Hipsters are NOT Authentic

Ok, so I'm a little bitter that my front wheel was stolen in front of the school yesterday in broad daylight...!!!!!!!!

That being said, I'd like to say that the 'cult' of the hipster is one of the least authentic social groups I can currently think of ('indie' kids often fall into this category as well). In their efforts to be part of the 'counter culture,' they have created an image-driven social network where your degree of 'authenticity' is measured by how tight your pants are, how sweet your ride is (bike, not car), and how big your lensless glasses can be. They are not as independent as they may like to think... unless you can be independent collectively. But perhaps this isn't all-bad?

I've been thinking a lot about what it means for an individual to be truly 'authentic,' and I think I'm coming to the conclusion that it's not the people that are inauthentic; it's the social groups and the role of products within these social groups. No matter how 'hipster' or 'indie' someone is, each person comes from entirely different backgrounds which dictate their reactions to, and choices in the world around them. I would like to believe that because of the human ability to make conscious decisions and value judgements, it is impossible to be an inauthentic person. However, this does not mean that people are then excluded from participating in inauthentic activities, or associating with inauthentic groups. 

A term that runs very close to inauthenticity for me is 'trendy.' When ideas like global warming become trendy, they become less authentic. For me, 'trend' implies a lack of knowledge about the object or idea that is being designated as such. So, when people decide to get rid of their 3-year old car and trade it in for a more environmentally-friendly hybrid car, they are not reacting to the actual need of the environment, but rather the trend based on the needs of the environment (because if they were to think about it, the impact of going through so much material has a greater impact than how much gas one may save).

Back to hipsters. In the end, the hipster and indie cultures provide a blanket of security that protect individuals within these groups from confronting the idea of being individual. Authentic people are everywhere, but are typically hidden by the facade of a chosen group-identity.