Remember when globalisation was bad because it made everywhere the same? Now globalisation can take many different forms. There's World Cup fever in every country, a Crossfit-industrial complex, Chinese globalisation and a global hipster culture that is the same whether you're in Brooklyn or London or North Fitzroy or Adelaide. It doesn't change.
There was once a time when people thought hipsters could either change the world or destroy it. What we were all forgetting is that hipsters are just a consumer group. It's like thinking the Friday night after-work drinks crowd are destroying civilization, or that my Mum's friends hanging out at Chadstone are going to start a revolution. Consumer groups! That's it!
White Melburnians no longer seeking the approval of their parents now look for approval from hipsters. And just like they did with their parents, white Melburnians pretend to hate hipsters when we all know they love them. Just as the child who has learned a new word keeps repeating it, Melbourne white people must keep using the word 'hipster' no matter what - even if hipsters have got nothing to do with what they're talking about.
Yes, white Melburnians have hipster Tourette's. Which brings me to non-hipster blindness.
Non-hipster blindness is:
- when hipsters get the credit for inventing fashions that influenced them.
- when people in photos taken fifty years ago get labelled as hipsters decades before the term was coined.
- when an opinion piece in the New York Times argues that hipsters have 'ruined Paris'. Not even the fucking Nazi war machine could ruin Paris but now the entire city is suddenly vulnerable to hipsters? Paris is not that fragile!
(and this is the The New York Times! It's meant to be a serious newspaper not the Northcote Leader!)
- when a borough of 2.5 million people gets cast as the 'hipster' part of New York. Surely there are other types of people there?
- when a vaguely hipster-ish guy at your work is universally known as 'the hipster guy' when he has a name! He's a human being!
- when festivals get called 'hipster festivals' just because some of the people there are hipsters. It's like calling the Carnivale in Rio an Aussie festival.
But Melbourne needs hipsters because they don't get violent as easily as other Melburnians. Your chances of being smacked in the face in a hipster neighbourhood are almost zero. And even if somebody did manage to land a punch it probably wouldn't even hurt.
Sunday, February 15, 2015
Sunday, March 2, 2014
Rollies
There's nothing wrong with tailors. They still make you look cool, they still give you cancer, they still come with pictures of Bryan. But white Melburnians will never smoke them because they're too easy. You whip one out of the pack, light it, then it's gone. Rollies take much longer. They require a level of patience and skill, artistry, yadda yadda. They prolong the entire smoking experience and are the central artefact in the production and maintenance of white Melburnian smoking culture.
White Melburnians would never do something just to do it. They do things to be seen doing them. Rollies drag out (get it?) the whole act of smoking because the construction of the cigarette takes so much time. Ever notice how long it takes Melbourne white people to roll one cigarette? Forever! And they smoke all the time. They should be able to roll one in ten seconds flat but it's normal to see them take around five to ten minutes.
It's all about the way you position your fingers on the rolly paper. It's all in the wrinkled brow and intense look of concentration you enact as if this is the first time you've ever rolled one, bent to your work with one leg crossed over the other, the ache in your butt and lower back from the wooden bench you've been sitting on for three hours. And that whole thing where you leave the filter stuck to your bottom lip for a few minutes before the rolling even begins. Then, the rolled cigarette is held aloft, erect, triumphant, (usually held up a second or two longer than necessary) and gratefully accepted from someone across the table. Repeat.
White Melburnians would never do something just to do it. They do things to be seen doing them. Rollies drag out (get it?) the whole act of smoking because the construction of the cigarette takes so much time. Ever notice how long it takes Melbourne white people to roll one cigarette? Forever! And they smoke all the time. They should be able to roll one in ten seconds flat but it's normal to see them take around five to ten minutes.
It's all about the way you position your fingers on the rolly paper. It's all in the wrinkled brow and intense look of concentration you enact as if this is the first time you've ever rolled one, bent to your work with one leg crossed over the other, the ache in your butt and lower back from the wooden bench you've been sitting on for three hours. And that whole thing where you leave the filter stuck to your bottom lip for a few minutes before the rolling even begins. Then, the rolled cigarette is held aloft, erect, triumphant, (usually held up a second or two longer than necessary) and gratefully accepted from someone across the table. Repeat.
