My NBA Hipsterism Problem, And Ours
In terms of how it gets used—which is often and poorly and carelessly enough to have legally assaulted “meaning”—the word hipster currently means something like “youngish city-dwelling white person with interests.” Though again, “meaning” is not quite the right word here. Hipster as it’s used refers to a specific type of person that likes a specific type of thing, and because Our Dumbest whites can’t stop giggle-shrieking the word long enough to figure out the type of person or thing in question, what we’re talking about is more less a word than mere sound. And anyway, once a term has become a laugh track cue on a B-grade sitcom—where it is used to rip on people who wear knit caps at seasonally inappropriate times (Kid Rock) and listen to Coldplay (your aunt)—it’s best to take it to the vet, say one last goodbye to the hobbling and slobbery old guy, and put it to sleep. All of which is to say that there is something faintly ridiculous about the idea that the NBA has a hipster issue.
