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Comment by EvanKelly | Hacker News Reader

What's wrong with enjoying the feeling of being counterculture?

This whole anti-hipster sentiment is so bizarre to me. It's all about policing other peoples' fashion/taste/activities without reason. The idea that hipsters are somehow not genuine doesn't make any sense. What is there to be genuine to?

If you use an old film camera because you like the photos it takes and are fascinated by how it operates, more power to you.

If you use an old film camera because you think it looks cool around your neck, more power to you.

If you use an old film camera because you like the fact that you're one of the only people using one, more power to you.

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>What's wrong with enjoying the feeling of being counterculture?

In terms of a stereotypical hipster, it's because it's being smug that you're not following the crowd. But you get there by paying a lot of attention to what the crowd likes, and using that as your primary decision maker. AKA you're following the crowd.

It's okay to like being unique, but find a niche though your own preferences, not though hypocritical reasoning.

I suppose there is a kind of self-contradiction is trying to be "fashionably unfashionable" which seems ripe for mockery.

But, in practice, the mockery boils down to an exercise in More Authentic Than Thou based on guesses from superficial details. Isn't making judgements about authenticity based on a few superficial details an even more loathsome exercise in hypocrisy?

I do like EvanKelly's point here: "What is there to be genuine to."?

What the heck is someone supposed to wear that is neither an overt exercise in conformity or a contrived exercise in non-conformity? What would in between or opting out of the pretense look like?

In fact, it might look a lot like Mr. Hermelin, whose clothes look functional and cheap, without any visible labels, without any apparent in-factory distressing of the fabric.

Me too, I actually find hipster culture, to the extent it is indeed a thing, to bring a certain sense of fun to my little world. As opposed to everyone just giving up and buying what they see on TV, watching football, Facebook etc.

I like this response. I'm not sure that I'm mentally mature enough to actually sustain it, but I like it the best. Let people do whatever they like and don't bother judging or grouping them too much.

Edit: fixed broken english.

I don't think there's anything wrong with it, but I don't think it is an expression of individuality, either. Going against the grain is still buying into the grain. Individuality is more about being orthogonal.

It undermines genuine counterculture movements. When you have a lot of people who will act like they support a certain idea until questioned about it, and then duck away saying they were just being ironic, the result is that no-one takes anyone seriously. It's bad for the same reasons as bumper stickers, or protest groups who do nothing but stupid stunts.

Who supports social movements out of irony? I don't understand this.

Who is worried about undermining counterculture movements? Don't wear that old camera, b/c it makes xyz not appear legitimate? Wha?

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