Adorned in secondhand oversized flannels, cuffed jeans, and thick black-framed glasses, with an air of exclusivity and smug confidence, hipsters have found their places in respective cities across America. Carrying cups from independent coffee shops in one hand and dangling lit American Spirits from their fingertips in the other, they represent a movement of a new millennial generation, one that relishes in promoting the ideas of authenticity and originality in a world driven by Wall Street bankers, top 40 radio, and McDonald’s commercials.
They are redefining what it means to be an aimless twenty-two-year-old urbanite armed with a liberal arts degree and parental financial support. Crowding themselves in small cities such as Brooklyn, they are changing the way city cultures develop, one vintage record store at a time. But yet, what exactly is a hipster? We may be quick to conjure an image of Urban Outfitters-clad individuals, but the subculture goes far beyond appearances.
The idea behind hipsters is that they purposefully seek out the unknown and the unpopular and make it a part of themselves. They watch independently produced films, they’re pioneers of a liberal arts education over a big state university education, they receive their news from more rounded and culturally aware websites such as Vice and Slate, and they invest themselves in new forms of creativity, such as digital art. They don’t need to follow the crowd and they are proud of that fact. Beyond the surface however, there is an underwhelming positive impact that the hipster subculture has cultivated on society that is not quite acknowledged. Therefore, hipsters remain one of the most integral components of the millennial identity today because they introduce a widely influential mindset that advertises alternative, open-minded thinking over blindly accepting the conventional.
Hipsters describe young, white, and upper-middle class individuals who focus on portraying themselves in a specifically constructed image through clothing, attitudes, and interests that diverge from the conforming. Having a constructed image is not to say that they were not genuine in what they loved and what they wore, but rather that promoting their “hipness” was just as important as being hip.
The movement first gained traction in the early 2000s in small neighborhoods in New York City and soon spread out through other various cities in recent years, presumably through the passage of the popularity of materialistic items. In many high schools and colleges, there was a noticeable shift in what was becoming the new cool for some individuals. American Eagle was traded in for American Apparel, Madison Square Garden concerts for underground bar basement performances, To Kill A Mockingbird by Harper Lee for The Dharma Bums by Jack Kerouac.
Hipsters are often viewed through a derogatory lens due to their perceived pretentiousness of being better than everyone else that does conform. As previously mentioned, hipsters tend to pride themselves on promoting how hip they are. It is an “I discovered this musician/book/photographer/cafe first,” attitude in which the respective subjects lose their meaning over the hipsters’ desire to be the original. It no longer is about the musician, it’s about finding the musician before anyone else does.
In the idea of not conforming, hipsters believe they are advancing into the direction of making decisions for themselves while the rest of the nation is deluded into falling into the trap of Corporate America’s marketing ploys. Consequently, this concept can elicit many negative reactions. Despite coming from wealthy families, many hipsters opt to purchase clothing from thrift shops, essentially paying to look “poor,” which serves as an unintentional mockery to those who really cannot afford clothes. Another marker of the hipster disposition is their stance toward preferring to consume local organic food. The notion of valuing organically grown food and healthy-living eating styles is rooted in being highly educated on food processing in a way that most people are not, possessing the funds to afford such a lifestyle, and arguably having a holier-than-thou attitude toward all other alternatives.
Yet many aspects of the hipster mentality should not always be considered negative in its nature. In buying secondhand clothes, it is encouraging the idea of spending less on clothes because clothes shouldn’t matter that much in comparison of consuming more important goods. Buying secondhand clothing is also good for the environment and saves on unnecessary wasting. Furthermore, in their love of organic food, hipsters are supporting local farmers and promoting a healthier lifestyle.
Alternatively, it can be argued that since hipsters are a group that engage in a similar way of behaving, they are in a sense conforming, which can be considered the antithesis of what they so fervently believe in. However, what sets hipsters apart from other social groups is that they are united in their objective to expand their horizons and find more open, creative ways of thinking, instead of following more straightforward, commonly accepted approaches. That is where the trademark hipster distinctiveness comes into play. The goal is to think outside of the box, pick up the book no one else has heard of, and join the social cause that has very little public awareness.
Regardless of the positives, society’s distaste toward hipsters originates from the arrogance hipsters radiate, and not the progressive ideas they advocate for. We tend to gloss over subjects and are quick to make judgments on what we see, without bothering to pry open and dissect their underlying purposes. The hipster movement outwardly symbolizes a group of individuals that are condescending and conceited, and it is this view that is commonly accepted for its face value. Whether this sense of superiority is actually sincere or simply interpreted from self-pride is a separate concept, nevertheless the free-thinking values that hipsters actually support are either cast aside or not fully recognized because most people tend to focus their attention on exterior impressions only.
