London's poor fetish: commodifying working class culture
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Re: London's poor fetish: commodifying working class culture
#2Between white America's appropriation of black American pop culture and the rise of yuppie hipsterdom, this applies just as much to the U.S., doesn't it?
Re: London's poor fetish: commodifying working class culture
#3I dont get this. Bullshit jobs, pointless existence, drinking in bars, gentrifiers, working class...? It sounds like communist manifest. Most londoners I know are in constant buzz just to keep flowing.
London problems could be fixed in four simple steps:
1) introduce 0.1% property tax
2) build a few decent schools
3) improve subway
4) deregulate high raise buildings
Re: London's poor fetish: commodifying working class culture
#4Between white America's appropriation of black American pop culture and the rise of yuppie hipsterdom, this applies just as much to the U.S., doesn't it?
Oh, absolutely; perhaps the symbols might be different (say, PBR vs. Red Stripe), but the message can be the same.
Re: London's poor fetish: commodifying working class culture
#5"Now the warehouse resides in the middle-class consciousness as the go-to space for every art exhibition or party."
(UK but not London) Warehouses are cheapish, available and more easily licensed. Good old fashioned middle class practicality.
Re: London's poor fetish: commodifying working class culture
#6I dont get this. Bullshit jobs, pointless existence, drinking in bars, gentrifiers, working class. ..? It sounds like communist manifest. Most londoners I know are in constant buzz just to keep flowing. London problems could be fixed in four simple steps: 1) introduce 0.1% property tax 2) build a few decent schools 3) improve subway 4) deregulate high raise buildings
Erm - are you a local?
Re: London's poor fetish: commodifying working class culture
#7I dont get this. Bullshit jobs, pointless existence, drinking in bars, gentrifiers, working class. ..? It sounds like communist manifest. Most londoners I know are in constant buzz just to keep flowing. London problems could be fixed in four simple steps: 1) introduce 0.1% property tax 2) build a few decent schools 3) improve subway 4) deregulate high raise buildings
Most londoners I know are in constant buzz just to keep flowing.
You don't get what the article is talking about, but you can turn around and say something as hard to interpret as that? Is this some kind of drugs reference, or are you saying people work hard, or they're always excited? What the hell is "flowing"?
Re: London's poor fetish: commodifying working class culture
#8I'm always reluctant to embrace something that is basically bemoaning "cultural malaise", especially with a rather obvious left-wing bent, BUT, it's very well written and offers several good points.
In particular, this bit:
"That their accent, speech patterns and knowledge of institutions, by their very deployment in the job market, perpetuate norms that exclude those who were born outside of the cultural elite."
It's a very valid point that culture drives so much of hiring and economic reality. That it creates economic barriers everywhere.
There's also a valid complaint against the meaninglessness of the office job. But to say "Hipsters :("... I'm not sure that really means all that much on its own.
I don't think it's a case of seeking meaning in a pointless non-struggle by emulating the struggling classes.
It's the same as it always was - the middle classes trying to differentiate themselves by social signaling - doing things others can't. Classic yuppies just bought expensive toys. The newer generation spends on other things. For instance, by dressing like a hipster, you can signal that you are not chained to the traditional office. You can buy $8 drinks at bars on weeknights. You can spend a year or two abroad.
We aren't quite like Effie, but only because the peacocking evolved in a different direction.
But let's not forget that Hunger Games is some ways an allusion to the Roman Empire - and that the fundamental problem is not a new one.
Re: London's poor fetish: commodifying working class culture
#9I'm always surprised to see articles like this upvoted on Hacker News. Not that there is anything wrong with the content, but it surprises me that it is popular on a forum relating to startups and technology.
Re: London's poor fetish: commodifying working class culture
#10The only constant is change. Working-class culture isn't static either, and it's pretty patronising to imply that it is.
It's also weird that the article states that the middle-class are priced out by rent and head towards working-class areas for the cheaper rent, then blames the middle-class for doing so.