Letters to the Editor
christy160
Published Letters: 2
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all hipsters are nerds at heart
[Read the article: I'm obsessed with being a hipster]
[Read more letters about this article: Here]I absolutely love this letter.
This morning, I was doing research at the local indie coffee shop. I noticed that both hipster baristas were tall and lanky. I myself am tall, lanky, and what many would describe as a hipster. I never meant to be a hipster. I was a nerdy unathletic girl in high school who was somewhat artistic. Somehow, my body type and natural inability in sports led me in college to hang out with all the cool artists and musicians.
I suddenly found myself transformed from the girl who couldn't get a date to prom, to sought after, hot tall girl with too many suitors to count.
Instead of writhing in the corner of parties, begging the dj not to play Bob Marley's overplayed album, Legend again, I was learning about new music, learning how to play the guitar, and creating artwork with newfound friends.
All of us "hipsters" started out as nerds, or outcasts. That's what brought us together. Stop resisting what pulls at your heartstrings and indulge in it! I think it's cool that you're an accountant! That's probably what landed you in the hipster world in the first place, your unique talents.
And believe me, you're not the only one who finds Williamsburg excrutiating.
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we are not what we are raised to be
[Read the article: I want a perfect wedding, but my in-laws are trashy]
[Read more letters about this article: Here]I am appalled at Cary's response to this letter. He writes an advice column for salon! Whatever his upbringing was or who he feels he is, he is still a writer for salon, and comparing himself to a 20 year old pregnant "white trash" woman doesn't cut it. That's not even advice. I too grew up in a family that some may consider white trash or redneck. I am the youngest of six kids raised in the same house, but with different biological parents, we have experienced about every after school special topic, and we all wonder how we all made it out alive. I was the first person in my family to go to college and I am now about to receive my master's degree. No matter my upbringing or past, that's ancient history. I am not about to join the ranks of other educated white people who feel like they deserve some special award for for not having the perfect childhood, adolescence, or young adulthood. Nobody does. The only thing that matters is who we are today and who we decided to be. My sister decided to clean houses for a living in order to spend more time with her daughter. My mom constantly reminds me that she is equally proud of both of our accompishments, as she should be. But my education and experience has opened doors and possibilities for me that my sister does not have. Thus I feel that I can no longer present myself as working class. To put it simply, the Dean of my program is first generation Mexican-American, and he grew up in South Central L.A. He has his Ph.D., and his primary focus is to research and design affordable housing. He often frets over the disconnect he now feels towards his old neighborhood, explaining that he could better design for a population he was a part of. The truth is, Cary, that you are now a middle class writer for a trendy website. That's not any better or worse than whatever your "white trash" upbring was. It is what it is, and it's what you chose. My point is, that it's unfair to the person you are now to base your identity on who you used to be, and especially to guilt your readers into feeling sorry for you. If you were truly "white trash" you wouldn't feel sorry for that population, you would accept their choice to be who they chose to be.