Tuesday, November 26, 2013
American food
It was only just recently that the term 'American food' would bring
forth all sorts of ridicule from white Melburnians. 'Food?' they'd say
incredulously, 'that's not food!' as all things crumbed, glazed or deep
fried were shunned. Back then, white Melburnians thought American food was all just hot dogs, burgers, greasy sandwiches and pork. But now that American food is being marketed to them in culturally appropriate ways, you'll see plenty of white Melburnians raving about hot dogs, burgers, greasy sandwiches and pork. My advice for anyone thinking of opening an
American restaurant in Melbourne's inner north? Just call your soup
'gumbo' and put the word 'pulled' in front of any meat dish. They will
line up.
But let's be honest. Australians have been eating American foods for generations. McDonalds, Burger King and KFC have always been popular, and TGI Fridays still draws a crowd. But these foods were never marketed to white Melburnians. There are a number of ways in which these places are marketed and presented to consumers that make them off limits to white Melburnians. For example, they are all very loud. Too much ambient noise means that strangers on adjacent tables won't get to listen to white Melburnians talk about their weekends or their experiences on a recent date or their new purchases (eavesdropping is a central form of communication in white Melburnian culture). The decor is all wrong too. No exposed brick, wooden beams or white tiles. All those glossy surfaces clash with the white Melburnian preference for matte.
Another problem with TGI's (and McDonalds and KFC etc) is that they are too authentic. Too firmly suggestive of their native context, these places are filled with lots of people who could be Americans. The food itself is also too authentic. It tastes just like the type of crap you're forced to eat while changing planes at Logan or Dulles, or filling up on I-91, or while watching a game at the Wells Fargo Center or AT&T Stadium or at a shopping centre in New London or New Britain or New Hampshire or San Luis Obispo. It's just too American for white Melburnians. Which is to say it's located in a part of the world that's not Northcote, so white Melburnians would prefer to avoid it altogether.
But there is definitely something a little sad about American food made by white Melburnians for white Melburnians. It lacks a certain depth of flavour and texture. Holding these foods in my hands, there's an odd feeling of lightness both in the food itself and in my wallet that isn't there in the American versions. Too much palm is visible, and when you squeeze the food it gives way (yields) too easily. White Melburnians forget they don't have to dress up to eat fried chicken. American food makes you feel full, happy and strong. People who eat that food could conquer the world (and they almost did). American food is for the masses, not just for the few in the inner suburbs of the most privileged cities. Its food that's eaten from sea to shining sea, through the cornfields, the bayous and the everglades. From the housing projects of Detroit to the upper floors of the Chrysler building in Manhattan. From the stoops of Brooklyn brownstones to the front porches of Pocatello, Idaho. American food is for all Americans. Thank you for reading and God bless. And may God bless American food.
But let's be honest. Australians have been eating American foods for generations. McDonalds, Burger King and KFC have always been popular, and TGI Fridays still draws a crowd. But these foods were never marketed to white Melburnians. There are a number of ways in which these places are marketed and presented to consumers that make them off limits to white Melburnians. For example, they are all very loud. Too much ambient noise means that strangers on adjacent tables won't get to listen to white Melburnians talk about their weekends or their experiences on a recent date or their new purchases (eavesdropping is a central form of communication in white Melburnian culture). The decor is all wrong too. No exposed brick, wooden beams or white tiles. All those glossy surfaces clash with the white Melburnian preference for matte.
Another problem with TGI's (and McDonalds and KFC etc) is that they are too authentic. Too firmly suggestive of their native context, these places are filled with lots of people who could be Americans. The food itself is also too authentic. It tastes just like the type of crap you're forced to eat while changing planes at Logan or Dulles, or filling up on I-91, or while watching a game at the Wells Fargo Center or AT&T Stadium or at a shopping centre in New London or New Britain or New Hampshire or San Luis Obispo. It's just too American for white Melburnians. Which is to say it's located in a part of the world that's not Northcote, so white Melburnians would prefer to avoid it altogether.
