Hipsters? In my nerdery?

[crimson5pheonix]

pic related​

Every once in a while you'll see comments about hipsters (more often in some places than others) but for the most part the talk has died down about it. But it's certainly known that hipster culture has partially merged with nerd culture and has been pushing the image of nerd culture away from being proud of obscure knowledge and different passions and into being proud of having obscure knowledge and different passions.

pic still related​

The above image of "nerds" isn't always accurate and hasn't really ever been, but it makes it's point all the same; "nerd culture" is not about image, "hipster culture" is. I'm certain there will be comments in this thread talking about "labels" and "stereotypes" based on image because that's what online culture in general and nerd culture specifically has become, images of stereotypes.

pic STILL related​

This is a holdover from hipster culture moving next to nerd culture and bringing it's baggage with it. The popular image of a "nerd" is a shorthand for someone who looks and acts different either because of circumstance or because they don't see the value of acting normal. The popular image of a "hipster" is that of someone actively and deliberately looking and acting differently to stand away from popular image.

pic funny, but no longer related
OR IS IT?​

It's easy to see hipsters as poseurs and indeed, that's where all the talk before of hipsters came from. "A bunch of people invading fringe hobbies because of superficial similarities between the social circles", but one word of difference earlier in this rambling post has changed the tenor of conversation over time. There's always been some discussion and argument over whether someone was sufficiently nerdy, but the conversation has moved to being what nerds as group look like, how the image of "nerd" is presented to the world.

But now the times are changing. Nerdery has gone mainstream. The former pits of obscure knowledge and strange passions are getting mined and sold to the common man. The former hipster-nerd has to trade on even more useless information to keep up their "cred". The problem is that these rabbit holes go stupid deep and twisty, there's no way to keep up with everything. Especially if you haven't had the kind of devotion to know this sort of stuff at 10 years old or so. The modern hipster-nerd has to keep up somehow.

 

[Zontar]

The modern hipster-nerd has to keep up somehow.

Oh, but they do, they do so by attacking nerds, calling them everything in the book and trying to appropriate nerd culture while both simultaneously trying to take the place of nerds and calling for nerds to once again be acceptable targets for bullying in schools and in public.

Hipsters get on my nerve, especially the ones who have deluded themselves into thinking their being a hipster is the same thing as being a nerd, like on the two PBC Idea Channels on YouTube (is that thing seriously publicly funded? I mean I'm from Canada and I find that shocking).

 

[Redlin5_v1legacy]

Spoiler: Labels! Labels everywhere!

All I know is that I'm not yet considered 'cool' for all my nerdy stuff and that whenever I see someone gutted an original Gameboy to make a necklace out of it, I get upset. It ultimately doesn't matter too much though, or at least to me it doesn't.

 

[vallorn]

Spoiler: Labels! Labels everywhere!

All I know is that I'm not yet considered 'cool' for all my nerdy stuff and that whenever I see someone gutted an original Gameboy to make a necklace out of it, I get upset.

The only reason someone should gut an original gameboy is to mount a DOOM capable computer inside the case. That or mount something capable of emulating Gameboy, Colour, Advance and perhaps some N64 classics like Podracing in the shell.

In other news. Those old gameboys are sodding indestructible, I found the old GBA that my mate gave to me when he got a GBA SP (Tribal) ((We were 10 and 11, piss off)). I remember playing football on tarmac with it when I got my own GBA SP for Christmas... It STILL works perfectly. Even managed to beat Pokemon Yellow (the best one) again on it!

 

[BreakfastMan]

I, uh, what? Is it just me, or does anyone else not get the point of the thread? Like, I just have no idea what is going on in the OP.

 

[Something Amyss]

pic still related​

And amazingly, that pic paints a more negative picture of nerds than any outside group could ever do.

Is that really how you view nerds? Because literally, the image on the left was the one that used to piss us off. Now we're actually fighting over it?

Slightly more OT:

Assuming the information in your profile is accurate, "nerd" has been mainstream since before you were born. This looks like a variation on any generational rant: it's not exactly like how I remembered it, therefore it's bad. The same is true of any label. Or music. Or those kids these days with their jazz rock and roll heavy metal hip-hop boy bands indie music.

And god forbid we spend more time enjoying what we like and less time gatekeeping and cred checking.

 

[Something Amyss]

Now, who exactly is doing the actual gatekeeping, again?

"Gamers don't have to be your audience."

"Gamers don't know how to dress."

"something something wailing hyperconsumers."

So...am I being held accountable for the words of someone else? Because I certainly didn't say those things, and I'm pretty sure I'm not accountable for what others do. However, those aren't instances of gatekeeping. Hell, at least one of the quotes is altered from its original form and meaning. Actually, at least two.

