[turtle95]

In two articles in the NY Times recently (one about Fair Trade Coffee and the other about fixed wheel bicycles), the Times has equated "hipsters" with Brooklyn.

Is this a default now? Are there any hipsters left in Manhattan, or if they live in Manhattan, would they not be considered hipsters? What about Queens? Do they have any?

I'm curious what everyone else thinks. If this was word association and someone said hipster, how many words it takes until you get to Brooklyn (or a subset thereof, e.g. Williamsburg)? Any non-Brooklynites have a thought on this?

this isn't an indictment of hipsters, just an exploration of what the term is coming to signify geographically.

[cheflady]

While I have my own ideas, I'd also be interested in seeing some definitions of hipster from you guys..! other than being from Brooklyn.

[Tex Antoine]

A slight correction. Hipsters are not "from" Brooklyn. They tend to be from Ohio, or Tallahassee, or someplace else. Then they come here and adopt the "more New York than you" pose that is part of the essence of true hipsterdom. Real New Yorkers are almost never hipsters.

[cheflady]

Interesting...so what is a "real" hipster?

[Santa]

There are hipsters everywhere. Any college town and large city will have a higher concentration.

also this is a pretty good definition.


hipster


1. Any kind of person most likely aged under...oh 35, who participate in some kind of youth subcultural urban clique; from punk, to indie rocker, goth, straight edge, metalhead, hip-hop, etc. They are fairly likely to know a great deal about their own world and very little about anyone else's.

2. A grand tradition of respected pop-cultural icons, from Oscar Wilde to Charles Bukowski to Andy Warhol to the Vice Magazine founders, who despite their influence, really kind of suck.

3. Throngs upon throngs of urban centric teengers and twenty-somethings who congregate in the "hip" neighborhoods of a town and all dress disturbing alike. They try to one step ahead of trends in clothes and music, seeking out vintage fashion and independant bands. Their shortcomings include:
a) most-likely an upper/middle class upbringing
b) general snobbery (or social-ineptitude mistaken for it) towards not only those not "with it" but also an unfamiliar hipster
c) a disposition of only liking things not totally excepted by the mainstream
d) alcoholism
and e) bad haircuts.

Their exceptional qualities:
a) despite what some detractors might assume, they are one of the more racially inclusive scenes in an urban setting
b) they aren't too picky about beer
c) if you need one of them to give an opinion when shopping for clothes or records, they will be invaluable...provided they don't scoff at you first
and d) that band you love never would have gotten anywhere if the hipsters weren't into them first.

[laura]

My own personal definition of hipsters is people who have spoilt and given a bad name to all the kind of stuff I've liked since the 70's.

[The Yarn Monkey]

[charlesbklyn]

In many circles, "hipster" has a negative connotation. Of course, if you are a hipster, it doesn't really matter, since you find all non-hipsters sort of boring and uninteresting to begin with ...

Hipster - A person who through experience and knowledge is able to create an independent view of the world not connected with mainstream thought or culture. Only experience through action in life can make you a hipster.

So, remaining with the idea that a 'hipster' is not a negative description.

Brooklyn definitely has many hipsters ... and its a good thing. Not all of Brooklyn, however, use to have or currently does have hipsters. I myself, being on the verge of being an aging hipster, know they have been around for years. Who do you think started the revitalization of Park Slope in the 1970's? Those people were certainly 'hip.'


Of course, as with any group ... we have our share of hipster dufuses.



Charlesbklyn

[laura]

I prefer to think of myself as a bohemian rather than an aging hipster ...

[alafairnadia]

hipster:

people drinking martinis at the bar at congee village for over 3 hours. RETARDED. any for reals person would know that you should at least have a goddamned pot of congee at congee village (and they've bowed to pressure - they have a vegetarian (!!!!) congee now)
_________________
like a smoked meat with an earthy youth overnote

[laura]

I don't know from congee and after Googling it I still don't have a clear picture (seems to be a ton of variations) but I think I might go for a vegetarian version. Except I doubt it would be as good as my usual Indian porridge breakfast (millet, coconut, onions, ginger, cilantro, jalapenos, tomato, cumin, etc. etc.)

[alafairnadia]

[laura]

[laura]

Here's the Indian porridge recipe. This makes 6-8 servings ... I live alone, so I make a half recipe so it gives me enough for breakfast for three days. I use a bit less water than the recipe (which is more soupy), and a bit more than half of the masala ingredients, to make it more flavorful. Once you start making it you can just eyeball the amounts and adjust it to what you're in the mood for.

