“They’re from Iceland?”
“Yeah, Iceland.”
“Oh.”
~
I guess there are always in-crowds and out-crowds. I guess
everyone will always have to fit into one of these two groups. I guess this had
to do with the fact that not everyone could put the effort into being cool or
hip. Those willing to put in the time and effort would discover this great,
new, boutique coffee place, while those with other, better things to do would
be forced to satisfy their cultural appetite with the greasy, “mainstream” fast
food.
And with these strenuous efforts or lucky breaks, a certain
level of prestige was bestowed upon those who exerted for the sake of new
discovery. Being “hip” was a compliment. The hip guy knew where the cool bars
were, where the secret concerts would be held, which underground one-man shows
were worth seeing. And the crown of hip-ness was precious and well-earned. Arts
sections of local papers were combed over incessantly. People – actual people –
you had to talk to real, live human beings in order to get this information.
These people made their way through back alleys like Lewis and Clark trekked
through the Louisiana Purchase, every stone turned over, every potential new
sign of life meticulously observed and recorded.
And the hip back then, as they do now, found some kind of
freedom in their hipness. Admittedly, their tastes were/are likely influenced
by a drive to like and enjoy the most eclectic and least popular forms of
culture, but there is still a level of personal choice involved in the
equation, even if the choice is merely to reject what everyone else easily
accepts.
It had to be this way because, well, for a long time (I
guess a really long time), people were limited by their physical beings. We
were limited by basic Newtonian principles about matter, mass and inertia. To
find that great, new boutique coffee place, you would have to wander around
Greenwich Village all Saturday afternoon, pick your way between a slimy alley
wall and a rusting dumpster, traverse your way on a thin plank over stream of
rodent sewage before coming close to any place that brews free-trade, organic,
medium roast soymilk lattes.
Now you can just go on Yelp.
Similarly, to discover a hot new band from Iceland, you
would have to see one of their shows…in
Iceland. Or, if you’re lucky and/or close friends with the pretentious
stoners who man record shop cash registers, you’d have to catch one of their
early albums. That sounds expensive and also tiresome. I have work and also
children and also to cook dinner and also I am already tired because of my real
world life.
Now you can just go to Pandora, enter in your favorite types
of music and, within an hour, have a list of newly discovered musicians.
Being hip or cool or trendy (different, I maintain, from the
modern abomination that is the irony-laden “hipster”) has now become a
designation for those capable of plugging into the internet.
Sure it’s great. Culture-creators that might not otherwise
be big names have a much better chance of becoming big names because of the
internet. And culture-consumers who want to find new and different types of
culture will have an easier time finding it because of the internet.
But, in spite of how easy it is to browse one’s Youtube
suggestions every once in a while, there are large numbers of people who
gravitate towards certain types of culture (which by definition, becomes
somehow-or-another, “mainstream”). For as much as being “hip” is and has been
glorified in American culture, not many people seem interested in pursuing
hip-dom. For as much as being a unique individual is glorified in American
culture, not many people seem interested in pursuing individuality.
Does Justin Bieber’s teenage crooning really appeal to that
many people? Did Charlie Sheen’s drunken Two-and-A-Half Men character really
connect with so wide an audience? Can this many people really be interested in
watching a nationwide version of a community talent show? Are so many peoples’
tastes that similar, or are they just settling to consume the easiest, most
widely available culture.
Has the hip’s previous reputation of difficulty and
perseverance overshadowed its current ease?
There is no way to assuage any of the pretentiousness of
this post. I was going to try, but there is no way.
I just wish people would make their own decisions, even when
the decision is just about what kind of music said person listens to in the car…which
isn’t to say that a person must be brainwashed in order to enjoy McDonald’s or
Pitbull. But I really doubt…
Forget it. I’m just going to sit back and enjoy this nice
hole that I have dug.
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