Counter Cultures

Our discussion on Tuesday, February 22, was really interesting. When I first read Frank’s article, frankly, I was a bit confused at which direction he was pointing. But I’m starting to see where he is coming from with ‘The Conquest of Cool.’

The different counter cultures our country has experienced remind me of trending topics on Twitter. According to Frank, counter cultures are a myth. If so, the movement of a group of people to dress or act a certain way is still noticeable. Much like trending topics, the ‘hippies’ or ‘hipsters’ are popular for a certain period of time. They cause the most discussion when people are talking about the latest style, or what is “in”. After a while, they fade out.

Our country literally does ‘buy’ into these sub-cultures. Companies sell products that help people who want to ‘stand out’ have the ability to do so. Like we said in class, though, when people try to stand out, they usually end up blending in. I have a few friends that are hipsters here at Ball State. They even shop at Goodwill to find the best hipster clothes and accessories.

One of their friends even made a ‘Hipster Starter Kit’ as a joke.
Here is a sample of their Hipster necessities they have posted online:


Even if our society is truly encouraging people to ‘feel unique’ by buying into retail, I don’t think we should think of it as a bad thing. It’s done with good intent. If anything, people are just testing out a new style. Who is to say that they will dress or act like that for the rest of their life?