Redefining “Hipster”

Some time ago, local mid-life scenester blog All Over Albany asked its readers to provide the penultimate definition of the term hipster. The term had been used as a barb in recent discussions, in particular concerning the great Albany chickens debate.

This guy used to be something. Now he's just a pejorative.

The definition I provided:

Hipster [hips*tur] n.

1. A person on the internet with whom you disagree; in particular the person should be young and liberal.

2. An ihabitant of Williamsburgh whose identity hinges on the increasing level of obscurity in their musical tastes and their battle with Hasidic Jews over whether or not bike lanes should be added to their streets.

3. Bombers patron who is insistent on an imminent relocation to New York City that never happens.

4. An individual who forsakes all clothing and technology developed in the last twenty years, as such wears clothes only from thrift stores and listens to vinyl; distant cousin of Pennsylvania Amish.

5. Daniel Nester

Of course, my definition is meant to be tongue in cheek, but the word has acquired a bit more sting in recent years.

The term “hipster” been around in some form for decades, starting with the beatnik movement in the 1950s. One didn’t strive to become a hipster, and it was a word that one would never call themselves. However, it’s only recently that the term has acquired such a fiercely negative connotation. A hipster used to be somebody who was at worst trying a bit too hard to fit into a scene, but more recent applications have invoked hostility towards liberal policy and gentrification. It started as a backlash against trust fund artists and enfant terribles that occupied Williamsburgh in Brooklyn, but has since expanded in scope both in terms of geography and the type of person earning the label. As such the word has all but lost its original meaning and become an insult as common in application as “d-bag” or “a-hole” and almost interchangeable with the terms.

I’m dreading the day when I have children and have to chastise one child for calling another a hipster. Then I’ll tell kids that in my day “hipster” meant a very specific type of person, and also there was a time when if you wanted to watch a television show you had to do so at a very specific time determined by a network. Then they’ll both stare at me like I’m from another planet, and I’ll say “shut up and eat your dinner.”