But there is definitely something a little sad about American food made by white Melburnians for white Melburnians. It lacks a certain depth of flavour and texture. Holding these foods in my hands, there's an odd feeling of lightness both in the food itself and in my wallet that isn't there in the American versions. Too much palm is visible, and when you squeeze the food it gives way (yields) too easily. White Melburnians forget they don't have to dress up to eat fried chicken. American food makes you feel full, happy and strong. People who eat that food could conquer the world (and they almost did). American food is for the masses, not just for the few in the inner suburbs of the most privileged cities. Its food that's eaten from sea to shining sea, through the cornfields, the bayous and the everglades. From the housing projects of Detroit to the upper floors of the Chrysler building in Manhattan. From the stoops of Brooklyn brownstones to the front porches of Pocatello, Idaho. American food is for all Americans. Thank you for reading and God bless. And may God bless American food.
Sunday, October 20, 2013
Conversations with white Melburnians: a guide
Being a subset of Melburnian culture, white Melburnians have their own social norms, ways of communicating and ideas of what constitutes desired behaviour. Thus when Melbourne white people discuss their lives, there are only a limited number of possibilities for every statement they make. This changes the types of questions you can use to engage them in conversation. The getting-to-know-you questions are different, since you already know the answers to all of the usual ones. Here is a guide to conversations with white Melburnians:
If a white Melburnian tells you they are going to America:
"So are you staying in Williamsburg or the area next to Williamsburg?"
If a white Melburnians tells you they are going away for the weekend:
"Is there public transport to Castlemaine?"
If a white Melburnian tells you they are going to MIFF:
"Which music doco are you seeing?"
If a white Melburnian tells you one of their housemates is annoying them:
"Is it the photographer or the writer?"
If a white Melburnian tells you their tram was delayed:
"Is the 86 normally so bad?"
If a white Melburnian tells you they have to write an essay for uni:
"Is it about Derrida or Lacan?"
If a white Melburnian tells you they are moving to Europe:
"So you got that residency in Berlin?"
You also don't need to tell white Melburnians the suburb you live in, which can be confusing if you are new to Melbourne. When you hear them describe where they live, often it's just a street name:
"I live on Scotchmer. You?"
"We're between Canning and Rathdowne".
It's remarkable that such shortcuts of speech are possible in a city of 4.2 million. All of the diversity such a massive city offers in terms of lifestyles, places of work or residence, geography, forms of transport, social life and recreation - most of it gets air brushed out in White Melbourne where everyone is doing the same things all the time.
If a white Melburnian tells you they are going to America:
"So are you staying in Williamsburg or the area next to Williamsburg?"
If a white Melburnians tells you they are going away for the weekend:
"Is there public transport to Castlemaine?"
If a white Melburnian tells you they are going to MIFF:
"Which music doco are you seeing?"
If a white Melburnian tells you one of their housemates is annoying them:
"Is it the photographer or the writer?"
If a white Melburnian tells you their tram was delayed:
"Is the 86 normally so bad?"
If a white Melburnian tells you they have to write an essay for uni:
"Is it about Derrida or Lacan?"
If a white Melburnian tells you they are moving to Europe:
"So you got that residency in Berlin?"
You also don't need to tell white Melburnians the suburb you live in, which can be confusing if you are new to Melbourne. When you hear them describe where they live, often it's just a street name:
"I live on Scotchmer. You?"
"We're between Canning and Rathdowne".
It's remarkable that such shortcuts of speech are possible in a city of 4.2 million. All of the diversity such a massive city offers in terms of lifestyles, places of work or residence, geography, forms of transport, social life and recreation - most of it gets air brushed out in White Melbourne where everyone is doing the same things all the time.
Sunday, September 8, 2013
Food trucks
In many cities around the world, people eat food from
trucks because it's cheap and convenient. In white Melbourne, food from
trucks is considered a delicacy. Food trucks are so popular you actually have to queue before you
can place an order. But the longer you have to wait the more enriching
your experience becomes. Because then everyone will not only get to see
you eat truck food, but they'll also see you attempting to buy it. The
next steps are to (1) talk about your truck food experience to people
who weren't there; (2) check in to the food truck you're eating at; (3)
update your status about how you're eating truck food comparing it to
other truck food you've had in the recent past; (4) tweet about your
truck food dining experience; (5) photograph your truck food and upload.
