Why won’t hipsterism ever go away? Consider that technology (facilitated by capitalism’s emphasis on efficiency; i.e., consider the assembly line a technology as well as the internet) is stripping people of what has been traditionally defined as “useful” or “legitimate” or “meaningful” work, and thus stripping meaning from their lives. “Nothing productive left to do since the robots came; better make my consumption more flamboyant and self-announcing!”
--(courtesy of http://www.popmatters.com/pm/post/137272-/ )
Ahhh, the modern urban hipster. Everyone loves to mock them (including them… self-awareness is crucial to a hipster’s repertoire), but it sounds like, for those of us who are not destined to invent the next printing press, we’re screwed for finding meaningful pursuits. This author goes on to explain that the resulting path is “designy-ness, creative-class hucksterism, culture industry” as a means of insisting upon one’s own importance and value. While it would be easy to be offended by that, I actually agree.
The creative types in the world seem to be finding new, more innovative ways to express… what, exactly? That they’re new and innovative! That they’re a force of creation and ideas! Don’t think I miss the irony, here. I know full well that this blog is a perfect example.
Perhaps that’s why this article struck a chord with me. Design and creative expression seem to be the only way to feel relevant in our mega-tech, soft-skill culture. When you design a building, clothing, a website, there is something permanent in the world that is a monument to its creator.
Egotistical? Totally. Real? Also yes. Important? Nothing moreso.
--Becky!
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