I understand your underlying qualms about society and the ever-present need for people to feel ‘connected’ to a group, or thus, ‘fit-in.’ I can apply this critique to several different categories from living on this lovely campus for nearly three years now: There are the jocks, the incandescent, the over-achieving nerds, and dare I say, yes, even the semi-critically thinking Daily Orange writers sub-category. Everyone at this school tries to find something to associate with; in a school as large as this, sometimes, it is necessary. However, your attack upon the so-called ‘hipster’ community is a bit one- sided. Let me explain.

The title of your piece, ‘Hipster students provide entertainment, sense of predictability for SU Community,’ is completely inaccurate. They, perhaps, provide entertainment and a sense of predictability for you, but not for the majority. Replace ‘hipster’ in that title with any other category (e.g. Jocks, Preps, Geeks). Can you see the offensiveness? Hipsters, though technically devoid of their affiliation with this label, are not a source for your entertainment. Nor are they predictable. That’s just your assumption with narrowly targeting hipsters based on their appearance and the two-faced lying girl who actually bought her clothes at Urban Outfitters instead of a secondhand shop.

Why does the ‘SU student taking a drag off his American Spirit cig’ ease your fears? I find fallacy in this logic. It actually heightens my fears because some kid is smoking, and I could catch the secondhand smoke. In my opinion, most generally, ‘hipsters’ would prefer to not smoke because it doesn’t help your body or the environment in any way. Most of the ‘hipsters’ I know don’t smoke. Yeah. Please explain.

How does a kid ‘sweating through his long-sleeved plaid’ assure you that school is back? What assures me is when I arrive and see people with their backpacks and purses, carrying books and studying. I then have the revelation that, ‘Oh. School is back.’ Normally, perspiring men do not aid in that discovery. Instead, I tend to cringe and take a couple of steps back.

First, let’s get real: Yes, some ‘hipster’ kids are filthy rich. However, I know many who are not. I know many who are lower-middle class and are here at SU solely on the financial aid they received or the scholarships they applied for or the three jobs they pulled off over summer. Don’t assume that just because they are here, they are paying full price.

Second, the ratty, vintage look that I see on most hipsters are actually purchased at low-end secondhand shops. I purchase clothes ranging from Urban Outfitters to Express to Salvation Army. Some, yes, come from thrift stores or vintage stores. Majority comes from the five dollar rack at the local Target.

Thirdly, hipsters can be worldly, and they embrace it. That’s the whole point. They listen to music around the world; they grab styles from Africa, France, Korea, wherever, to find something that suits them. When I went abroad last semester, there were a million of French ‘hipsters,’ English ‘hipsters’ — whatever culture you want, you could find them. Half of the time, they wear clothes that they made themselves or purchased at a vintage shop. I don’t understand why being ‘worldly’ is an unattractive characteristic of a group. In fact, we need more people like that, in my opinion.

Lastly, anyone who calls themselves a hipster is not a hipster. That is the hipster code. So, if you find anyone trying to be a hipster, they are automatically not in that category. AKA, the girl who attempted to push off an item of clothing as secondhand when it was, in fact, from Urban Outfitters. She’s not a hipster. But at least she’s not bragging about the ridiculous amount of her parent’s money she spent on a designer handbag, either. Or at least she’s not a narrow-minded individual sectionalizing a particular group of people in order to make her deadline for her opinion piece. It’s all a matter of perspective.

Kelly D’Angelo

Television, Radio, Film; Art History; Anthropology

 

 

Published on September 6, 2010 at 12:00 pm