Uzique wrote:
yuup. basically everything today in the postmodern age is some form of cliché, or has otherwise been colonized in the unconscious/subconscious way by the invasive effects of advertising and the 'big business' bogeyman. we're all sold the image of individualism, self-determination and autonomy, without even realizing that these 'lifestyles' and 'images' have been marketed to us just like any other. that's why i laugh about people like galt... saying he has no identity and pays no heed to any external influence. this coming from the guy that got a hipster herb-farm for christmas. we're all equally guilty and all equally entrapped within the belly of this horrible machine!!!!
Uzi, really, I don't have any identifiable identity.
I like good food, but wouldn't classify myself as a foodie.
I like riding my motorcycle, but I wouldn't classify myself as a biker.
I am a war veteran, but I mention it only rarely.
I am an engineer, but I don't fit that stereotype.
I'm really into sabermetrics, but I don't go out of my way to hang out with like-minded people.
My friends have diverse tastes and they all seem to be ok with not having identities either. My best friend is in law school right now, likes good beer, and is into baseball stats too. The maid of honor at my wedding is marrying a guy that's really into graphic novels.
I guess my point is that you seem to be falling into the youthful trap of thinking you have to actually belong to a group. You don't. You make your own group with whatever hodgepodge of friends life deals you. Some people are into this stuff, others are into that stuff, and you overlap just enough that you have a good time together. That's all life is really about.
The reason the 'angry 30 somethings' make fun of hipsters is because a lot of them never figure out that you don't need to contort yourself into some defined grouping in order to have friends and enjoy life. There's nothing sadder than a mid 30s, early 40s, dude running around in neighborhoods full of trust fund kiddies 'trying to find himself'. The secret to life is just to have fun. You don't need to force your horizons to expand, let it happen over time as you meet new people that can act as a guide. Take a little from here, take a little from there, but never force it. Stop being in such a rush all the time because you end up missing the forest for the trees.
I went on a walking tour of Greenwich Village in Manhattan today, a place that I've been to dozens of times to party, and it was a total eye opening experience. Old Federalist architecture mixed with newer brownstones, and a bunch of really good shops that I would normally walk past without giving it a second thought. We finished the tour and then sat in a little Cuban restaurant that we'd never been to before. New experiences lead to evolution of mind and body. That's why it's so important to not pigeonhole yourself into a niche or try to attach labels to yourself.