Combine and bring to boil:

2 Qts. pure water [I use a bit less]
1 tsp. Methi (Fenugreek seeds) or slightly more to taste
1/2 tsp. Ajwan (Oregano seeds) (Use sparingly, bitter)
1 Tbsp. Jheera (Cumin seeds) or more to taste
1 Cup finely chopped sweet Onion
2/3 Cup dry, unsweetened coconut flakes
1 Cup hulled dry Millet
Salt to taste

Once base boils, simmer until grain is tender [about 20 minutes]. Meanwhile, assemble in a blender:

1/2 fresh green Chile (for a mild flavor, or more to taste)
1 heaping Tbsp. chopped fresh Ginger (or more to taste)
1 medium ripe Tomato chopped
2-3 medium pitted Dates (or 1 large Majool)
1 small dry red Chile or 1/2 tsp. flakes
1 Tbsp. Dhanja (Coriander Seeds)
3 Tbsp. fresh Cilantro (or more)
3 Tbsp. fresh coconut meat (optional)

Blend with enough water to liquefy. Add this flavor mix (Masala) to the base stock when grain is tender. Bring to boil again and simmer 10-15 minutes to combine flavors [I only simmer for another 5-10 minutes]. Adjust seasoning. Increase hotness with a pinch of Cayenne.


This may sound like a lot of work but it isn't at all. I have a cute little mini-blender to whip up the masala so cleanup is easy. I don't bother with fresh coconut but I like to mix in a bit of coconut oil, and garnish with a bit of chopped tomato and cilantro.

Oh, and I also like to kind of toast the millet just a bit in the pan before adding the water and other ingredients.

[alafairnadia]

[alafairnadia]

or are they hundred year eggs? I'm very hyperbolic
_________________
like a smoked meat with an earthy youth overnote

[laura]

[laura]

[Tex Antoine]

Yeah, they're inclusive, as long as you walk, talk, think, and and act exactly as they do. Otherwise they're the most hateful people on the planet.

a) despite what some detractors might assume, they are one of the more racially inclusive scenes in an urban setting
_________________
"To L.R.H.!"

[Candicissima]

[Tex Antoine]

Actually they're utterly useless in terms of giving opinions because their hive mind mentality blinds them to influences that fall outside their hermetically sealed circle of "approved" records/books etc.

And the idea that hipsters help break bands into the mainstream is laughable. Hipster musical tastes tend toward the unlistenable--the Clap Your Hands Say Yeah and Yeah Yeah Yeahs of the world come to mind. They valorize musical acts that have no chance of gaining mainstream acceptance so they can safely scoff at those of us who like bands that do.

c) if you need one of them to give an opinion when shopping for clothes or records, they will be invaluable...provided they don't scoff at you first
and d) that band you love never would have gotten anywhere if the hipsters weren't into them first.[/quote]
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"To L.R.H.!"

[Santa]

well first off all I stole that definition from Urban Dictionary and didn't mean to pass it off as my own.

Also hipster is a silly term used for alot of different people. Anyone from the overly fashioned and tatted hair stylist to the faux redneck guy wearing flannel and wranglers to the dorky kid listening to some obscure electronic music all are considered hipsters.

It seems silly to denounce a group of people which really isnt a group of people at all but rather many different groups bunched together under a over arching word. Kind of like hating all people from Europe and calling them "Europeans" and ignoring the fact that Spain and Poland are both in Europe and drastically different from one another.


but while we are saying nasty shit about hipsters, most people that are labeled "hipsters" are completely worthless and contrived. Maybe thats because I'm not as good looking as they are.


p.s. quoting Woody Guthrie is a pretty hipsterish thing to do.

[armchair_warrior]

i got called a hipster once for being a pro brooklyn person . i feel dirty.
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[raw]

Isn’t a hipster anyone on the cutting edge of fashion, art, and cultural trends, who is keenly aware of and reinforces the latest ideas and styles?

If you are wearing tomorrow’s shirt, but eating yesterday’s haute cuisine and discovering last year’s cliché-ridden self-help book, you are not a hipster, but simply a fashionably dressed person.
_________________
I blame such comments on beer.
© karlthedruid 2007

[windowdressing]

Two years ago I needed a new jacket and let my little sister pick it out. I didn't have a girlfriend and Project Runway hadn't yet taught me all that I know now. She chose a green Calvin Klein khaki-type get-up. I thought it looked good.

So I wear it out one night. After a few beers my old friend Brian makes a comment about how I look like a "hipster" in my jacket and t-shirt. He snorts derisively.

I turned red and haven't worn the jacket comfortably since.

I'm not sure what my point is.

I will say this, however. I love it when people come from Williamsburg to enjoy Prospect Park. They are so cute when they get all turned around and lost.

[filmlover44]

I'm too old to be a hipster and too young to be a hippie. I've never been "hip".
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Ok, now I'm crazy. Another goal achieved.

