The notorious Beans, a modern mascot for irresponsibility.
Sometimes in our line of work, we’re offered free things … except, they aren’t exactly free, because we’re expected to write something about them in return. That brings me to my point: Look at This Fucking Hipster, once simply
a popular Tumblelog authored by comedian Joe Mande, is now
a 208-page paperback book authored by comedian Joe Mande. That’s right. Books still exist.
Now, I could go into great detail about how the book offers much more than the website can, such as features like “Is This a Hipster?,” “Celebrity Hipsters” and “Hipsters Through the Ages” — not to mention a full-on photo shoot with Beans. But instead of all that, I think I’ll tackle this whole “modern usage of the word ‘hipster’ ” thing. At least a little. Most of us know that the term ‘hipster’ originally, in fact, referred to members of the jazz culture of the 1940s. These folks saw through cultural conventions and formalities, rejected them, and instead strove to embrace a higher, more informed awareness via jazz and acceptance of the true pleasures in life (i.e. good music, mild narcotics and frequent orgasms). They (and this might sound a bit familiar) were “overcivilized to the point of decadence.”
