However, I’m simply pointing out that this image says that they contribute NOTHING to society. Nothing? Really? Nothing? Absolutely nothing at all? There’s not one good thing that they do at all?

The things that they’re doing aren’t “bad” things, they may unoriginal ideas, sure, but that doesn’t mean that their heart isn’t in a good place.

Regardless of whether or not they started it, claim to have started it, or not…they’re contributors to causes a lot of people don’t care about, but probably should. In no way shape or form did I ever state that they were creators of these concepts, but merely contributors to them.

I feel that many of you might be drawing from biased opinions of hipsters, which is fine, because like Jesse said, we draw from our own experiences…

I guess I just ask you to rethink your thoughts. Because to truly think that other human beings that think and are different than us regardless of class, culture, mindset, etc; truly contribute nothing positive to this world is very alarming to me that you would think this.

And no, Victor, I am not bitter about my lot in life. I am quite blessed to live the life I live! Ask Miles, I am a very happy person, albeit sassy and opinionated from time to time.

I wonder why people find my remarks so “biased” and “ignorant”? Could it possibly be because they don’t align with your own? I I have a lot of respect for Miles, and I don’t recall ever saying he was ignorant. However, is he biased? Sure. Am I biased? Of course. That’s human nature, we draw on our life experiences to form opinions. But am I ignorant, absolutely not.

Josh – I am not wallowing in this generations problems, so stop being so hyperbolic. Comparing contemporary politics/society to 200yrs ago and saying that we are better off now is easy but I don’t believe in relativism. The world is a messed up place TODAY, so instead of fixating on the past – you might even say wallowing – I am concerned about where the world is going in the future.

Is there therefore anyone who is truly an independent, free thinker then? Don’t we all conform? Don’t we all consider ourselves part of some kind of group? Are not all of us exhibiting and maybe even reinforcing one stereotype or another?

No man is an island as someone once said. This can mean a myriad of things depending on the context. But are not all men influenced by one another (both those who came before, and those who are around us now)? And aren’t we going to gravitate toward others who share our same beliefs and values? There is strength in numbers, and comfort in what is familiar and understood. This does not mean that no one can think for themselves. This does not mean that people who identify with groups are shallow hypocrites.

Or maybe it does mean this.

But in that case, NO ONE is an independent thinker.

So if we call hipsters misguided hypocrites, then we should call ourselves that as well.

Well said, Jesse!

Maybe I am just being defensive because I am a scenester who takes offense to this, but let me guess Jesse Lee:

You are struggling to hold down a job, jealous because you have massive loans you can’t pay off, frustrated with your lot in life, and are in turn finding external factors to blame for your hardships and misfortunes? The problem isn’t me, its my generation…

Am I right? Or am I right?

You said, “We have more problems now than any previous generation, but hipsters have no cause -just a $2 vintage shirt and a $5 skim latte from Starbucks.”

Do you really think this generation has more problems than those prior?

You think our current recession and the other aspects of the economy are bad now? Well, you’re right, but try living during The Great Depression when the unemployment rate was 25%

Try being an African American prior to the civil rights movement? The first black president was voted democratically into office last year, when only 50 years ago blacks were told they couldn’t go to white schools and couldn’t eat in white restaurants.

You’re a woman. Would you have enjoyed living 200-300 years ago when women had not gained suffrage, were still considered property, and did not have the independence that women today have?

You’re a woman. How about childbirth? Sure we don’t have national health care, but at least we have modern technology? The current maternal death rate is 1%, down from 40% in the 1800s. Not to mention that the life expectancy is significantly higher and that we have cures and vaccines for diseases that would have killed your generation decades ago.

How about education? College used to be for the elite and gifted. Now almost anyone can go. You seem angry that parents are paying for their sons’ and daughters’ educations, but maybe we should be reveling in the fact that parents, like myself, can? If you have/had a child, you might understand that feeling of wanting to give them everything you can. Today, parents can give their kids advantages (particularly with college) that my parents couldn’t afford to give me. Does that make this generation weaker? No, I think it makes them stronger.

