Tonight, my journey into hipsterdom leads me to an exploration in film. The movie: "A Clockwork Orange." Released in 1971; directed by Stanley Kubrick. It seems hipstery enough...is it?
Well, first off, it was made before I was born, and every hipster knows that if it was made before you were born, it's awesome. Secondly, upon reading the reviews, it would appear that the movie has somewhat of a cult following as well as a large amount of people who despise it--excuse me: don't get it. (The mainstream hates what it can't understand; the hipster understands what the mainstream can't.) Thirdly, it's British, and we all know that the British are so much more raw and grungy than we uptight Americans are; grunge is so indie. Fourthly, it has a message that takes some time, perception, and dark humor to understand--only truly indie movies make you feel something real.
So: old, "misunderstood," foreign, contemplative, and sarcastic. I'd say that's pretty hipster. I enhanced the hipster mood by ordering a mushroom pizza from Cousin Vinny's [hipster qualifications: cheap, not so great tasting, local, vegetarian]. All I needed to complete the effect was my grandmother's Tiffany lamp hanging from the ceiling.
Upon viewing the movie, I fell into a truly indie state of contemplation. I don't think it will really give anything away to say that Kubrick is trying to make his viewers think about crime and punishment: the personal benefits and detriments of the former; the lengths governments will go to make sure the latter is effective. Any movie that makes you think like that is so exclusive. So, I begin to ponder these abstract generalities that specifically affect my everyday life. What is the role of government in reforming its prisoners? Is Skinnerian conditioning on humans immoral? Does the absence of evil equate to the presence of good? Of course, I have to have an opinion about all of these things because being conscious and opinionated is so obscure. However, I come across a stumbling block: I have absolutely no idea why the film is called "A Clockwork Orange." Is he trying to make some sort of extremely obscure message? Is it a metaphor? An allusion? I just can't figure it out. I guess I have a long way yet until I master the philosophy of hipster.
After a while, all this profound pondering is giving me a headache, and I am growing weary of thinking about serious things that are obviously very important in my immediate life. I'm going to chalk it up to a philosophical workout and call it a day. However, I can't deny that I actually enjoyed the film for its efforts toward poignancy, humor, and creativity: three main components of hipster living.
See? I'm learning already.
This is where I differ from the hipsters. I very much dislike philosophical, obscure discussions on the pointless and unmeaningful (not actually a word). But I have seen "A Clockwork Orange." So it's a wash.
ReplyDeleteI'm not sure my sarcasm really shows here as much as I thought it did. I attempted to think about it because I didn't fully understand it, but I realized how pointless it was to sit there thinking about something that has absolutely no effect on my personal life in the present. I jokingly called it a "philosophical workout" because there really isn't anything worth thinking about. I'll be sure to be more direct in the future; I always overestimate my ability to write sarcastically.
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