Friday, December 23, 2011
Tuesday, December 13, 2011
RANT OF THE WEEK: Don't be indie, be yourself :)
Recently it has been bugging me how everyone seemed to be jumping on the indie bandwagon. The reason it bugs me is that it has now made indie-ness a paradox! How can you be indie, but be exactly the same as all the others that are following the indie craze?
Here is urbandictionary.com’s definition of ‘indie’ to help you understand what exactly I am talking about:
According to the dictionary, ‘indie’ is an informal version of the word independent.
Here is urbandictionary.com’s definition of ‘indie’ to help you understand what exactly I am talking about:
According to the dictionary, ‘indie’ is an informal version of the word independent.
Although this definition is accurate, the word has come to mean more. For many, it has come to symbolize originality and forward-thinking, especially in music and design.
By this definition, indie is any business or designer that is not associated with a large company. Indie can also define the consumer who chooses to support small business, independent record labels and handmade items rather than shopping at big-box stores.
So pretty much, indie is the opposite of mainstream - mainstream being popculture, commonly known bands, styles and designers etc. This is how it is now a paradox, everyone seems to be going for the indie lifestyle. They go out of their way to find cool, original stuff to create their own identity and end up not forming an identity for themselves at all! People get driven away from things they usually would have loved for fear that it was too unoriginal, too mainstream! People seem to care so much about what other people think that they change themselves and their tastes and likes. Instead of being indie to be their own person, their whole life is shaped by society. What is thought of as the norm is to be avoided, even if you love what everyone else loves. And there is usually a reason that everyone loves something. Because it is good!!
I fell into this trap for a bit, even though I denied it profusely. Buying stuff that no one else had or would ever think of getting so I could be my own person with my own taste and style! But then I realised I was actually just following a trend, and that it was making me avoid the things that I liked but that other people liked too.
So here is a summary of what I was saying: grandpa cardigans, loafers, rolled up jeans, obscure bands, introverted hangouts at tiny little pubs in weird places no one has ever heard of - all good if you actually like that sort of stuff! But if you are doing it just coz everyone else does, coz everyone else thinks it’s cool, then you are silly. And a very fail indie kid. If you are changing yourself and who you are, just to be an “individual” you have obviously missed the point. If you want to be an individual, then just be yourself! Coz being indie is so unoriginal.
So pretty much, indie is the opposite of mainstream - mainstream being popculture, commonly known bands, styles and designers etc. This is how it is now a paradox, everyone seems to be going for the indie lifestyle. They go out of their way to find cool, original stuff to create their own identity and end up not forming an identity for themselves at all! People get driven away from things they usually would have loved for fear that it was too unoriginal, too mainstream! People seem to care so much about what other people think that they change themselves and their tastes and likes. Instead of being indie to be their own person, their whole life is shaped by society. What is thought of as the norm is to be avoided, even if you love what everyone else loves. And there is usually a reason that everyone loves something. Because it is good!!
I fell into this trap for a bit, even though I denied it profusely. Buying stuff that no one else had or would ever think of getting so I could be my own person with my own taste and style! But then I realised I was actually just following a trend, and that it was making me avoid the things that I liked but that other people liked too.
So here is a summary of what I was saying: grandpa cardigans, loafers, rolled up jeans, obscure bands, introverted hangouts at tiny little pubs in weird places no one has ever heard of - all good if you actually like that sort of stuff! But if you are doing it just coz everyone else does, coz everyone else thinks it’s cool, then you are silly. And a very fail indie kid. If you are changing yourself and who you are, just to be an “individual” you have obviously missed the point. If you want to be an individual, then just be yourself! Coz being indie is so unoriginal.
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