Rebels Without a Cause
Hipsters have been on my mind lately. Not because I’m particularly interested in the edgy, ironic music and fashion trends that these millennial generation rebels are known for. I’m curious about the deeper cultural predicament that this strange youth movement seems to represent—one that I think has some serious implications for the future of humanity.
So what is a hipster anyway and why should you even care about this back-to-the-future cultural trend?
Everyone probably knows a hipster. If you attended posh private colleges like Wesleyan, Bard, or Oberlin in the past decade 
then you’d recognize their trademark overly tight black jeans, 70s-style non-prescription shades, and thin white tank tops adorned with obscure slogans or ironically placed product brands. They’re the 20- and 30-something trust fund rebels that flock to cities like Portland, San Francisco, and Brooklyn for their strange combination of high-class organic gourmet food and low-brow bars serving plenty of working-class Pabst Blue Ribbon beer (If you’d like more detail, here’s a nice infographic about the evolution of the hipster ).
Even though I’m a member of the generation that gave rise to this strange subculture, I was never a hipster. In fact, I’ve always thought of their antics as a bit, well, self-involved. But in reflecting more about the general milieu of the hipsters and how their rebellious displays relate to the infamous narcissism and waywardness of my generation, I found that the inquiry hit much closer to home. Just like the hipsters, I’m a child of the Baby Boomers. And while hipsters might be the most extreme example, most of us Gen Yers have adopted some degree of our parents’ countercultural mood. But unlike the boomers who revolted against the stodgy traditional values of their parents, most of us grew up as “rebels without a cause.” In fact, there really isn’t a serious gap between mine and my elders’ generation. We share similar progressive values to our parents and we were raised with more opportunities than any generation before us. In short, there’s not that much to really complain about or rebel against. So every time we rear our rebellious heads with a countercultural spirit that may have been cool and revolutionary in the 60s, we just seem derivative and strangely out of place.
In pursuing this thread over the past week, a friend recommended I read a 2008 article from Adbusters magazine by a now 28-year-old Canadian journalist named Douglas Haddow called “Hipster: The Dead End of Western Civilization.” The story isn’t exactly hot off the presses. Nor is it from one of my favorite publications (I usually hate Adbusters for its tear-it-all-down, cynical mentality). But in the article, Haddow turns the lightning-sharp wit of the Adbuster genre against itself, deconstructing what he sees as a tragic cul-de-sac in the progression of human culture:
Ever since the Allies bombed the Axis into submission, Western civilization has had a succession of counter-culture movements that have energetically challenged the status quo. Each successive decade of the post-war era has seen it smash social standards, riot and fight to revolutionize every aspect of music, art, government and civil society.
But after punk was plasticized and hip hop lost its impetus for social change, all of the formerly dominant streams of “counter-culture” have merged together. Now, one mutating, trans-Atlantic melting pot of styles, tastes and behavior has come to define the generally indefinable idea of the “Hipster.”
An artificial appropriation of different styles from different eras, the hipster represents the end of Western civilization – a culture lost in the superficiality of its past and unable to create any new meaning. Not only is it unsustainable, it is suicidal. While previous youth movements have challenged the dysfunction and decadence of their elders, today we have the “hipster” – a youth subculture that mirrors the doomed shallowness of mainstream society.
Now I don’t completely agree with the extreme distance to which Haddow takes his indictment of my (and his) generation’s most iconic expression. I think that we actually have a hell of a lot to offer the world (as my grandfather used to say “to whom much has been given, much should be expected”). Many say that the “millennial generation” was responsible for putting Obama into the Whitehouse after all. And we’re also the generation that founded Facebook, YouTube, and Twitter.
But I do find his argument illuminating for one reason. Haddow is pointing to the fact that we are a generation that still hasn’t completely found its own voice or its own cause. And for this reason, we haven’t really offered anything new. Most of us (80% according to a recent Newsweek study) share the same political beliefs as our parents, and our musical contributions, in my humble opinion, pale in comparison to the Led Zeppelins and Beatles of our parents and the Pearl Jams and Nirvanas of our older Gen X siblings. As Haddow continues:
An amalgamation of its own history, the youth of the West are left with consuming cool rather that creating it. The cultural zeitgeists of the past have always been sparked by furious indignation and are reactionary movements. But the hipster’s self-involved and isolated maintenance does nothing to feed cultural evolution. Western civilization’s well has run dry. The only way to avoid hitting the colossus of societal failure that looms over the horizon is for the kids to abandon this vain existence and start over.
