Hipsterism itself is thinly-veiled bullying - it's essentially "I'm cool and you're not". It's like before Apple became really popular, some users exhibited a 'smug field', where they considered themselves better people for using this elite product, being part of those 'in the know', and were just better than you. I have an aunt who was like that, who would mock me for not using Apple... yet she couldn't articulate why. It was just 'better', and she'd backed it.
Hipsterism is like that, putting on airs without having the substance, and that annoys people.
Above all other things, internet communities is what makes me cynical about humanity.
Pre-internet communities were far from unicorns and rainbows. Conformity was much more strongly required.
> Pre-internet communities were far from unicorns and rainbows. Conformity was much more strongly required.
Yes, but if someone took an embarrassing photo of you, you could move to another city and be done with it. There's no escape from internet ridicule. I honestly don't know if I'll be able to handle the world of Google Glass & co where no public faux pas will be forgotten - at least the OP was out there in the public by his own choice. :/
"Putting on airs" is not bullying. Being smug is not bullying. Your Aunt mocking you could be a form of bullying, however, I strongly doubt that your Aunt is representative of the hipster movement.
Being smug and putting on airs are bullying. Subtle, but still bullying. It's exclusionary and it's condescending.
Imagine this: Young nerdy guy sees incredibly popular hipster guy in his high school listening to some band, I don't know WAM! or whatever the kids listen to these days. Either way, young nerdy guy LOVES that band, but has only recently started listening to it.
So he decides to strike up a conversation with popular hipster about WAM's newest album. Popular hipster shuts him down simply by saying, "Oh, yeah, that album's okay, if you like mainstream sounds, but I've been listening to them for like 5 years now. You should hear their unreleased Japanese single called 'Kuma o tabetai'." Young nerd now has nothing to talk about, and shambles away.
Not OVERT bullying, but it is absolutely asserting dominance in an aggressive way through exclusion.
Hipsterism is like that, putting on airs without having the substance, and that annoys people.
Above all other things, internet communities is what makes me cynical about humanity.
Pre-internet communities were far from unicorns and rainbows. Conformity was much more strongly required.