A thread through the archive
Essays tagged “hipster culture”. Follow an idea across the archive.
Scott summarizes and responds to comments on his previous article about nerds and hipsters, covering various topics and reflecting on personal identity and social signaling.
Scott Alexander critiques Sam Kriss's analysis of nerds and hipsters, offering an alternative theory about identity investment in cultural products.
Scott introduces the concept of "meta-contrarianism" - where highly intelligent people signal their status by rejecting contrarian positions and returning to simpler views, similar to how hipsters adopt uncool styles to seem cooler.