Now I wouldn’t say we need to start over. That’s a bit too apocalyptic for my tastes. But I do think that we need a new worldview—a new framework for understanding our experience that can inspire us out of the strange cynicism and ambivalence of our current cultural selves. And this is something that I’m very much interested in pursuing and creating with other people who’d like to do the same.
So I’d like to open it up here. What do you think of these ideas? How do we, the vanguard generation, step out of the shadows of previous generations and contribute something truly new to the evolution of culture? Perhaps most importantly, how do we live up to the incredible opportunity that our parents, society, and the advance of human civilization have presented us with?
Filed Under: Cultural Evolution • Culture • EnlightenNext Editors’ Blog • Pop Culture • Postmodernism
I wonder if ‘hipster’ is simply what before was called ‘radical’? We have become a homogenized, khaki, corporate, brand aware culture that hippies did not have to deal with. There was not a McDonalds on Haight in the 60′s. So … as much as I have my own personal attachment to the judgment of the label ‘hipster’ I contemplate whether it’s a modern day version of anyone who doesn’t aspire to work for google, apple, or any other new modern corporation? I dunno … just throwing it out there.
Hello!
I feel blessed to have been immersed in the sights, sounds and ferment of the wondrous 60s in NYC (!). If I compare that hippie nation with the subsequent young rebels, I wonder if it would be fair to say the progression I note has paralled that of how I feel America can be characterized as having descendd into the flabbiness of overconsumption and affluence. Using broad generalization, it seems the bloatedness of the economy and the subsequent bursting is a metaphor for the trajectory of degeneration of America. Now with the election of a seemingly more idealistic President we have the possibility of regaining our senses and a possible return to more true American values that have made for our national greatness. We as a nation are faced with some hard work to turn our circumstances around with great reforms that hopefully will be seen as promising a regaining of strength and promise of a revitalized forging ahead into the 21st century. The crises that challenge us are opps that should not be wasted to reinvent American resourcefulness. It’s to be strongly wished that Americans will unite in our efforts, forsaking partisan warfare, getting behind measures that will prove to help America regain our sense of purpose and our true American values. Causes abound for all young rebels to hopefully embrace and further.
Aloha,
“Become as I am,” said Christ, Buddha, Krishna, and others since who have shared their experience. This generation can meet the opportunity presented to it by the entire trajectory of the universe by living this wisdom, not just talking about it.
I agree with the need for a new worldview. I feel this generation and the one coming up are not relating to the current matrix of reality. There’s not even anything to react to, it’s that different. Their inner reality is completely out of sync with the external reality as presented.
They are here to climb on board with the harmonic of the sixties that is now awakening. They will be bringing the heavens down to earth, spiritualizing the earth. This is the work that The Mother (Siri Aurobindo) did every night through her meditations and dream states.
We are now, as a conscious species, capable of capturing the awakened spirit of the 60′s and stabilizing it into the everyday reality of business as usual here on Earth.
Re Dharm’s: “There’s not even anything to react to, it’s that different.”
As I stated in my comment above, causes abound but I wonder if the young “hipsters” are too preoccupied with teen stuff, making out, hairdos, drugs and everything else or else just way too cool to get their hands on and dirtied with all the challenges crying out for support and shoulders behind the wheel? Lots of people, even teens, are realizing this but I think there are just too many “hipsters” who feel too cynical, too cool, or just don’t care about what’s going on. Fun is fun but c’mon guys, the planet and the world needs your help!
The term “hipsters” is appropriated from when it meant those who were hip to the jive, knew what was going on. I think these rebels w/o any causes are just cop-out-sters.
There’s plenty to rebel against – if they’re willing to give up their elite privilege.
What I hope to see from these people is resistance to categorization and self-identification as “generations” and instead support for a revival of multi-generational communities of left/green values, such as existed before everyone split into demographic groups and marketers furiously exploited it. I would like to see them as bridge-builders, doing for their belief systems what the armies of the Christian Right – regardless of their age – are doing for theirs.
I think assigning monikers to each movement and generation is kinda useful in generalizing about the zeitgeist of those times. It also speaks to the seeming necessity and predilection for tribalness, identifying with groups giving support to numbers. In some way it’s behaving like “sheeple”, following the crowd and getting safety in numbers. What’s advisable in joining any group, esp political ones, is to check out what they really stand for and deciding whether they really deserve your suppport or not.
