This is a brilliant examination of the hipster identity, a real truncheon to the egg-shell thin ego skull of this vapid, insipid 'culture'. Those who proclaim fashion and music trends to be their defining characteristics, yet shun them at the first sign of widespread appeal. Always trying to stay one step ahead of popular culture has lead to an exhausting race in which there are no winners, only the realization that you have become an utterly shameful poseur.
The line that carries perhaps the most weight is "They build it up just to burn it back down" which succinctly sums up the perverted, self-consuming identity matrix that defines so many hip young adults. That which is loved by one group first must be immolated later on to preserve that ever so important sanctity of "first to the party." We are in the age of disposable bands, identities, and integrity.
Overall I would rate this song a 7.953 out of a possible 10.
Yes, let's play the oh so easy game of kill/hate/blame the Hipster. I know many "modern kids" who are exactly as palindromic and Arcade Fire describe, but I think that attacking kids who use "great big words that they don’t understand" misses the point. Those kids at least are trying to overcome the meaninglessness of popular culture. They may be pretentious, self-righteous, and judgmental- but at least they aren't mindlessly consuming the corporate, mass-produced, shallow culture of the mainstream. The difference between palindromic's self-righteous invective and Win Butler's lyrics are that Win is lamenting how these kids get sidetracked in...
Yes, let's play the oh so easy game of kill/hate/blame the Hipster. I know many "modern kids" who are exactly as palindromic and Arcade Fire describe, but I think that attacking kids who use "great big words that they don’t understand" misses the point. Those kids at least are trying to overcome the meaninglessness of popular culture. They may be pretentious, self-righteous, and judgmental- but at least they aren't mindlessly consuming the corporate, mass-produced, shallow culture of the mainstream. The difference between palindromic's self-righteous invective and Win Butler's lyrics are that Win is lamenting how these kids get sidetracked in the "rococo" elements of their subculture instead of being authentic human beings. He knows his fans are those kids, and he wants to help them, not look down on them and stroke his ego.
This post was the result of seeing so much mindless hipster-bashing, not just here but in my life in general.
thank you, post above. i think the songwriter has a distinct empathy for these scummy art kids, and i'm not pointing fingers, i might be a naval-gazing sheep as well. in an interview he even says it was written "with a wink." what I hate most about hipsters is constantly hearing about what other people hate about them. it's like being unable to get out from under a wool blanket on a hot day. the big everyday hates like religion or politics are bad enough, i'm tired of vehement comments that waste emotion on "their" particular brand of failure to...
thank you, post above. i think the songwriter has a distinct empathy for these scummy art kids, and i'm not pointing fingers, i might be a naval-gazing sheep as well. in an interview he even says it was written "with a wink." what I hate most about hipsters is constantly hearing about what other people hate about them. it's like being unable to get out from under a wool blanket on a hot day. the big everyday hates like religion or politics are bad enough, i'm tired of vehement comments that waste emotion on "their" particular brand of failure to be authentic or original.
To the two comments above:
If you're referring to the "angel headed hipsters" of the 1950s, well then, OK, but the modern day "hipsters" are nothing like those that Ginsberg was referring to. I'm pretty sure that they are as much a part of mainstream culture as anyone else. If anything, hipsters today are all about looking the part, and don't necessarily have the same ideals as the original hipsters(whose ideas of course have been absorbed by the dominant ideology). They're not authentic,they're certainly not original and they're not "non conformists," in fact I don't think anyone is...we're all a part...
To the two comments above:
If you're referring to the "angel headed hipsters" of the 1950s, well then, OK, but the modern day "hipsters" are nothing like those that Ginsberg was referring to. I'm pretty sure that they are as much a part of mainstream culture as anyone else. If anything, hipsters today are all about looking the part, and don't necessarily have the same ideals as the original hipsters(whose ideas of course have been absorbed by the dominant ideology). They're not authentic,they're certainly not original and they're not "non conformists," in fact I don't think anyone is...we're all a part of something, we're all conforming to something, we're all subjects... read Louis Althusser. Arcade Fire isn't pinpointing the hipsters, but any group of "non conforming," rebels that talk the talk, but don't walk the walk. I think the comment by tim4x below, is the most valid interpretation and makes the most sense, but then again that's just my opinion.
