Entertainment : Portlandia: Hipster Chique or Mockster Weak?

I watched a few episodes at a friend's house a couple weeks ago, and it was pretty funny. I don't know if I'd ever watch it regularly, but I got a kick out of it. Husband and I keep telling each other to "put a bird on it". But then we live in a hipster laden area, too.

I like it, and I think they settled on Portland but that shit is nationwide. Every major college town across the U.S.A. Portlanders have some charm and self-awareness, so they abide, but I really get a kick out of this show. The trailers/commercials made me think I'd dread it...

It is what it mocks.

It's a show for hipsters, made by hipsters, to make fun of hipsters.

NO ONE SELF APPLIES THE TERM HIPSTER, most hipsters use the word hipster in a deroggatory way to refer to other cliques of hipsters (because, if you look into the way that they conform, they all do it, but they do it in these small, insular groups, it's like an organic, naturally developed social version of a "cell" organization).

But Portlandia is the key to it all, once you understand that hipsters live to make fun of other hipsters then you achieve "hip" you reach the level of "getting it."

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I encourage you to make fun of hipsters, I get it, they aren't as cool as you are, but you need to realize that doing so makes you a hipster. It's like the Dark Side of the Force, strike at us with your hate, your hate has made you strong.

@ Danny,

Yeah, I mean, you know how small Portland is. So there were two episodes shot within a few blocks of our place. I should probably watch more of them, but I never watch T.V. usually only film. T.V. is way, way too addicting for me.

Yes, Voodoo Donuts. Awesome. Bacon Maple Bars. The owner is a trip too, really into art. 

So what is up with that guy who shot the state trooper today. He was in your area. Talk about psychosis. That was tragic.

I am going to the local donut shop and DEMANDING they start selling those.

I think I've only eaten the M&M donut in the picture above.

here's the thing: as someone who doesnt like portlandia, i find it to be dry, and geared toward the portland transplants more than actual portland. not only that, it magnifies the transplant culture, which is really, really lame, and makes fun of it. but because it magnifies it, it makes the rest of the country think portlanders are retarded.

it's a show that's only funny to people who already think the city of portland is on a slow road to vegan hell where no one kills flies, and to people too stupid to know they're being made fun of.

@Charles: I understand what you are saying, the nativist sentiments are something I totally get. Granted, Portlandia is a little more focused on a particular image for the city, but it is still not that different than, say, Always Sunny in Philadelphia. I mean, if you lived in Philadelphia would you complain that show made everyone in that city look like an asshole?

I've found it to be really hit-or-miss, but when it's on, it's on. 

We can pickle that!

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Hey, just because 85, 90 percent of the population of Philadelphia are assholes doesn't mean that we should generalize about the whole city.

... agree with Tessa.

I have only seen the first four episodes.  They need more actors.  I'd say about 2/3 of the sketches are good.

Waayyyy higher proportion than SNL.

also, as some of you may have noticed, I'm not overly fond of hipsters. 

What the show really needs is more Steve Buscemi.

.... also, the theme song is fucking fantastic