In Defense of Halloween

Now, you might say to me, "Jacob, everyone loves Halloween."

To that I would say, "That is a gross generalization, and I won't stand for it." However, you would be mostly right. Halloween is widely loved and celebrated by many people, not just hipsters.

For hipsters, though, Halloween holds a special appeal. It is an opportunity for them to express themselves without saying any words. Similar to nerds in many ways, a hipster will often plan his or her costume for months in advance, and aim to have the most clever costume at whatever sad, ironic event or obscure concert they plan on attending.

On Haloween, I attended a concert featuring a few obscure bands at a small local venue. Aside from a couple of punks dressed as zombies, the vast majority of attendees were hipsters sporting meticulously crafted costumes depicting obscure cultural references, visual puns, or ironic stripper outfits. Vintage sci-fi characters, 80s police officers and Wayne & Garth from Wayne's World were among the most accessible costumes.

So the next time you go to criticize a hipster for being apathetic or having a lack of whimsy, consider what the effort they likely put into their Haloween costume. Then chuckle in amusement and let the feeling pass.