nice precis. That they are a “product of their time is well put.” however, I think it’s also important to know that the term ‘hipster,’ was from the 1940’s — and associated with the jazz scene. Cab Calloway was a hipster (Minnie the Moocher). I work in downtown NYC, and see them everywhere. There’s nothing inherently wrong about them that makes them less genuine, or more narcissistic, than the next poseur who relies on clothing, haberdashery and affectation to feel a part of a group, even if that group‘s members only have in common a collective public image. Rather, today’s hipsters are no jive-cats. Besides recycling eyewear, what is it that they do that’s so distinctive, again?
To say that they represent counter-culture, or that they are on the cutting edge of the best trends is a bit generous: again, they contribute no more, no less than the average bear. No Lost or Beat Generation, here, just play dress-up.
