Tuesday, May 26, 2009

Thoughts On being Superficial

Indie hipster people are superficial too, deciding if you like people based on where they got their clothes, what they eat (vegan, veggie ect.), what type of music they listen to, and if their political views fall exactly in line with yours, counts as superficial. Just because the style of a hipster is supposedly anti-mainstream doesn't make less superficial if you choose your friends, or significant others based on if they look cool enough for you.
The worst is when you judge someone by their music taste, i am a firm believer that the music you like is just a part of who you are. It talks about the experiences you have gone through, reflects your mood, but most importantly the music that speaks to the deepest part of you, isn't based on what is cool or not, its just a part of you. Sometimes we need upbeat dancing music, and other times music that just narrates the day, but the most important thing is just because you like a song not in a designated cool genre shouldn't have to be hidden from your friends.
Indie hipster politics is just as hypocritical. Blindly believing another mindset, even if its not the mainstream view does not make you suddenly a independent thinker. To think independently you actually have to think about what you believe in and not just blindly accept another world view.
I'm not saying that everyone in the indie hipster community is superficial because in every group of people, some of them are truly smart independent good people, and some people just want to be a part of the group, its how all groups work. Its just I think people fail to realize even if you don't subscribe to a mainstream group it makes you an independent, suddenly not superficial person, when so many of those people really are. I don't think being indie automatically makes you judgmental but I just want to point out that to be an independent, freethinking person doesn't mean you have to be indie or even not mainstream, it just means you have to be you, and part of that is understanding why you believe what you believe and choosing friends based on who they are as a person, and not what they look like. And I guess if who you really are is fitting in and just wanting to be cool in a superficial way, then that's totally fine, just be upfront about it, you can find others that are just like you to be cool and superficial with.

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

interesting quote for you:

"Beliefs are dangerous. Beliefs allow the mind to stop functioning. A non-functioning mind is clinically dead. Believe in nothing."
-Maynard James Keenan

I'm not sure I believe that entirely, (of course Maynard wouldn't be upset since I'm not supposed to believe in anything) but I think it has its merits. Something to think about anyway.