Hipsters vs Scenesters: Learning the difference

Today we're going to be learning some fundamental lessons on subcultural societies and values. Fundamentally, the two main strands by which subcultural information is reinforced and appropriated.

A hipster is someone who follows what is percieved to be cool by consensus - with a fundamental awareness of this fact, and the long history of hip that it has developed from. This is though to stem from combinations of the Romantic poets and writers of what was dubbed “pulp fiction” in the 19th century and the theories developed upon the concept of Dialectical Materialism developed by Karl Marx, and the emancipation of labour. This continues with the expansion of the middle class Post WWII war, and the creation of the “Teenager” as a distinct social identity. Perhaps more on the development of leisure, and the consequent rise of counter culture at another point.

A hipster is aware that though the 80’s and what are 4th wave “punks” are cool - or perhaps simply just popular, just as house music was popular in the late 90’s and Grunge was cool in the very early 90’s, it will not always be cool in the timeless manner of say, The Velvet Underground for example, or perhaps David Bowie, or Bob Marley who remain in a stasis of cool though even this is not an ongoing certainty to any adaptable hipster, for example, Bob Dylan, whose hipster uber icon status has looked tenuous at points.

The early pioneers of modern day hip, were of course those such as Frank Sinatra and Elvis Presley, who discovered by adapting, and forgoing arbitrary notions of "scene" they could continue to be relevant as icons. It is of course Madonna who continues to lead research to the extent to which this theory applies and the half life of that which is hip.

A hipster knows that what is cool today, may not necessarily be cool tomorrow, and is ready and adaptable.

A scenester is someone who believes that what they believe to be cool now, has already achieved a state of inert coolness. Sometimes this is the result of a passionate personality with deep commitment to personal beliefs and values, but more often is the result of the bearing of such a personality on another, weaker personality, who is easily told what is cool and what to believe in.

Often insecure about their beliefs, unlike the steadfast “Alpha” scenesters, they seek to appropriate scene motifs and scene regalia in an attempt to underline and enforce (or perhaps even “compound”) the sometimes uncertain reality of their identity and their friendships within the all important "scene".

Of course we are not making a judgement about wether being a Hipster whose concept of what is cool is fluid, based around a few erudite concepts, is better than being a Scenester, whose identity is a heavily prescribed amalgamation of concepts that are still being formed at the forefront of subcultural developments.

It is merely an effort to help foster understanding between hipster and scenester communities, as hipsters often eschew the thoughtless arbitrations of scenesters, while scenesters struggle with the inherent dynamicism of hipsters with it's groundless uncertainty.