Re: the way to kill a dead feeling

mattfightsbears — Sun, 19 Jul 2009 07:48:53 -0000

That has to be one of the coolest movie posters I have ever seen. Also I will watch it with you if you can wait. Bet the library has it if you dont already.

Re: my home is the sea - I gut stuck in Chicago tonight, after extended...

mattfightsbears — Wed, 28 Jan 2009 23:36:20 -0000

I would definitely like to come back and actually spend some time in the city. It was soo cold and I wasn't really dressed for the weather. Based on a few hours though, I'd recommend a visit.

Re: i love you tumblr.

mattfightsbears — Wed, 28 Jan 2009 23:06:58 -0000

Sometimes I don't even know what I'm reading anymore

Re: Zoe

mattfightsbears — Tue, 27 Jan 2009 22:46:19 -0000

aww shucks, thanks. I noticed after it went up that there was a scanner issue in the top left, but im too lazy to fix it. Just don't look.

Re: the way to kill a dead feeling

mattfightsbears — Sun, 25 Jan 2009 12:21:47 -0000

Have you seen this one? http://www.youtube.com/watc...

Re: the way to kill a dead feeling

mattfightsbears — Tue, 20 Jan 2009 02:09:57 -0000

You are proving remarkably adept at imitating carles.

Also I understand and fully sympathize with the desire to catch 'em all, even at this age.

Re: can't shake the feeling that

mattfightsbears — Mon, 19 Jan 2009 17:11:28 -0000

I suppose I should preface this by pointing out that I fully recognize that everything I am about to contribute deals with extreme stereotypes, most of which are not only easily open to, but probably should be attacked.

Even though I've always been slightly baffled by David's preference for Baltimore over DC, I have to agree that I am sure there are plenty of hipsters I wouldn't BELIEVE in DC as there are in Baltimore. Still my immediate reaction to Jimmie's "Baltimore’s cultural allure doesn’t really outweigh my analysis as a place where suburban kids go to play dress-up and live in pseudo-destitution" was to agree. For me at least, growing up near equal distance between the two cities, Baltimore gets stereotyped as the bastion for middle class-guilt ridden hipsters seeking to atone for their relatively privileged upbringing through a romanticized ideal of lower income living.

I've always been struck by what David aptly points out as the conservative, racist, and sexist nature of hipster culture, which is of course diverse and manages to spawn a new title-worthy sub-culture every few months. For a group of people who arguably espouse an open and enlightened ideology regarding race, sexuality, etc, hipsterdom remains a highly elitist and discriminatory realm who ranks are populated mostly with privileged white kids. At best there are people who through whatever form of activism or outreach are trying to work for and change people's minds about any number of positive movements. Racial equality, social justice, eco-friendliness, better friendlier communities without violence, etc. "At best" isn't even apt because these people are just plain good. At worst you have a group of people (minority/majority, i dont know, you decide) who take something like freeganism and make it into "just the next step" in their quest for hipster cred or else become so wrapped up in their sense of moral superiority that they look out with disdain on everyone who isnt with them. The point is to make people think about waste, not feel ashamed of buying food at a grocery store, am I wrong? You catch more flies with dumpster honey. Its just a shame when the motivation to outhip the other hipsters turns into exclusivity and elitism.

Now that I've vented on freegans, back to DC vs. Baltimore, I can only suspect that more people think of Baltimore more as the home of dirty hipsters has a lot to do with DC's stereotype as the home of WASP congressmen, mainstream politics, and lets not forget an at present tired and mostly lackluster music scene. DC just doesn't have the hipster cred these days. We have a few elite schools, Baltimore just has one. We've got smelly old art in free museums full of tourists from all over mainstream America. Not to say there aren't comparisons. Columbia Heights is a lot like Hampden, while the bravest look to SE for "authenticity."

I can say that I feel middle class guilt. I think most of us from a middle class background capable of critical thought and self reflection do in some way. Despite whatever concerns I may have about whether or not the way I am living is "real" or authentic, I don't have the balls to commit to anything beyond the kind of "pseudo-destitution" that would, in my view, trivialize the situation of the people around me. I can't say I know or understand all of the characteristics people believe they see in poor communities or these mostly upper lower class neighborhoods that they choose to romanticize or idealize, but I have to imagine that most of them are actually independent of lack of money. Is it a sense of close-knit community? More creativity? The lack of means to buy into all of the excesses of "modern society" and the middle class? Then again maybe none of that is important, and some hipsters are just looking to play house in the only neighborhoods they can afford.

In any event, the only point I ever intended to make was that, yes David, crummy hipsters live everywhere, not just Baltimore. And yeah, there are are few really cool people who live with em everywhere too. Baltimore just happens to be the regional scapegoat. Hipsters aside though, I still like DC better.

Re: my home is the sea - Ahaha, so I couldn’t resist trying my hand at a...

mattfightsbears — Sun, 18 Jan 2009 14:17:38 -0000

I used this http://photoshoptutorials.w...

Re: the way to kill a dead feeling

mattfightsbears — Wed, 31 Dec 2008 14:05:17 -0000

See, now how many of those pokemon can you even name? I can see a pikachu and a bulbasaur, and a Brock, and the rest are foreign.

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Re: my home is the sea - Ahaha, so I couldn’t resist trying my hand at a...

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