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Generally, hipsters have been referred to as people who have a strong dislike an d rebellion against the mainstream.

They usually patronize independent forms of media, those which are not commonly seen and acknowledged in the popular mainstr eam industry. So, if I were to interpret it, hipsters may seem to be the kind of people who think that those who are conforming to the mainstream media are pret entious because they compromise their taste in music, art, film, entertainment s o as to avoid rejection from most peers. Looking at hipsters in this perspective , they seem to have a positive intention towards the society. They are trying to encourage everyone to explore beyond what is spoon-fed to us by the popular med ia, and to be brave enough to express yourself, risking the fact that everyone m ay not agree with you.

But let s turn the tables.

What if it was them who are actually being pretentious? Once, I read a descripti on about hipsters: hipsters are the shadows of cool people. Maybe hipsters actua lly are pretentious because they are the ones who conform to what they find as s tandards of cool . I mean, looking at it, hipsters have not produced anything new: they are like recycled sub cultures. Like in fashion, we can still see hints of grunge, preppy, emo, whatever. Especially grunge, like Kurt Cobain s messy style, thrift store garments, unruly hair, as if he doesn t care. Based on my own experie nce, it may seem that hipsters do try hard to look like as if they don t care. Big IRONIC statement, you see. In the pursuit of achieving originality, all they di d was run, as far away from the mainstream using what they define as cool from p revious subcultures, recycle it, and try to be as different as much as possible. Ironically, their fear of being stereotyped gave birth to another stereotype: T HE HIPSTERS, OR THE PEOPLE WHO THINK THEY DO NOT BELONG TO Any stereotype. Serio usly, this new culture is one big irony.

We would never know who is pretentious. What if a mainstream guy is actually qui te fond of some obscure band, but fails to admit it because his peers may think of him as weird, or that nobody would be able to relate to him.

E.g Pretentious mainstream guy: Duuude, have you heard Bon Iver s new song? friends: dafuq is that? (Bon Iver as a conversational topic has been ignored)

How about, what if hipster guy actually wants to do the :WIggLE WIggLE WIggLE ng with LMFAO s Sexy and I know it? eg: LMFAO: I gOt PASSION IN My PANtS AND I AINt AFRAID tO SHOW It, SHOW It SHOW It. Hipster guy: (in his head) WIggLE WIggLE WIggLE WIggLE! AM SECKSy AND I KNOW It

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(to his friends) Mainstream music is crap! this is just stupid, it doesn t make se nse.

Well, that s how I see it, anyway. My opinion does not speak for everyone, I know, but that s just my honest opinion of things. Maybe the part where people get ster eotyped has lead them to the fate of being pretentious. Why? Everybody fears rej ection. We are biologically designed to be social creatures, and in our hierarch y of needs, we do need acceptance. At the same time, there are also the Esteem n eeds.

So what do I say about this: Just like what you like. LOVE BIEBER (I eventually got tired of Bieber jokes) , LOVE ONE DIRECTION, LOVE PASSION PIT, LOVE LADY GAG A, LOVE FOSTER THE PEOPLE, LOVE GOTYE, LOVE ADELE, LOVE LMFAO, LOVE CLASSICAL MU SIC, LOVE ROCK, LOVE POP, LOVE WHATEVER YOU LOVE.

Just keep on doing what you think is right and what keeps you happy. There will be critics, listen to them. Make a stand, or agree if you accept their point. It doesn t matter what you would look like after making that stand, the cool thing i s, you made a stand. It resists pretentions. Pretention is the key to one unhapp y shitty life. So, here are some of my tips: To mainstream people: Explore beyond! Just because a movie or a song isn t popular doesn t mean it sucks. In fact, there is a lot of great music under the indie gen re. If your friends would think of you as weird, introduce them to the indie cul ture. Maybe some might actually love it, but just didn t have a chance to get intr oduce to these things. To hipster people: I KNOW YOU WILL NEVER ADMIT THAT YOU ARE HIPSTER! TROLOLOLOL. But assuming that that tiny voice inside you agreed let me tell you: Please sto p criticizing people whose taste in music and films do not stick to to your conc ept of cool. We all have different tastes. Being too mainstream isn t something so me people can avoid, since sometime the TV is usually our source of info. If the music they listen to sound like shit to you then shut your ears and don t complai n. And stop trying too hard to be different for the sake of being different.

I know people might label me as hipster. Maybe I ve been one, at a point in my lif e when I ve been too much of a critic against the mainstream, maybe because of wha tever indie pride or my concept of cool. But no, fuck it. I ll listen to Coldplay all I want, and I will wiggle wiggle wiggle to LMFAO s I m sexy and I know it.

Why? Because i like it. Fuck stereotypes, let s just be real and honest.

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