[sprite]

[Shinybeast]

"Does 'Hipster' automatically equal Brooklyn?"

"Yes."

That ends today's episode of East Answers for Easy Questions.

[dailyheights]

My word. This post is really setting the blog on fire:

http://www.dailyslope.com/2007/04/30/does-hip.....matically-equal-brooklyn/

[alafairnadia]

damn, who knew hipsters could make brooklynians feel such ire?
_________________
like a smoked meat with an earthy youth overnote

[Rose]

[windowdressing]

I don't know how to feel about "hipsters." I mean, I really like Joanna Newsom, but don't particularly like tight pants. I like the fact that hipsters don't strike me as aggressive or violent. I don't even care about being condescended to because, well, I'm pretty smart and don't really care what people think about me.

But two things bother me.

One: Fashion, in my opinion, is a rather worthless way to waste one's attention. Something strikes me as vacuous. (but hell, I listen to baseball on the radio, play tug-o-war with my dog, and rock Guitar Hero II, so perhaps I'm not one to talk.) My point is: we all should probably spend more time focusing on more important matters...not what your friends will think of your vintage t.

Two: The drugs. These kids do too much cocaine. Talk about a waste... kids, please... it will really f*ck you up.

So I dunno. I think it's funny when gawker plays its favorite game (hate the hipster!) but hope that these kids find a way to do something good besides find the next bar, the next band, the next nabe.

[alafairnadia]

[modoki]

Good points, windowdressing.

The whole Williamsburg look is based on the Shoreditch (East London) look circa 2001 and it's been like that since 2003.

The Brits are famous for inventing their own styles, which then turn into fashion. If a Guardian fashion editor saw three women wearing fishnet tights in the EC1 zip code, they would be all over the fashion supplement ten days later. In NY it takes forever for the conservative knuckleheads of the Times to realize what's happening out on the streets.

When one of my friends from London, who could qualify as a hipster, visited Brooklyn last year, she was appalled by the cocaine consumption at parties. And that says something because the UK has the highest coke use percentage of Europe.

I love NY, but to me it's not a creative hotbed like London or Tokyo, where people invent their own fashion/music/graphic design. NY does what it does best: selling itself to the rest of the world as the capital of the world without really delivering the goods.

[LittleRedMenace]

Sometimes people think I'm a hipster until I tell them I love musical theater and that Marie's Crisis is one of my favorite bars.

[raw]

[lostingreenwoodhts]

[lostingreenwoodhts]

to add, fairly unoriginal of me, I'd say the minute you are calling someone a "hipster," that kinda takes you outta that bracket...no matter yer age, income, location, etc.

Perhaps AOK by you (and me)...perhaps not?

Thoughts?
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A word or two from the highest point in Brooklyn--Greenwood Hts.
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[raw]

[dailyheights]

The only thing funnier than hipsters is humor about hipsters:

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Kn8DYjNjEoQ[/youtube]

This one is a close second:

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NbDQ4M_cuwA[/youtube]
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[turtle95]

I like the second video. I really thought there would be more posts that were sort of objective observations, but there definitely seems to be a hipster/non-hipster divide out there. Can we bridge the gap?

[dailyheights]

I don't understand what you're looking for. There are already a lot of "objective observations" here and a bunch on the blog post (http://www.dailyslope.com/2007/04/30/does-hip.....matically-equal-brooklyn/). What is missing from the conversation?

[LeeHo]

You know what, I'm proud that New Yorkers look and dress better than many of the other places in our country. As superficial as that may sound, an element of style and "cutting edge"-ness (new word?) is a nice thing and I happen to see a good deal of that in Brooklyn and actually, in Long Island City these days.


I'll never forget getting off of a plane from Tokyo (maybe one of the hippest cities on the planet) in Detroit. Everyone, I mean everyone, was in sweatpants and Nascar themed t-shirts, or sporting some khaki, pleated Dockers and a striped Polo. I contrasted that to a recent flight back from the UK and looked at those in JFK. Noticeably different.


I'll take tattoos and black leather, denim and Onion, or "hipster/retro" band t-shirts over that whack style any day!
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The best of men aren't at their "best" at all times.

[doctorj]

Hipster doesn't equal Brooklyn, but that doesn't stop wannabes from thinking that Brooklyn equals hipster. The chicken and the egg were postmarked separately, but arrived on the same day.
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The world will little note nor long remember what we say here. -- Abraham Lincoln

[BigGuy]

All I know is that if I see another 20-something wearing oversized women's sunglasses that match their outfit, I'm gonna puke. That must be a particular sect within hipsterdom.
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When the experts are agreed, the opposite opinion cannot be regarded as certain.
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