By Dan Verrier
[This article first appeared in The Agenda #16, July/August 2006]
Hipness was around even before Lord Kelvin said “Now this is as cool as it gets,” and even just in the present day, there are any number of different definitions for it, depending on the clique being discussed. Analysis, however, leads us to some basic mechanics common to all forms of cool, regardless of period.
The reasoning behind a given thing’s popularity seems ultimately based in some quest for dominance—everybody clamoring to be the Alpha Dog—but what’s In or Out for any one group is apparently arbitrary. A given definition spreads as all memes do: from person to person, reliant upon people with varied interests to travel to other cliques, who then put their spin on it. Evolve and replicate—pure Richard Dawkins. Which isn’t to say that it’s worth liking (trucker hats and Ann Coulter are both popular in some circles, despite sucking ass). When a meme takes hold, it becomes the new Big Thing, complete with dedicated adherents…until something else comes along.