In its core, the hipster subculture helps us define what it means to be a millennial because it transcends the beliefs’ our parents grew up with. Arrogance and pretentiousness aside, the hipster subculture teaches us to challenge popularity and mass consumption, fostering the idea that materialism and consumption are individual choices and that what is popular is not always the right decision for everyone. This idea extends beyond materialism, and towards our own values and beliefs. It illustrates that traditional paths towards our futures can be challenged and that seeking our own goals, likes and dislikes, and choices on our own is more important than what society has insisted upon us. We don’t need to get a corporate job in a cement block building as soon as we graduate. We can read books about Che Guevara, teach English in Thailand, bike everywhere around the city, eat as much kale as we want, and never go to another Starbucks again if we don’t want to. In that manner, the hipster subculture is encouraging thinking for ourselves and paving the way to finding our own uniqueness, sans needing to be conceited about it.
Ultimately, hipsters play a key role in our world. They are young dotcom entrepreneurs, they are our local baristas slash creative writers, they were the Occupy Wall Street protesters. They’ve helped introduce nonstandard solutions to society’s ills (such as supporting locally grown organic food in lieu of machined, processed food) and facilitated mass support for independent small businesses, especially those in music and art. In a time where most twenty-somethings are highly educated, unemployed, and in search of a direction, hipsters have demonstrated that by capitalizing on individualism, each person can take any path less traveled and take pride in it.
Gender Inequality in America
I believe one of the most pressing issues that the United States faces is economic inequality, specifically in terms of women. According to the Institute for Women’s Policy Research, “in 2013, female fulltime workers made only 78 cents for every dollar earned by men, a gender wage gap of 22%.” (2013). The gender wage gaps only fuels the sheer amount of inequality that women face in the labor force, in terms of labor participation rates and occupational gender segregation, setting back generations of women with so much potential to contribute to a better society.
Despite our generation’s push for gender equality in many facets of life, our gender wage gap pulls us in the opposite direction of economic empowerment. Today, women are earning more college degrees than men are. They are striving to earn jobs that are typically male dominated, yet the wage gap is setting women back to the point where they may not reach full gender wage equality by 2058. Women are more prone to work pinkcollar jobs, such as teaching and nursing, which typically pay less than maledominated jobs. This only serves to contribute more damage to the widening gender pay gap. Single mothers, as well, face hardships for providing for a whole family when they are earning nearly a dollar less than men. (IWPR 2013) The gender pay gap not only impacts women and their confidence in their abilities and experiences, but also impacts the way families are supported as well as jobs opportunities and benefits. Many women are discouraged and tend to lack a voice when the labor market is skewed in favor of men.
Economic empowerment is key to improve the wellbeing of our society and that well being cannot be created or sustained without gender equality. Half of our labor force is composed of women and when women are not receiving the pay they deserve, it depicts a deeply flawed system that does not recognize a basic human right. In terms of solutions, there are practical methods such as raising minimum wage, improve parental leave policies, extend parental leave benefits to men, and create pay transparency policies. Awareness is the first step to finding a good solution and therefore increasing education on gender income inequality is also an essential tool to problemsolve this crisis.
As an AsianAmerican woman in the twentyfirst century, my job prospects in the hold a much slimmer chance in gaining the occupation and pay that I desire. I lack the privilege that many of my peers possess that will have an advantage over me in a competitive economy that we have today. This information does not deter me, but rather contributes to my perseverance in striving for a more equal labor force. While the gender wage gap is an issue that has persisted for years, with the proper policies, laws, and education, we as a society can move forth in reducing the amount of inequality that women face.
Education in China Limits Creativity
During the span of three days at the end of each academic year in China, thousands and thousands of twelfth-grade students are wrecked with anxiety-driven anticipation for one of the most important exams they will ever take. Formally known as the National Higher Education Entrance (NCEE), but colloquially referred to as the gao kao (which literally translates to “highest exam”), this exam is the make-or-break, annual college entrance criteria for Chinese students. Students spend their entire academic careers working towards passing this exam, and if they fail, their one and only opportunity to gain entrance into college is shot completely. Even if a student earns a lifetime achievement of top test scores, red check marks, and countless hours spent studying, if his or her performance is only average on the gao kao, it will all only amount to a second-rate university.
