Why being “indie” is a bunch of bunk
You’ve all seem them, and if you’re under 30, then you may be one of them. Whether is the carefully half-untucked polo shirt with the collar popped up, or the huge white belt that matches nothing else the person is wearing, or the $50 T-shirt designed to look like it was found in a dumpster, or the lawnmower haircut, these people can be spotted a mile away.
I’m speaking of those individuals of my generation and younger that are supremely concerned with being “indie.”
Maybe I’m just getting old, but this phenomenon has always struck me as incredibly ridiculous and phony. That is, people so driven by the desire to different from everyone else that they become just like everyone else.
The Art of Manliness posted a great article that pretty much sums of my entire problem with this phenomenon. He says:
The indie identity is based on the idea of being independent from the mainstream. To this end, indie people buy clothes, CD’s, furniture, books, food, and concert and movie tickets that are not popular with the masses. Instead of going to Chili’s, they frequent their local Thai restaurant; instead of going to Wal-Mart, they go to Whole Foods; instead of picking up the new Coldplay CD, they buy an album from Blood Red Shoes; instead of shopping at the Gap, they buy from American Apparel; instead of buying a Dell they buy an Apple (sure they’re a big corporation, but they’re so cool). But what is the common denominator in all of those things? Spending money. Consumption. Indie people express their independence from the mainstream by doing the single most mainstream thing possible: basing their identity on what they consume.
A decade ago it was cool to wear clothing with a company’s logo splashed all over it. Nike and Gap labels were proudly displayed as badges of honor. These days such clothing is considered laughable; now shoppers want clothes that look unique or vintage (although frequently that “vintage” tee costs $40). But the underlying motivation remains the same; people are still expressing themselves by the clothes they buy. It doesn’t matter that instead of buying things from big corporations you buy free trade coffee, organic apples, and handmade Guatemalan rugs, you’re still basing your personal identity on your identity as a consumer. You are driven by the desire to consume something first before it is consumed by the masses. It’s the new millennium’s take on “keeping up with the Jonses.” And it’s just as conformist as it was in the 50’s.
Read the rest here. Everyone else is.
5 Comments, Comment or Ping
Nate
I disagree. I think this is totally lumping everyone who considers themselves “Indie” from the mainstream into one giant pot - which is ridiculous. Could it be that some people actually have a cause for some of the things they do - not just simply wanting to be “cool” or “non-conformist”.
Perhaps I bought an Apple computer because it’s economical not because I wanna be cool, or bought some t-shirts from AA because they are $5 a piece, or maybe some people actually enjoy Thai food over Chili’s. Just something to think about. I don’t believe that everyone really lives their life simply trying to be cool and having ulterior motives for everything they do. Just a thought.
Aug 12th, 2008
admin
Well dog, if you read the article, he talks about how people can, of course, consume certain products and not base their identity on those products. But I think you’re missing the point.
The point is not that everyone who buys apple or eats Thai is a conformist. The point is that as a movement “indie” has ceased to be truly counter-cultural and is now merely another consumerism-based identity, no different in function than the “mainstream” identity it was created in rebellion to.
Aug 12th, 2008
Nate
No, point taken. But my point is that “Indie” is not a movement… it’s being independent from a movement. Just because I am independent from any mainstream movement doesn’t make me in alliance with other “Indie” people. That’s ridiculous.
And I’ve never heard someone refer to himself as “Indie” either… with the possible exception of a band or some sort of musical term. But never in life or as a person. I think being independent is just something that one is or does.
Aug 13th, 2008
Ryan
I think that the whole “indie” thing, if you wanna call it that, loses its purpose when it is saturated with people who are more concerned with people thinking that they aren’t selling out to the mainstream machine than they are with being genuine because it matters. Honestly most people I know who fall into the independent category of culture are honestly just following the current fad of independence and that sucks.
Aug 14th, 2008
Shane
Back in 1979, The Cure called it “jumping someone else’s train.”
Aug 19th, 2008
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