define myself as long as I'm defining everyone else and defining myself as "not it."
And at least I find it much easier to define other people then define myself. I don't know if other people feel liek this about themselves, but I think I'm so weird I can't be put into any one category, but I guess that's totally narcisistic in a way. Thoughts to ponder.
posted by diana at 12:26 PM
5 Comments:
Your next entry obviously should be about jappy hipsters. They're the best.
yeah, i find people who try to define others as generally being insecure. being insecure, i mostly define others as strange and rude and, of course, myself as very normal and kind. much like how george carlin says the people driving slower than you are idiots and those going faster are maniacs.
Josh---and who exactly could I profiel for someone who exemplifies the best of both worlds?
Anonymous---if you knew me (and maybe you do? ) you'll know i'm going to use that George Carlin quote ALL THE TIME now.
I never thought about how Craigslist involved a real Craig! fascinating..
have you seen this???
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kAO4EVMlpwM
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