Hipsters in Detroit

Ravine · January-31-12, 06:59 PM

Originally Posted by antongast

I never said it was a bad definition.

Ah-hah.
I think I see what you did there.
Log a dunk, over the head of Ravine, for Antongast...

**BEEAH** · January-31-12, 11:44 PM

As long as my city is improving I don't care what kind of people are helping it happen. People's style and clothing, the way they present themselves or how they act, attention whores or people that wait until you look at them before they adjust something on themselves all entertain me. If hipsters, artists, urban gardeners, musicians or any other "type" of person moves to the D, I'm all for it.

I care about the improvement of downtown and the metro area. I live Downriver, about 15 minutes south of the city and I'm downtown as much as I can. I personally make fun of the OTY's[[One Time a Year) people all the time. Just like I make fun of kids wearing them new hats that I'll never get. I love all different type of people because it makes for the best people watching. It allows me to giggle to myself in my own little world while I enjoy the city and interacting with all kinds.

The one thing I don't have for people or groups of people I don't understand is hate. To hate something or someone you don't understand or have nothing in common with is a sign of ignorance.

Oh and flat bills are for ATM's, not hats!!

**partystore** · January-31-12, 11:58 PM

Hipsters talk about hipsters.

**Baselinepunk** · February-01-12, 08:46 AM

"The one thing I don't have for people or groups of people I don't understand is hate. To hate something or someone you don't understand or have nothing in common with is a sign of ignorance.

Oh and flat bills are for ATM's, not hats!!"

Why do you hate flat billed hats so much?

**RaumVogel** · February-01-12, 09:33 AM

OK, so how many of you think that Modusvivendi was trolling?

**Danny** · February-01-12, 10:27 AM

If you want to see some Hipsters. Midtown is the hot spot. Cass Cafe, Majestic Cafe, Wayne State University campus, Garden Bowl, Magic Stick, Student Center and various East Indian and Thai restuarants.

You see them as skinny jeaned, black thicked "pointdexter" like glasses, puffy brillo-like hairstyles, blurry hair that sometimes cover their eyes and listening to their alternative rock on the Apple Iphones and Ipads. I sometimes hang out with lot of them.

**Modusvivendi** · February-01-12, 11:10 AM

Originally Posted by RaumVogel

OK, so how many of you think that Modusvivendi was trolling?

How am I trolling? I'm curious about what Detroit's really like given all the negative press it tends to get. I had an honest question one aspect of the city and asked it. Nothing more than that.

**BEEAH** · February-01-12, 05:55 PM

Originally Posted by Baselinepunk

Why do you hate flat billed hats so much?

Heh, I guess I'm just getting older and its just one of them things I think look stupid. Its people acting like sheep in its purest form. People leaving the little gold sticker or the price tag on them and always messing with it. Its the best when they are on guys in their 30's, I giggle.

**Mark Smiles** · February-01-12, 07:50 PM

Originally Posted by Modusvivendi

If you want a [[hilarious) take on what constitutes being a hipster, I highly recommend watching the following video:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o_5uVdy5YmA

The video is about London hipsters, but my neighborhood in SF is full of people just like this. Not that I mind. The hipster stereotype is really easy to poke fun of, but I have to say I love my neighborhood and its vibe. The people make the place.

Why did the Hipster burn his tongue?

Because he ate his dinner before it was cool.

**Baselinepunk** · February-01-12, 08:31 PM

"As long as my city is improving I don't care what kind of people are helping it happen."

Well, let's have the conversation then.

How are "Hipsters" improving the City?

How many kids are they pumping out into the school district?

How many of them are home owners?

How many of them volunteer in the local shelters?

How are they feeding the local homeless.

Just a little bit to get the juices flowing and not meant as an exhaustive list.

Commentary: It seems to me that "we" should appreciate the "Hipsters" based purely on their existence in the City. While I do applaud any kind of positive economic activity, I will not cheer them just because they are there. The Detroit they live in today is far from the Detroit that I grew up in and live [[d) next to.

Perhaps the thing I get persnickety about this that "Hipsters" do not seem have any acknowledgement to the past struggles and accomplishments that set the stage for them to be there in the first place. They have what they have on the backs of others that paved the way.

Not bitter or nostalgic .... just sayin'

**Detroit_uke** · February-01-12, 08:43 PM

baseline punk - I don't understand your post at all. The Detroit "they" live in is not the Detroit you grew up in and now live NEXT to....and they have what they have on the backs of others that paved the way? Open your eyes.....you meant to say they have what they have [[NOTHING) on the backs of others thast UNPAVED the ways. If hispsters are 20-30.....then guess what - Detroit was being destroyed...by greedy local government...what do they have???? No services...abandoned homes...no buses...no street lights...stripped homes...no homes worth buying. I've been IN Detroit for over 50 years....not near...but actually in the city.. And please explain where these "local" shelters are and on what days you volunteer.

**Baselinepunk** · February-01-12, 09:37 PM

"baseline punk - I don't understand your post at all."

Really!?!

"The Detroit "they" live in is not the Detroit you grew up in and now live NEXT to....and they have what they have on the backs of others that paved the way?"

Seriously!?!

"Open your eyes.....you meant to say they have what they have [[NOTHING) on the backs of others thast UNPAVED the ways."

Really!?!

"If hispsters are 20-30.....then guess what - Detroit was being destroyed...by greedy local government...what do they have???? No services...abandoned homes...no buses...no street lights...stripped homes...no homes worth buying. I've been IN Detroit for over 50 years....not near...but actually in the city.. And please explain where these "local" shelters are and on what days you volunteer."