Food truck websites want you to believe their food is the most authentic, genuine, real, pristine, original, natural, traditional food anyone has ever eaten. Online you can read about how the truck in question was inspired by journeys to eastern Europe or Mexico and other countries that aren't Australia. This type of promotional strategy draws on an aspect of broader Australian culture to its advantage, which is the idea that the best way to succeed in this country is to leave it. Then you come back and talk about how you did all of the stuff you normally do in Australia except you did them overseas. This equals instant Australian success. We can't take anyone seriously until they have been validated for us by Europeans or Americans (and maybe the Japanese).
So when white Melburnians eat truck food, they are not just consuming the food itself. They are consuming the experience of consuming food purchased from trucks. This distinction is critical because it means eating truck food isn't about eating truck food. It's really about your choice of clothes, the way you've brushed your hair, and how you sit on the kerb while eating than the flavours, textures and aromas of the food. There are at least two levels of consumption here, and you'd rarely be wrong in assuming that to be the case whenever white Melburnians consume anything. Since the quality of the meal is insignificant compared to the experience of openly consuming it, when asking someone what they thought of the food they'll say "it was alright".
Food truck websites want you to believe their food is the most authentic, genuine, real, pristine, original, natural, traditional food anyone has ever eaten. Online you can read about how the truck in question was inspired by journeys to eastern Europe or Mexico and other countries that aren't Australia. This type of promotional strategy draws on an aspect of broader Australian culture to its advantage, which is the idea that the best way to succeed in this country is to leave it. Then you come back and talk about how you did all of the stuff you normally do in Australia except you did them overseas. This equals instant Australian success. We can't take anyone seriously until they have been validated for us by Europeans or Americans (and maybe the Japanese).
So when white Melburnians eat truck food, they are not just consuming the food itself. They are consuming the experience of consuming food purchased from trucks. This distinction is critical because it means eating truck food isn't about eating truck food. It's really about your choice of clothes, the way you've brushed your hair, and how you sit on the kerb while eating than the flavours, textures and aromas of the food. There are at least two levels of consumption here, and you'd rarely be wrong in assuming that to be the case whenever white Melburnians consume anything. Since the quality of the meal is insignificant compared to the experience of openly consuming it, when asking someone what they thought of the food they'll say "it was alright".
Sunday, August 4, 2013
Malcolm Turnbull
White Melburnians love Malcolm Turnbull because he enlivens public debate by using words other than "boats", "stop" and "the". He talks naturally, doesn't try to hide his intelligence and isn't openly scornful of the Arts. It's even possible that Turnbull might understand not everybody in society enjoys the same privileges as rich white men. For Melbourne white people, most Liberals come across as bullies or try-hards, so they appreciate Turnbull's lack of bluster and relative honesty. Malcolm Turnbull knows he isn't average and isn't afraid of that. He is rich, privileged and intelligent - and he acts like it! But this is okay for white Melburnians because they want their leaders
to be smarter than them. They don't care if their leaders aren't the
types they'd have a beer with because that's what friends are for. Tony Abbott tries to act like an average bloke. But average blokes aren't Rhodes Scholars and they never seriously consider becoming a priest.
But Malcolm Turnbull plays an important role in the ongoing pursuit of social status amongst white Melburnians. When Melbourne white people tell you they like Turnbull, what they are really telling you is they are better than the average Labor voter. Their open appreciation of Turnbull is an attempt to position themselves above the fray, to make it look like they aren't diehard Labor or Greens voters. They want you to recognise their high political IQ, which is hard because in the next sentence they'll go on about how Tony Abbott or John Howard are "idiots", which is a grave miscalculation. But like most things in white Melburnian culture, the content of the message is not as important as its delivery. Pay close attention to the way white Melburnians tell you they like Turnbull. All of them say it as if it's a grand revelation! They want you to be shocked to hear they like a Liberal.
Turnbull is also a republican and campaigned hard for the 'yes' vote in the 1999 referendum. Even though republicans are found on all sides of politics (as are monarchists), white Melburnians like to pretend the republic is only for the Left. While the existence of Malcolm Turnbull is proof that they're wrong, white Melburnians get around this by claiming Turnbull as one of their own. Remember when it was uncool to travel to America and white Melburnians said they'd never go there "except to New York"? Malcolm Turnbull is the New York City of the Coalition. Remember when the only hip hop white Melburnians listened to was the Beastie Boys? Malcolm Turnbull is the Beastie Boys of the LNP. If Kevin Rudd is Labor's answer to John Howard, then Malcom Turnbull is the Liberal's answer to Kevin Rudd.
