enfp cuz she iz liek omg so deep and thinkz and stuff.
i cannot fucking stand the term hipster...hate...pure fucking hate for the word. it's just some twisted bs term to describe someone who's different than you or likes things you find pretentious or something....what is it anyway...hip...as a slur? what?? sounds ridiculous...
I believe the term originated in early 20th century in the african american jazz culture, and was further popularized by the beat poets and novelists. From there it become popular in the beatnik culture, which consisted of the Kerouac, Ginsberg, Burroughs, etc fanboys who, in a way, were the forerunners of the current so-called hipsters. To (sort of) reference the many hipster memes floating about the interweb, the beats and their beatnik "offspring" were jobless trust funders long before it was mainstream.
In my experience, I have seen and heard "hipster" used not so much as a term to describe people who are different but rather any white (in most cases, although it seems they like to keep a few "ethnic" hipsters around just to prove how
totally accepting and novel they are), privileged (from upper middle class to upper class), left-leaning faux-bohemian whose dirty thrift store clothes and often unkempt appearance might bely their wealthy, suburban, and generally bland upbringing. Typical age range seems to be 18 to early 30s, but then there are almost always one or two 40 somethings in such social circles, often to be heard lamenting the sad state of current indie rock and romanticizing when punk and emo music weren't mainstream and the musicians really cared, man. There's also often a noticable trend in such circles which involves wearing clothes or following trends for the sake of camp and irony. I.e. Patton Oswalt's routine about the douchiest t-shirt ever:
See also:
Stuff White People Like | This blog is devoted to stuff that white people like
I'm not trying to put you down or say you're wrong, but if you go to Williamsburg, Portland or the college neighborhoods of many cities, you will find them in droves, and I typically hear the term used not to reference "different" people but the masses of 20-somethings who dress alike (for the most part) and constantly speak with an air of elitism and lament how they liked things before they were mainstream.
I realize this discussion is years past, but I'd guess the majority of "hipsters" are more likely sensors than intuitives.
I liken the evolution of the term hipster to that of the word "nerd" although "nerd"
Consider how 30, even 10 years ago, the word "nerd" was still generally a negative slander but has since become a positive affirmation which many people use proudly in self-reference...it's only a matter of time before we reach a point where "nerd culture" becomes so overwhelmingly mainstream that it reverts to being used as a negative label. Hipster, perhaps briefly, was a badge of honor but has already passed that apex and is almost always used negatively.
So yes, you're right that it's often used in a negative way, but not so much to describe "different" people.