Tuesday, May 29, 2012

ironic young people

more photos on flickr: photos.matthewragan.com
I wonder if in another 10 (or 20) years I'll look at the world this way. Kids these days - what do they call em "hipsters" - they're just being ironic. Better still, what will ironic young people look like in the future? The brilliance of this sign is that it can easily stand the test of time... the name might change - beatnik, hippie, hipster - but the idea - young person embracing non-normative ideologies in an effort to be different only to look like / be like everyone else (irony, right?) - stays the same. I found this sign in a thrift store in Brattleboro. I love the incongruity of labeling something "ironic young people", in an effort to help those tortured youngsters find the trappings of their non-normative counter-culture costume. What's fascinating here is that the point, really, of going thrifting for your hipster outfit is to try and find something unique and different, not something labeled or designated. Maybe this sign is more for parents out and about who need a little help figuring out what to get their angst-filled 20 something.