The death of culture

I'm a terrible writer for the most part and I'm a lazy one too. So let me dive right in.

I hate the term hipster. I'm not defending myself by saying this. This is not about some backlash to being called a hipster. If I have been called one it must have been behind my back because I can't recall ever hearing that word directed at me.

To me this idea of the hipster has changed meaning in the last decade to become a blanket statement about how popular culture has pretty much ground to a halt. Where there were Black Flag, Bjork, and Nirvan we now have mash-ups, ironic recycling, and funny sunglasses. Maybe it's just me getting older but it feels like everything is dripping with sarcasm or looking for a punchline because we have all run out of something to say.

When the internet really brought popular culture to a new level it brought with it a breakdown of taboos and a greater acceptance for all these little niches out there that had their own names (punk, goth, hiphop, and so on). I assumed this new enlightened approach to subculture would usher in a new age of creativity. Without taboo who would restrict cultural growth? But, at least in my opinion, rather than be given this golden age we instead have witnessed the great age of mediocrity.

This is an oversimplification of course, but I have always thought that we can fall into one of three groups. Those with out any connection between their personal identity and pop culture. Those with a strong connection to some niche within pop culture and as a result a intertwining of their belief system with that said niche. Lastly, those with no discernible core belief system but a strong connection to the current state of pop culture. Looking back to high school (the breeding ground for pop culture and fertile field that our belief system begins to grow in) I realized that the first group were often the most quickly to be marginalized. Nerds, dorks, whatever name you want. Most seemed uninterested in following trends and were often punished for it. As we grow into adults more people begin to fall back into this group. In the middle we have a group that is most easily represented by punk rock. Punk always seemed to bear the greatest connection between its outward appearance (music, dress, etc) and it's core belief system. Hip-hop seems to be very close in this respect (but I will admit my first hand knowledge and understand of it is limited at best).

Lastly we have the hipster. Trends come and go. Some are selected and followed without any really meaning. Irony and snark seem to be the only bindings that tie the various trends to one another. Past pop-cultural phenomenons are mined for comedy material (Heavy metal inspired alley-cat anyone?). This new age of sharing of information at the speed of light could have brought us the next The Clash, Public Enemy, Bad Brains, or Nirvana. But no, as the mainstream embraces subculture is dismantles it completely.

It's a sad day when the average Juggalo seems to have a more focused identity than the kid on the brightly colored fixed gear wearing huge shades and sporting an ironic mustache.