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Hipster Runoff explained in two simple pictures

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sexist Topman T-shirts

Remember these?

After a brief Internet campaign, Topman decided to remove the shirts from their store. The clothing retailer  commented:

We have received some negative feedback regarding two of our printed T-shirts. Whilst we would like to stress that these T-shirts were meant to be light hearted and carried no serious meaning we have made the decision to remove these from store and on-line as soon as possible. We would like to apologise to those who may have been offended by these designs.

It was humour, numbnuts.

Remember this? Cutting fucking edge.

Ricky-Gervais-at-the-Golden-Globes

Ricky Gervais at the Oscars. Topman selling ‘humorous’ sexist T-shirts. Hipster Runoff vs the ‘hipster blogs’. It’s the same fucking thing. There’s no difference between any of these people; the people doing the satire and the people being satirised. One is perhaps a little smarter than the next because they realise that if they can convince with humour that has no heart and is pure cynicism then they’ll have a status that is near unassailable. 

Get a grip. It’s *supposed* to be funny!

Or, as Wallace Wylie put it on Facebook just now:

Hipster Runoff is just pond life bullshit. It seeks to distance itself from indie music by taking the piss out of hyped indie music. It is enjoyed by people who listen to indie music who think they’re above indie music while being totally defined by their suburban, college, indie music lifestyle. Just like the people who write on it. It’s satirical in the same way that a magazine will put a large-breasted, pouting, half-naked model on the front as an ironic, satirical critique of misogyny and the objectification of women, knowing full well that the magazine will sell more because of the cover.

And, as I wrote here:

At what point does a satire cease being a satire and become part of the entity it’s satirising? By being Hipster Runoff, and by resolutely staying Hipster Runoff, Hipster Runoff has become an integral part of the entity they’re making fun of. I don’t like humour that has no heart. It’s not in my nature. And I can’t stand Ricky Gervais either.

Its defenders might argue that Hipster Runoff is more sophisticated than Nuts or Rolling Stone. Part of the appeal, right? For people who think they’re “above indie music while being totally defined by their suburban, college, indie music lifestyle”.

Sigh.

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Another day, another boring article complaining about the ‘state’ of music

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