But Malcolm Turnbull plays an important role in the ongoing pursuit of social status amongst white Melburnians. When Melbourne white people tell you they like Turnbull, what they are really telling you is they are better than the average Labor voter. Their open appreciation of Turnbull is an attempt to position themselves above the fray, to make it look like they aren't diehard Labor or Greens voters. They want you to recognise their high political IQ, which is hard because in the next sentence they'll go on about how Tony Abbott or John Howard are "idiots", which is a grave miscalculation. But like most things in white Melburnian culture, the content of the message is not as important as its delivery. Pay close attention to the way white Melburnians tell you they like Turnbull. All of them say it as if it's a grand revelation! They want you to be shocked to hear they like a Liberal.
Turnbull is also a republican and campaigned hard for the 'yes' vote in the 1999 referendum. Even though republicans are found on all sides of politics (as are monarchists), white Melburnians like to pretend the republic is only for the Left. While the existence of Malcolm Turnbull is proof that they're wrong, white Melburnians get around this by claiming Turnbull as one of their own. Remember when it was uncool to travel to America and white Melburnians said they'd never go there "except to New York"? Malcolm Turnbull is the New York City of the Coalition. Remember when the only hip hop white Melburnians listened to was the Beastie Boys? Malcolm Turnbull is the Beastie Boys of the LNP. If Kevin Rudd is Labor's answer to John Howard, then Malcom Turnbull is the Liberal's answer to Kevin Rudd.
Sunday, May 12, 2013
Awkwardness
White Melburnians don't know how to introduce themselves. They don't know if they should do the handshake, the hug, the kiss or the hug 'n' kiss or the handshake with the half hug. They don't know if they should give you a dap, backslap, high five or low five, or whether they should do or say anything at all.
Do you kiss? But what if they go for the hug? You'll kiss their ear! How much pressure do you exert with your lips? If you're too gentle like a mother kissing an infant it'll be weird but going in too hard and punching them with your mouth isn't good either. And if you don't connect on a high five do you try again or go for the conventional handshake? How to recover if you spill your drink (or theirs) as you greet someone? What to do if you knock their glasses off their head while reaching for the hug? And if one person is sitting down do they stand up or should the standing person try to give them a squeeze and risk delivering a groin to the face?
Melbourne white people don't know what to do when they see someone they know. Do you go over to them and chat? But what if they don't want to chat? What if you just met them recently or met them years before but saw them recently? Does the protocol change if you're on the tram, in a bar or riding past?
There is also a pervasive assumption amongst white Melburnians that every person they've ever met will want to engage them in prolonged conversation. What's wrong with saying hello without breaking stride? What's wrong with a wave, a nod or a quick 'hello' as you walk past? White Melburnians will either have a deeply intimate and protracted conversation or completely ignore you. There is no middle ground for them. They prefer to pretend they didn't see you rather than say hello and keep walking. When meeting white Melburnians be prepared to be the first to introduce yourself. Offer your hand as you get their attention so they don't have to choose. They will appreciate it.
Do you kiss? But what if they go for the hug? You'll kiss their ear! How much pressure do you exert with your lips? If you're too gentle like a mother kissing an infant it'll be weird but going in too hard and punching them with your mouth isn't good either. And if you don't connect on a high five do you try again or go for the conventional handshake? How to recover if you spill your drink (or theirs) as you greet someone? What to do if you knock their glasses off their head while reaching for the hug? And if one person is sitting down do they stand up or should the standing person try to give them a squeeze and risk delivering a groin to the face?
Melbourne white people don't know what to do when they see someone they know. Do you go over to them and chat? But what if they don't want to chat? What if you just met them recently or met them years before but saw them recently? Does the protocol change if you're on the tram, in a bar or riding past?
There is also a pervasive assumption amongst white Melburnians that every person they've ever met will want to engage them in prolonged conversation. What's wrong with saying hello without breaking stride? What's wrong with a wave, a nod or a quick 'hello' as you walk past? White Melburnians will either have a deeply intimate and protracted conversation or completely ignore you. There is no middle ground for them. They prefer to pretend they didn't see you rather than say hello and keep walking. When meeting white Melburnians be prepared to be the first to introduce yourself. Offer your hand as you get their attention so they don't have to choose. They will appreciate it.
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