In other words "Don't focus on gamers, focus on us instead. We are the GOOD audience that you should be listening to."

"In other words" implies that you are paraphrasing what was said, not adding new material to alter it. In other words, that wasn't "in other words."

Seems like one side is indeed gatekeeping here.

I'm confused how this became about "sides" in the first place. The things you are bringing up don't actually pertain to "nerds" in the first place. Hell, they don't even apply to gamers until you alter the quote.

Hell, I just said we should spend more time enjoying what we do and less time concerned with whether or not someone else is enjoying it properly. Which "side" am I on?

But that doesn't mean "hipsters" (as it were) aren't just as guilty of the same.

I'm not sure how this is in any way relevant to what I've said.

BOTH sides are guilty of it, BOTH sides justify it by demonizing the other, and BOTH sides are wrong to do it.

"Both" sides didn't make a thread on the matter here. At least, not that I'm aware of. If you would like to show me such a thread on here (and only on here, because I am not going to sign up to other sites to fulfill some false parity) where hipster nerds have complained about what "real nerds" are, I'd be happy to say the same. But that's a distraction.

"Both sides are doing it" is in no way an answer to what I said.

But when one group is telling others to stop gatekeeping while actively supporting people who are gatekeeping, well, there is a word for that.

Who's doing that, again? This is a pretty big shoestring argument if you're talking about me.

But do not paint with a broad brush and label EVERYONE as being guilty of the same.

And who's dong that, while we're at it?

And do NOT justify it when someone you like does it.

Who would that be? Assuming you're talking about me, you haven't brought up anyone I like, so...how do you get there from here?

And yes my fellow GGers, that goes for us to. Let's ALL try to do just a little better.

You just broad brushed me as you were preaching not to. You just tried to force a double standard on me while practicing one thing and preaching another.

One final note: the mods have asked Escapists multiple times to not derail threads with GG. I have done my best not only to honour that, but to avoid the topic as much as possible even when it is on-topic. Now, if you want to continue discussing your accusations, fine. But I have neither the interest in derailing an OT discussion with GG against the wishes of the nice Spidermod, nor do I have interest in continuing that line of discussion at the moment, period. Respond to me how you wish, but if it involves GamerGate again, I won't be part of it.

You have an entire subforum dedicated to that. If I'm interested in discussing it, I'll pop in there.

 

[bartholen_v1legacy]

Oh God no... it's the fake geek girl discussion all over again... help me... mooommyyyyy!!! I'm having flashbacks!! I'm triggred you shitlord! You triggered my post-traumatic stress, PMS!!!

All I know is that I'm not yet considered 'cool' for all my nerdy stuff and that whenever I see someone gutted an original Gameboy to make a necklace out of it, I get upset. It ultimately doesn't matter too much though, or at least to me it doesn't.

If that GB was a still working one, that's plenty reason to get pissed, if only because that person could have sold said gameboy at a store.

I live in a small enough country where this kind of shit isn't happening. If it did, I don't really know if I'd care. Hipster mentality is annoying regardless of the form it takes, it might just be a bit more annoying to us personally once they adopt nerdy stuff to be their identity pick of the month.

 

[KyuubiNoKitsune-Hime]

The funny thing about geek/nerd culture and hipster culture, is that both are now pretty damn mainstream. I've actually seen dude bro types out hipster, hipsters, out nerd, nerds, and out geek, geeks. This can only happen because these cultures are now something in the mainstream.

The real problem is that everyone is trying to play gatekeeper with everyone else. I heard the someone say recently this: "I was nerdy before it was cool." With absolutely no sense of irony, they said it dead seriously. That was the point at which I kinda gave up on the whole thing.

The point is these labels perpetuate the "us versus them" mentality, using groups to other people for the tiniest thing. This sort of subject matter is exactly what Bob "MovieBob" Chipman did a big picture video on way back on July 2nd of 2013. This thread in particular is evidence of one side trying to gatekeep against another group, when what people who identify as nerds and geeks should be doing is working to be more inclusive.

Still more important than being part of the group, is being your self. If you are your group label first and an individual second, then in my honest opinion, you've got your priorities wrong. But it's being the group label first that fosters this mentality of exclusion.

 

[Neonit]

Honestly, i still dont care. I play the games because i like the games. I do not care about the image of "gamers" because the only "gamers" i care about are those on my and the opposing team. Afterwards i make myself some dinner while watching streams/reading game or tech related news.

If some people want to make their image all about "being nerds" let them. I understand the same problem was common in the "music world" with the "posers". But being angry or uneasy about it would distract me from my hobby, so i do not care about it.