Let’s take a look at technology. Yes, cars and other vehicles are polluting our environment. But at least you can have one. They are safe and affordable; no longer a privelege for the wealthy. And if a car is not enough, you can get anywhere in the world, relatively quickly, relatively comfortably, and for a relatively low cost on a plane, train or boat.

With the development of TV and radio, and with the advent of the internet information travels faster and faster. The world is literally at our fingertips nowadays. In fact, it is amazing that with so much information readily available to the masses, that people like you can still be so ignorant.

You said, “We have more problems now than any previous generation, but hipsters have no cause -just a $2 vintage shirt and a $5 skim latte from Starbucks.”

I don’t know a lot about hipsters, but I do know that this generation has a lot of advantages. To ignore these great advantages and instead wallow in the negative and to scapegoat the current youth culture for your problems (or what you at least perceive as your problems) is not only sad, but is also exactly what keeps a generation from continuing to progress.

Personally, I admit that I am actually quite “spoiled,” if spoiled means having been given many advantages that most people don’t have. But why hold this against me? Why hold it against the generation? People can be spoiled without being “brats.”

Just because I didn’t pay my way through college, doesn’t mean that I don’t understand the value of hard work. I put in (minimum) 8 hours a day at work (not including my hour and half commute and not including the 4 hours of work I did this weekend); I get 20 minutes for lunch and also volunteer my time on a regular basis. How many hours a week do YOU work? How many hours a week do YOU volunteer? Do you ever do extra work on Sunday, not because you are getting paid by the hour, but because you want to do your best? I do. Yes, I have been give a lot. A hell of a lot more than the average person. But I have never taken it for granted. For you to presume that an entire generation’s worth of individuals is going around taking and taking and taking without actually earning is absurd. I might be “spoiled”, but maybe you’re the “spoiled brat”, not because you have been given advantages, but because you think you deserve them.

o I am not singling out hipsters. I am pointing to the absurdity of anyone who explicitly identifies them selves with a larger identity/culture but then claims to be so “different.” and I know that this isn’t just hipsters. It’s hard to be novel when all your friends look and act like you.

I’m not sure where you shop, but, organic and locally grown food isn’t that hard to come by nowadays therefore the prices for such goods have been reduced considerably. We can’t ethically say that ALL organic food and locally grown is only within the price range of people who make a decent salary. That’s awfully presumptuous…
In regards to the thrift stores…you make a very valid point, but step back for a second and look at the larger picture. It’s not like hipsters are cleaning out thrift stores left and right leaving them empty for homeless and people in need. They recognize the purchasing of products distributed in mass quantities creates an excess of needless waste where the run off ends up at shelters. They’re actually helping by recycling instead of buying more stuff and feeding larger corporations.

o I don’t know what ethics has to do with it, but you can Not honestly dispute that organic and locally grown food costs more, regardless of where you shop. Even if organic/locally grown food doesn’t cost more to produce – which in most cases it does – because it has become so trendy the demand has gone up. And from here it is just basic economics, demand goes up so too does the price. I am not against eating healthy organic food or supporting locally farmers, However, its irritating to me, that a lot of these hipsters, are too young to know what its like – financially or otherwise- to try and support a family.
As for the tendency of hipsters to shop at thrift stores, they aren’t doing it in an attempt to bring down Wal-Mart, and even if they were, this will never happen. They are doing it simply for aesthetic reasons. And that’s fine, just don’t try to pass it off as something grandiose and noble.

Lastly, I stand by my point that OUR generation (this includes hipsters and non-hipsters alike) are a bunch of spoiled brats. Just look at college enrollment, its done up exponentially since just our parents generation. And who is footing the bill? I am willing to venture a guess that in most cases its the parents. Hipsters are a by-product of a generation who has been given everything. We have more problems now than any previous generation, but hipsters have no cause -just a $2 vintage shirt and a $5 skim latte from Starbucks.

But who knows, maybe some day the history books will prove me wrong.