Living in Seattle, I am well acquainted with “hipsters” and their affinity for PBR (Pabst Blue Ribbon). Growing up and attending college in Colorado PBR was more of an urban myth, a beer (it was said) that was so bad you had to be really desperate (and/or broke) to be willing to drink it. So needless to say, I was shocked to see it behind the bars in downtown Seattle. But this does raise a great point, Gen Y (including hipsters) have been raised by baby boomers and the majority of us were brought up in a rebellious/ free spirited environment. I know from an early age it was impressed upon me that “no one can tell you who you are” and any idea of what you SHOULD be was rarely discussed. After all, doing something because you should do it doesn’t feel all that free does it? In fact, it’s kind of a downer man! Our rebellious and free spirited nature tends to direct us toward an “alternative” life style by shunning the status quo. Hence the PBR, a rebellion against the perceived status quo of elite (micro-brew drinking) software engineers and biomedical researchers that American cities are home to (especially Seattle).
The biggest problem I see with all this is that if we truly want to do something big (and I mean HUGE) not just as Gen Yers or Americans, but as members of the human race, we are going to have to work together. That means large groups of people sharing the same goal and motivated by a similar sense of purpose coming together to create real, substantial, perspective altering change. Something that is virtually impossible when our first inclination is to go in the opposite direction of everyone else. At some point we will have to choose what is more important, being “free spirits”, or being the agents for change in a world of real need.
Hi Eric,
I think that energy is something that demands being applied and for the young that energy looks for a way to apply that force. When it’s unable to find anything they feel is worth their while, that force expresses itself in pointless and even antisocial ways, causing more grief and trouble than anything. For those with brains and aspirations for more productive goals, it’s well to ponder what issues can benefit with your personal participation. Peers often determine for others and cool, hip ones often are magnets for others to follow even though not deserved. Those who are really smart and not just hoping to appear so will figure out for themselves what’s worthy and what’s not. Yes there’s support in numbers but determine if you really want to follow that crowd. You shouldn’t be leery of following your heart but figure things out first to determine if that’s really where you want to go. Believing strongly in that direction and having some kind of emotional connection is an indication of joining up, following that way.
All the best, aloha,
I am soooo confused. In all honesty- I never understood the whole hipster thing. It sounds like it’s based on their fashion (especially the infograph) and I feel like all of those types of styles I see people in today still. Then it says high end organic eating- which is me (for a few valid reasons- not because it’s trendy). And I dress like some of those older styles. So does that make me a hipster? It just seems like a huge generalization. Just because someone wears a certain style of clothing or eats a certain kind of food how do you know what their values are? Then in the end you starts saying WE so is are you calling this entire generation hipsters?
What I think I got from this is that you’re saying in the previous generations youth has rebelled for a reason, and now our generation just seems to rebel (but how are they rebelling? with their clothes?) with no meaning.
Any clarity on this is greatly appreciated!
Hi Michelle,
Your post asserting your oonfusion leaves me wondering if you looked at the post I submitted before yours?
Hi Frank,
I did. But, I don’t think that’s answering my questions. I don’t get how dressing a certain way or eating a certain food represents a person’s value system. I know you mentioned the term hipster stemmed from being hip to know something, but in my opinion the people who are the “cool kids” are the ones following mainstream media trends. Hipsters, from my perspective, are the ones who are trying to be different, I guess. I think there are far more damaging impacts on society then hipsters.
Would love to hear more about what the definition of a hipster is and the difference between them and the rest of society.
Hi Michelle: Belatedly noticing your asking for more clarification:
TY for your response and glad to oblige!
In that heady epoch, though many hippies were just along for the joy ride, I believe there was a real feeling that social reforms were also on the agenda of many and the hope and desire to change the status quo. It was then that a large segment of the young brought about the social changes, getting behind the Civil Rights Movement, pushing back against the interdiction of smoking grass, and dusting off what had become the fustiness of the 50s, starting with rock and roll music.
If you reference any history of the 60s, I think you’ll see what I only touch upon. There’s the joke that if you can remember the 60s, you probably weren’t there but I testify I feel privileged to have been there, a high point of my 70 years.
I assert (along with others) that the personal and the planetary are interconnected.
You ask how what we eat or how we dress have that connectivity.
