Dig?

When I decided to move to New York, I needed to find the neighborhood that fit my lifestyle.  Most people do this without really thinking about it, but you know, I happen to study urban neighborhoods at some point in my life... Williamsburg fulfilled the model of a good neighborhood:  high-density, mid-rise development; a carton of milk is never more than two blocks away; plenty of green space; easy access to public transportation; bikes - lots of bikes; uh, yeah.  But, there is also this: Williamsburg, the "cultural center", home to 250,000 meandering, and not-so-meandering young-adults - you know, hipsters.  Was there some other reason I chose Williamsburg?  Maybe I had been predisposed to hipsterdom by my two years of biking through Richmond's Oregon Hill, or sitting in the window at Helen's.

I decided to pull up the Wiki on "hipster".  Clip:

In some circles it became a blanket description for middle class and upper class young people associated with alternative culture, particularly alternative music, independent rock, alternative hip-hop, independent film and a lifestyle revolving around thrift store shopping, eating organic, locally grown, vegetarian, and/or vegan food, drinking local beer (or even brewing their own), listening to public radio, and riding fixed-gear bicycles.

I'm not defending the label, but if this were truly the definition of hipster, I think that we can conclude that this there is an attempt by a people who like bad things to label those who like good things.  If one were to replace each of these criteria with its opposite, that wouldn't be very appealing, would it? Except, of course, local beer could be replaced by cheapest beer. Sure, there is a hipster subculture - one that deserves a little mockery, but I know I'm not the only person that sees a cultural movement deeper than plaid shirts, beards, and tri-blend t's.  But that's it.  That's all I'm going to say.  It's late and I'm tired. 

Now, this is just kind of funny. Hipster rap?

...writer Ethan Stanislawski argues that there are racial elements to the rise of hipster rap. He claims that there "...have been a slew of angry retorts to the rise of hipster rap," which he says can be summed up as "white kids want the funky otherness of hip-hop... without all the scary black people"

 Credit: link