As to "oh noes, its the fake gamer girls again", well, i do not care about it as well. Besides, isnt it the same as the "gamers are dead" articles? I assume the OP is only talking about those truly fake hipsters who dont care about the medium, so others have nothing to worry, and should actually be happy - right?

I dunno, it still seems really weird to my why someone would want to be labelled as a nerd. The label itself is a negative, with showing too much of obsessive interests/hobbies. Its like zealot, or fanatic - you can be what you are without steeping to extremes.

But meh, maybe im getting old.... Now, if you try to censor my games because you are offended.... thats a different matter entirely.

EDIT: oh i almost forgot, what do you mean by:

But it's certainly known that hipster culture has partially merged with nerd culture and has been pushing the image of nerd culture away from being proud of obscure knowledge and different passions and into being proud of having obscure knowledge and different passions.

English is not my native language so sorry for that

 

[Secondhand Revenant]

I don't really see these hipster nerds around.

It really sounds like more of an insult than a genuine thing. I'm not sure how one is supposed to be able to identify a hipster nerd. How exactly does one gauge genuine intent in something like this? It sounds more like a way to proclaim oneself as *truly* caring while others don't.

 

[Thaluikhain]

I don't really see these hipster nerds around.

It really sounds like more of an insult than a genuine thing. I'm not sure how one is supposed to be able to identify a hipster nerd. How exactly does one gauge genuine intent in something like this? It sounds more like a way to proclaim oneself as *truly* caring while others don't.

Easy...do they like something I don't like, and/or not like something I do like? Then they aren't one of the real ones like me.

 

[VanQ]

The most ironic thing about the modern hipster is there's nothing original about them. They're completely mainstream. Not to mention they're a pale imitation of the nerds they want to be like because we're getting all the cool movies and games. In stead they get arthouse crap and Dear Esther. Which they claim to have liked "before it was cool" but honestly Dear Esther was never cool. Hell, they can have that stuff, I just wish they'd wear some good looking fake glasses.

Glasses can make a great fashion statement, but the big awful ones they wear just look terrible.

 

[Secondhand Revenant]

The most ironic thing about the modern hipster is there's nothing original about them. They're completely mainstream. Not to mention they're a pale imitation of the nerds they want to be like because we're getting all the cool movies and games. In stead they get arthouse crap and Dear Esther. Which they claim to have liked "before it was cool" but honestly Dear Esther was never cool. Hell, they can have that stuff, I just wish they'd wear some good looking fake glasses.

Glasses can make a great fashion statement, but the big awful ones they wear just look terrible.

Well if we're going off of people being all "I liked it before it was cool!" I tend to hear that from people resenting gaming and the like becoming more mainstream and newer people coming in. For some reason I don't think those are the supposed hispters people are trying to talk about...

 

[Carzinex]

I think im coming from a different perspective, not sure if its just being from the UK, age or just my city's culture but neither stereo type presented fits what gaming/comic book/RPGs fans were in the 90's.

If anything our music tasted defined what we wore. All the folks at the local RPG club and the customers of the sole comic book store were all into Nirvana, Pearl jam, Faith no more, etc and dressed grungily accordingly in our flannel shirts and leather jackets.

What you describe as nerds were mostly the trekkies who would shop at the same stores as us and had no fashion sense or people skills.Now there is nothing inherently wrong with that but who would actively want to be labelled as having no fashion sense or people skills?

Do i like hipsters? well no but thats for other reasons but this obsession with Nerd culture being sacrosanct and "ours" has to go. You are not just a "Nerd" a "gamer" a "comic book reader" there is a lot more about you(i would hope) just as there is more to the people who don't dress like you who also like games, comics, etc.

Well if we're going off of people being all "I liked it before it was cool!" I tend to hear that from people resenting gaming and the like becoming more mainstream and newer people coming in. For some reason I don't think those are the supposed hispters people are trying to talk about...

Yeah i think this is the irony alot of folks are missing. I'm an old bastard and i love that younger folks i work with are into the same stuff as me now, growing up it was a very small group who i could talk to about my interests, now its pretty much most folks.

"i liked it before it was cool" is why i dislike hipsters but i also don't like that attitude in any group as it just comes across as "im special and your taking my specialness away from me!!!"

 

[Random Gamer]

Is there actually any case where hipsters could claim to have liked things before they were cool?
Just wondering, because I'm at a loss here. But then, I don't spend much time thinking about hipsters. Too busy saving the world - or conquering it

 

[Zykon TheLich_v1legacy]

Sounds like a lot of young 'un talk going on in this thread. When I were a lad we didn't have hipsters or nerds, we all got these brown uniforms with little red armbands and had to parade around all day saluting this little shouty moustache man. Simpler times.