This is a brilliant examination of the hipster identity, a real truncheon to the egg-shell thin ego skull of this vapid, insipid 'culture'. Those who proclaim fashion and music trends to be their defining characteristics, yet shun them at the first sign of widespread appeal. Always trying to stay one step ahead of popular culture has lead to an exhausting race in which there are no winners, only the realization that you have become an utterly shameful poseur.
The line that carries perhaps the most weight is "They build it up just to burn it back down" which succinctly sums up the perverted, self-consuming identity matrix that defines so many hip young adults. That which is loved by one group first must be immolated later on to preserve that ever so important sanctity of "first to the party." We are in the age of disposable bands, identities, and integrity.
Overall I would rate this song a 7.953 out of a possible 10.
Successful troll is successful.
Successful troll is successful.
hahaha
hahaha
Pretty sure the guy was making fun of Pitchfork ... :)
Pretty sure the guy was making fun of Pitchfork ... :)
Doug, you clearly would never understand the word facetious.
Doug, you clearly would never understand the word facetious.
Haha, good job.
Haha, good job.
Yes, let's play the oh so easy game of kill/hate/blame the Hipster. I know many "modern kids" who are exactly as palindromic and Arcade Fire describe, but I think that attacking kids who use "great big words that they don’t understand" misses the point. Those kids at least are trying to overcome the meaninglessness of popular culture. They may be pretentious, self-righteous, and judgmental- but at least they aren't mindlessly consuming the corporate, mass-produced, shallow culture of the mainstream. The difference between palindromic's self-righteous invective and Win Butler's lyrics are that Win is lamenting how these kids get sidetracked in...
Yes, let's play the oh so easy game of kill/hate/blame the Hipster. I know many "modern kids" who are exactly as palindromic and Arcade Fire describe, but I think that attacking kids who use "great big words that they don’t understand" misses the point. Those kids at least are trying to overcome the meaninglessness of popular culture. They may be pretentious, self-righteous, and judgmental- but at least they aren't mindlessly consuming the corporate, mass-produced, shallow culture of the mainstream. The difference between palindromic's self-righteous invective and Win Butler's lyrics are that Win is lamenting how these kids get sidetracked in the "rococo" elements of their subculture instead of being authentic human beings. He knows his fans are those kids, and he wants to help them, not look down on them and stroke his ego.
This post was the result of seeing so much mindless hipster-bashing, not just here but in my life in general.
thank you, post above. i think the songwriter has a distinct empathy for these scummy art kids, and i'm not pointing fingers, i might be a naval-gazing sheep as well. in an interview he even says it was written "with a wink." what I hate most about hipsters is constantly hearing about what other people hate about them. it's like being unable to get out from under a wool blanket on a hot day. the big everyday hates like religion or politics are bad enough, i'm tired of vehement comments that waste emotion on "their" particular brand of failure to...
thank you, post above. i think the songwriter has a distinct empathy for these scummy art kids, and i'm not pointing fingers, i might be a naval-gazing sheep as well. in an interview he even says it was written "with a wink." what I hate most about hipsters is constantly hearing about what other people hate about them. it's like being unable to get out from under a wool blanket on a hot day. the big everyday hates like religion or politics are bad enough, i'm tired of vehement comments that waste emotion on "their" particular brand of failure to be authentic or original.
To the two comments above: If you're referring to the "angel headed hipsters" of the 1950s, well then, OK, but the modern day "hipsters" are nothing like those that Ginsberg was referring to. I'm pretty sure that they are as much a part of mainstream culture as anyone else. If anything, hipsters today are all about looking the part, and don't necessarily have the same ideals as the original hipsters(whose ideas of course have been absorbed by the dominant ideology). They're not authentic,they're certainly not original and they're not "non conformists," in fact I don't think anyone is...we're all a part...
To the two comments above: If you're referring to the "angel headed hipsters" of the 1950s, well then, OK, but the modern day "hipsters" are nothing like those that Ginsberg was referring to. I'm pretty sure that they are as much a part of mainstream culture as anyone else. If anything, hipsters today are all about looking the part, and don't necessarily have the same ideals as the original hipsters(whose ideas of course have been absorbed by the dominant ideology). They're not authentic,they're certainly not original and they're not "non conformists," in fact I don't think anyone is...we're all a part of something, we're all conforming to something, we're all subjects... read Louis Althusser. Arcade Fire isn't pinpointing the hipsters, but any group of "non conforming," rebels that talk the talk, but don't walk the walk. I think the comment by tim4x below, is the most valid interpretation and makes the most sense, but then again that's just my opinion.