Now we talk about our carbon footprint, how being conscious enough to make choices that will minimize our impact on our planet. In every way, our actions make an impact on the sustainability of earth’s resources and our economies. Thinking about these things is important and requires us to be responsible consumers developing informed choices in our consumer habits, taking it seriously if we pretend to be involved in developing sprititually and in sustaining our homebase, Earth.
Thanks for asking!
Best, Frank
I’ve also mentioned these two venues in posts here and truly hope it will inspire some folks to get involved in those great social changing ideas.
Avatar Activism
Carrotmobs
Check them out online and get crackin’!
Living here in Williamsburg, Brooklyn I’ve plenty to respond with. Essentially there is nothing inherently wrong with GenY, and of them who are the Hipsters that may have tastes particular to their generation, having inherited a world that is much more advance than only a generation or two prior. However, that inheritance, as it turns out, has an abstract meaning. To some up the “mission” of the last two generations, we can say that by and large the focus was civil rights, gender equality, and more access to financial stability. This might be a stretch, however, it seems palpable that Hipsters are the children of more liberal parents–the same liberal people who became comfortable, and individuated unable to unify the newly sub-categorized left, giving leeway to the conservative affront of the 1980s.
What they really inherited was a framework of uncertainty and economic and material comfort. The political arena plays a prominent role in how/what we form our cultural values. In political theory you learn that today we are experiencing the effects of decisions and actions taken 20 yrs ago.Today what we thought to be true is proven otherwise, yet we have all this comfort and ease.The seemingly lackadaisical, consumer driven,self-involved millennial generation is a mere expression of this. And what they have in the form of tools is uncertainty and materialism. Backlashing is an “easy” way of creating something new, however, when you are raised on an abstract foundation, there is nothing apparent to backlash against, there is no angst against the generation that fought for so many important issues.They are charged with a very unique and challenging opportunity:to re-envision an entirely new Western Civilization.Their expression is the reason and can produce the action
“there’s not that much to really complain about or rebel against. So every time we rear our rebellious heads with a countercultural spirit that may have been cool and revolutionary in the 60s, we just seem derivative and strangely out of place.”
There’s not that much to complain about? Really? Well, perhaps your right about the complaining part, but there are plenty of issues to be addressed. The energy crisis, environmental destruction, the continuing threat of nuclear anhilation, resource wars, etc. The world is on the brink of catastrophe. Young people (I am one) are just generally not very serious about the things that matter most. Its not about being derivative or not, being cool or not, revolutionary or not. Its about trying to solve our collective problems.
ITS NOT ABOUT YOUR NEED TO CARVE OUT SOME SENSE OF AN IDENTITY.
I would like to make a collective apology for the creative people of my generation.
The world we create is turning out very flat.
This is not entirely our fault: the pervasive TV and Interent combined with a lack of truely transcendent spirituality left many hopeless.
Things are changing now: so many of my hipster friends finding God and Spirit. So many people sober and so many people off the prescription drugs we have been hooked on since childhood. And SO MANY ready for the next level of human community.
I see only three trends for the future: the good, the true and the beautiful.
If you look around, there is finally amazing vision coming out of art and music again. Except for isolated creatives, the scene has sucked for about 15 years. Not anymore.
The kids are really ready for an evolution and understand that this evolution requires morality.
In my social milieu, the synchronicities are lining up nicely. People are really excited.
I think NYC and L.A. can be taken back with realtive ease. The middle of the country might take a bit more effort.
Sorry about all that dead-planet-grotesque! We didn’t realize what we were doing. Very careless, I know.
But just wait…it’s gonna be great…
Hi Wells, re: “I see only three trends for the future: the good, the true and the beautiful.”
I like your idealism and rosy views but I hope they will come to pass. I hope I don’t sound too discouraging but I hope you’re not being too idealistic.
I think we will both agree it’s going to be a long and hard way to go to achieve a more peaceable world for all but my hope is that humanity will collectively come to the realization that a commitment to peace, harmony, mutual repect for all that adheres to Perennial Wisdom and the Golden Rule must be attained in order to have the kind of world we would all want.
May that come to pass.
I was gratified to hear on NPR about the rise of a Facebook spinoff “Avatar Activism” where this website is involved in philanthropy.
The young and Facebook friends who sign on now take up positive philanthropic activism in the 21st cent.
All best wishes and regards. May they succeed in inspiring a lot of Facebook Friends to participate.
Should we be concerned that the money will be transparently accounted for and that the hopefully large monies gathered will be applied responsibly and rightly?