I appreciate a self-aggrandizing, unsolicited tirade as much as the next guy, but did you guys even read the post? At no point was it trying to insinuate that this is how one HAS to act or look in order to be a hipster in Birmingham. In fact, the post specifically states in the beginning that no one likes or self-referentially uses the term. It’s just a name that currently refers loosely to a certain subculture. All of your judgements are aimed at a strawman based on stereotypes.

The post is simply for people new to Bham–who might not be catered to by Birmingham’s surface -level culture (yourselves included)–to have an easy way of integrating in with their own kind. Nothing more. The judgmental attitudes and negativity you guys are bringing isn’t doing any good. If someone wants to dress a certain way, that doesn’t necessarily say anything about their personality, just like looking “eccentric” doesn’t mean that someone’s interesting. Quit pretending to be outsiders and lets all just get along.

Right on. I’ve never lived in Birmingham, but in other AL cities and similarly sized metro areas within a couple hundred miles. This is kinda BS. True hipsters only shop at American Apparel? Maybe if you’re a “daddy pays for my alternative lifestyle even though I openly hate on him” hipster…but I’ve never met anyone worth knowing who insisted on such strict cliches as espoused in this article.

I get called a “hipster” on a regular basis, as do some of my friends, based on rough indicators that are irrelevant to a person’s character. Unfortunately, I can’t help but feel insulted, even when I know someone doesn’t know better. This is basically why.

The reality is that all public smoking should be banned but that is decades away. Smokers have no more right to smoke where it can harm others than gun enthusiasts have to target practice in a public setting. The Constitutional limits to all civil rights say that your rights end where they infringe on the rights of or endanger others. It is demonstrated by the example, “the right to swing your fist ends at my nose.” The dangers of second-hand smoke are irrefutable.

So as you can see I agree with your point of view – we should not have barred smoking at restaurants we should have barred smoking in any public setting. Unfortunately we have to do it in small steps. Restaurants today, the state tomorrow. But until then if a restaurant wants to serve food and allow smoking they still can; they just have to obtain a lounge license instead of a restaurant license.

As for Sun Ra… Think about what a New Orleans resident would say if someone pointed out that the city had produced a great musician, internationally known, who wore wild clothes and espoused unusual ideas. “Yes! And let me tell you about all of the other ones!”

http://www.bhamwiki.com/w/Birmingham_Metropolitan_Audit

If the diagnosis remains pertinent, I think the proposed treatment might still be worth trying.