In China, the key word in education is “examinations.” The government-regulated education system is primarily founded upon the idea of rote memorization and strong test-taking skills as essential ingredients to an individual’s lifetime success. This concept is particularly difficult to explain to other Americans, whose education beliefs are so firmly rooted in individualism and well-roundedness. We grew up in a society where education was something that could extend beyond the classroom. We encourage everything from field trips to extracurricular activities to study abroad, important aspects of students’ lives that characterize the American education system as a unique and fundamental vehicle to shaping creative, versatile minds. Keeping this in mind, how do we face an education system such as the one in China, where a single exam sums up your entire academic performance? How do we begin to understand a system where there are often no second chances, when opportunities to gain experience outside of the classroom are limited to the few and privileged?
In a cultural context, education is a principle that is deeply ingrained in Chinese society and family life. Firstly, Confucian philosophies promote education as an equalizing and easily accessible tool to build a better, more intellectual and harmonious society. Merit-based civil service exams were crucial to gaining entrance to a good job in the government’s bureaucracy. Therefore the mentality of entrance exams has been a key component of Chinese culture since the ancient times. Secondly, education is also considered a familial duty, and excelling in academics brings a sense of honor to the family. It is why after receiving a failing grade, many Chinese students are not only disappointing themselves, but are also letting down their families to a certain degree.
In more recent history, since the height of Chairman Mao Zedong’s reign during the early days of the Communist regime, collectivism has been an important component of Chinese culture. The has stress has always been on the question of how can we, as a collective entity of individuals, contribute towards society? The purpose of education in China isn’t exactly to learn for learning’s sake, but rather a means to an end; the goal is to specialize in one subject, excel in it, and utilize education for the benefit of society. For example, in Chinese universities, it is standard protocol to choose one major upon entering and stick with it; it is not typical for Chinese students to take other subjects within the first couple of years and explore their interests as it is in many American universities.
As a test-driven education system, China’s education has yield significant results. According to the Programme for International Assessment (PISA), an organization that measures academic achievement around the world, in 2012 China ranked the top scores for math, reading, and science. This report spurred an international outcry from other countries, particularly more developed nations such as the United States and Britain, in which they feared that their own education systems were lacking in comparison to that of China. Yet high test scores do not equate high levels of intellectual capabilities. While China’s achievement is impressive in its own right, such a large emphasis on test scores and grades limits creativity and innovation. 60% of Chinese education is devoted entirely to math and Chinese, leaving little room for fine arts, humanities, and sciences.
China’s academic environment is high-strung, stressful, competitive, and emotionless, which goes against the calm security and free-rein environments required to foster true creativity. There is a strong authoritarian presence in Chinese culture that translates to its education system. The government plays an extensive role in regulating the Chinese education system. They require a nine-year compulsory school attendance, which they fund. The school year typically runs from September to July, and an average school day begins at seven in the morning and goes on until five at night. Even extracurricular activities such as badminton and music are geared towards rote memorization, repetition until gaining perfection. Students are unable to fully invest themselves in education because it is so forced and the consequences of not performing well weigh heavily in their personal lives.
Furthermore the government regulates what is being taught to students and who is teaching, often leaving students with a very limited and one-sided perspective on many subjects. This idea further reinforces Chinese students to consume and memorize, and not analyze and question, two factors in which are considered important aspects of education in Western culture. In my experience studying abroad at Fudan University, a top-tier university in Shanghai, I quickly learned that my professors focused more on us passing tests and reiterating concepts, rather then holding class discussions and developing understanding behind concepts. All of my professors seemed to hold the same opinions as well, particularly regarding sensitive subjects such as politics, and those that did speak out were both hesitant and careful in how they presented them to the students. Upon further research, I discovered that professors and teachers tend to be less interested in the individual well-beings of students and more concerned with maintaining high test scores in order to maintain their salaries and protect their reputations.
The arts in general are not promoted in Chinese academic culture, as the focus is primarily on math. The focal point is rigid study and rote memorization as tactics, and ingrains the idea that academics are the most serious and important parts of life. It is forced and makes Chinese students feel less empowered and in charge of their own education. Creativity offers the opportunity to foster empowerment and confidence in an individual’s abilities, and by limiting that, students are unable to grow and innovate. Since contributing to society is so important to Chinese society, limiting the arts and creativity actually takes away from that goal. Therefore in order to achieve that goal, the Chinese education system must reform to create a sustainable environment with less pressure and more focus on individual needs and developing individual creativity in order to help create a better and more diverse society.