Seriously!!??!

**Detroit_uke** · February-01-12, 10:21 PM

Baseline - really? seriously? I was waiting for at least one "whatever."

**noise** · February-02-12, 09:04 AM

Originally Posted by BEEAH

Heh, I guess I'm just getting older and its just one of them things I think look stupid. Its people acting like sheep in its purest form. People leaving the little gold sticker or the price tag on them and always messing with it. Its the best when they are on guys in their 30's, I giggle.

People acting like sheep because they find a certain fashion appealing?

I didn't realize we had such a unique individual in our midst! You probably make your own clothes.

**noise** · February-02-12, 09:08 AM

Originally Posted by Baselinepunk

"As long as my city is improving I don't care what kind of people are helping it happen."

Well, let's have the conversation then.

How are "Hipsters" improving the City?

How many kids are they pumping out into the school district?

How many of them are home owners?

How many of them volunteer in the local shelters?

How are they feeding the local homeless.

Just a little bit to get the juices flowing and not meant as an exhaustive list.

Commentary: It seems to me that "we" should appreciate the "Hipsters" based purely on their existence in the City. While I do applaud any kind of positive economic activity, I will not cheer them just because they are there. The Detroit they live in today is far from the Detroit that I grew up in and live [[d) next to.

Perhaps the thing I get persnickety about this that "Hipsters" do not seem have any acknowledgement to the past struggles and accomplishments that set the stage for them to be there in the first place. They have what they have on the backs of others that paved the way.

Not bitter or nostalgic .... just sayin'

Kneel before this man of an "older" Detroit, who lives in a different city. How dare these hipsters live in the present! Do they not know I had to walk 20 miles, both ways, uphill, and in the snow?!?

**RaumVogel** · February-02-12, 09:40 AM

Originally Posted by Modusvivendi

How am I trolling? I'm curious about what Detroit's really like given all the negative press it tends to get. I had an honest question one aspect of the city and asked it. Nothing more than that.

That's cool.

I'm glad it's so healthy..4 pages and counting.

**WaCoTS** · March-27-12, 01:15 PM

so far i dont see anyone who has really hit on the core issue yet.
also, that Urban Dictionary definition seems pretty obviously written from a hipster point of view.

as i understand it anyway, the raw definition of a "hipster" is someone who is of financial means that moves into an economically depressed area in order to take advantage of lower cost of living.

of course, the discussion can go in many directions from there.
namely, the fashion component, the artistic component, and the arguments that the presence of these hipsters in depressed areas causes what's generally referred to as gentrification.

this is a concept that goes back to the classism of the 1800s in England, iirc. it was most famously played out in America when "hipsters" showed up in an ailing NYC in the 70s and places like working class Brooklyn became a "hip" place to live. not surprisingly, landlords and real estate speculators capitalized on the new crowd, selling shabby [[ie, hip) properties to these presumably gullible suburban kids who had the money to pay the inflated prices just to have a "cool" address, thinking they had gotten a "good deal" on it.

the complaint was that this caused a chain reaction of inflation and all the former working-class and senior citizen residents to have their rents suddenly jacked up to where they could no longer afford to live in the neighborhoods they had lived in for generations, in the wake of the influx of hipsters.

that said, i think Baselinepunk is essentially on point, or at least justified in what he's saying.

i always point to a certain quote that stuck out to me from the Johnny Knoxville / Palladium Boots documentary. there was a scene where they interviewed a [[seemingly drunk) member of the "creative class" why he loved Detroit, and he basically said that,

"you can come here and do anything you want..."

ok, so you see Detroit/the ghetto as a playground...?

"...its like the land of opportunity!"

try telling that to someone who has struggled to survive here for their whole life.

i try not to hate on hipsters just at face value, but the fact is they are college age kids, which basically means they are just glorified teenagers, and still have a lot of growing up to do before they truly figure out how the world works, and what their place is in it. not to mention most came from a sheltered, comparatively affluent suburban background, and are newly being set free into the "wild west" lawlessness of Detroit to "be creative," or whatever it is they do.

interview the same person 10 yrs from now, after they're all partied out, and i bet you'd get a much different answer. hopefully theyll still be able to afford plastic surgery to fix the massive droopage in their earlobes, or removal of the cheesy chest tattoos

an interesting opinion/rant from a native New Yorker:
http://ltvsquad.com/Blog/2012/03/12/this-is-nyc-2012/

**BigChum** · March-27-12, 03:46 PM

The thing with all these hipsters is like they have lots of money and shit. So they got a lot of really great stuff in their cars and they carry iPods and stuff. And you can get them to give you that stuff just by like yelling at them and making them think they are gonna get hurt. Then you can sell all that shit at the pawn shop and you got money for beer and rent and shit.

**Jimaz** · March-27-12, 04:59 PM

^ Interesting first post.

I'm still trying to figure out how something like facial hair can be "ironic."

Is it possible to be made hip against one's will?

**adamjab19** · March-27-12, 05:23 PM

Hipsters don't threaten to burn down the city. They may paint it up a bit, but they certainly won't burn it down.

**belleislerunner** · March-27-12, 05:49 PM

I bought a bike at The Hub this weekend so that might make me part hipster. Except I play ice hockey so have thick thighs so I could never fit into skinny jeans. Alas...a hipster I shall never be...