The “Hipster” Paradox

In an overbearingly annoying attempt to not follow the crowd, hipsters have created the people that are the biggest sheep of them all.

Look around hipsters, you are all following each other. You may have succeeded in being different from us normal people, but next time you are at a reggae concert or hanging out with your hipster friends, please open your eyes and look around. All your hairstyles are the same (rocking dreads or a beanie), you all dress the same (thin flowing shirts with scarves, tight jeans, chucks or vans, and nerdy glasses), you all listen to the same music (reggae, techno, and anything underground), and you all hate the same things (anything popular). So by creating this cool, unique, rebellious group of yours, you have done exactly what you were trying to avoid: FOLLOWING.

There are TOO many of you now to be all calling yourselves different. 

Wake up. Look at a mirror or your best friend (it is the same effect because he looks exactly like you) and realize that you are living the biggest lie that there is. You are all the same and all following each other.

 

I am Me.

I’ve been wanting to write about this idea for a long time, but I didn’t know myself well enough to fully grasp the concept, yet alone describe it to other people. I’ve always known who I am inside, but I have never truly let it encompass my being, my personality, and my dreams. Before the evolution to my current self, (I say evolution and not transformation because I believe I have grown into myself, rather than changing into a different person), my mind has always been pestered by a noxious mixture of worry and insecurity. My being was a combination of what I wanted people to see me as and what I truly am inside, and all at the same time something bad was happening. If my outer image and my true identity were two people on a bed fighting for their share of the blanket, my real self was pushed to the edge of the mattress and left cold and coverless. My worries and insecurities were filled with the need to impress the people that mattered to me, but what I didn’t realize is that those people were with me regardless if I was impressive or not. I went about trying to impress them by trying to be good at the things they were good at, yet I was failing and it made me worried about whether or not I could make something of myself. I kept hammering away at trying to be something I’m not, until one day I went through a significant change that I like to think of as the rebirth of me. Not the me that wanted to be something that I wasn’t, but the me that could change the world for the better by differentiating from the personality type I was trying so hard to be. I may not be the best at sleeping with everyone I lay my eyes on and I may not be the highest paid chief executive officer in the greater southwest region, but whatever I do find my passion in, I will not let anyone on this planet stop me from getting to the top of it.

I really care about the people I chose to hang out with, man or woman and I will stop at no end to keep them smiling, no matter how stupid or goofy I look. I don’t enjoy hitting on drunk women and I’d prefer a woman discover me and fall in love with my personality. I don’t enjoy acting like an alpha-male in front of my guy friends, I’d rather have a good time and be a good friend. People who think I am stupid for doing what I do, are not smart enough to assess a person and see what they are feeling at any given moment. I will always put others in front of me even if it means I have to sacrifice. No matter how little the sacrifices, they add up. If I don’t get to eat where I want or I don’t get to chose the activity I want to do, that’s okay, if it means I can positively affect your day. They may think they got what they wanted, but they don’t know that I let them win. By making that person feel good, I got what I wanted. Even if the person realizes my efforts or not, I don’t care. Seeing someone smile is worth it. 

I am Me.