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United By Our Hipster-Hating Bonds

 Via Karol Collymore at Blue Oregon:

Last week, I believe I had three instances of the so-called “hipster racism.” I will only talk about one since it is pretty reflective of the other two. I was at a hip bar in the hip section of North Portland. I was sitting with some people new people and a couple old friends. The new people were all dressed in old-school Wranglers and tight graphic tees that made references to certain – allegedly funny – things. While I was amazed at how similarly they all looked in the hipster style, I immediately felt out of place in my loose-fitting blouse and pants. That was OK, I rolled with it. I’d wear my ironic t-shirt next time.

During our cocktails, one of the people referred to a Black person as a Negro. I immediately said something, making it clear that it was not OK to use that word. I got blank stares, a “you are too sensitive,” and then they returned to conversation. Now, I was never excluded throughout the evening and shared some laughs with these guys. As soon as the word “Negro” was uttered I felt very separate and different, and not just because my shirt didn’t have writing on it. What intrigued me more was that no one else – save my friend who is a member of the GLBT community – understood or defended what I said.

Collymore seems unaware that young twentysomethings are now allowed to do or say pretty much whatever they want as long as they affect an air of faux indifference and painful self-awareness (oh, and obnoxious clothes). Ugh, the perversion of irony into some catch-all, douchebag in-joke-cum-lifestyle fills my soul with deep, existential dread.

The next time she encounters some emaciated half-wit on a fixed-gear who thinks it’s ironic to use the word “negro,” I would advise Collymore to beat him up. Hipsters are weak and full of ennui from too much indie music. They won’t fight back.

  1. Vincent says:

    A stupid one.

  2. Maybe he was Spanish or Portuguese and simply used his native version of the word “black”?

    Well, it’s an alternate theory, anyway…

  3. Vincent says:

    Casual “ironic” racism is definitely not a new phenomenon among the hipster crowd.

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