differing states of being

The blogosphere (as Marrijit likes to call it) is full of long electronic theses on the subject and nature of hipsters. While Marrijit is not intimately aware of the evolution of hipster-dom (one being a granola jock, the other a foreigner), it is well acquainted with several specimens of the same. From our extensive research we have learned that 'hipsters' are the new hippie (in this revelation we were aided by Dr. Jenn Heinen, whose scholarship has been expounded on in the pathbreaking literary work, 'A Novel Idea'). What exactly does that mean? Good question. As an Indian, I am well aware of the caste system. In India the caste system works like this (in descending order, as denoted by the numbers)--

1. Brahmins (scholars, priests)
2. Kshatriyas (warriors, rulers)
3. Vaishyas (merchants)
4. Shudras (unskilled workers)
5. Untouchables (waddya think?)

In India we have perfected this caste system. Once you're an untouchable you're stuck there. It is not a good system (from what I hear). As a matter of fact, it is a nonsense system, but one everyone takes seriously because its considered pretty bad form to disagree with what your ancestors have told you. It is something like the Founding Fathers insisting that everyone gets to carry guns, and Charlton Heston taking it seriously.

But just like Charlton Heston was proved a fool by Michael Moore, the caste system was shown to be fairly pointless by BR Ambedkar, who solved the whole issues by becoming a Buddhist. Buddhism is a very solid religion, because everyone's just been oppressing them for so long, they haven't come up with any dogma yet. It's like Judaism.

Therefore, we can relate India and the US as such:

caste system= Charlton Heston
BR Ambedkar= Michael Moore
Buddhism= Judaism

Anyway, from recent research we have found out that Charlton Heston is getting a little tired of being responsible for the caste system dilemma, and has asked for a break. He suggested a parallel caste system in America, so that he does not have to be the American representative of the entire caste system, but in America everyone is always asking for equality, so it became a little hard to come up with a similar system. Therefore, we have arranged the different subgroups in America into the following system

1. Hipsters
1. Aging hippies
1. Jocks (Democrat)
1.5 Jocks (Republican)
1. Normal (Invisible)
1. nice people
2. not nice people
0. Barack Obama

-- as we can see from this system, everybody except 'not nice people' are at the top of the chain, and Obama is better than everyone else. However, he is such a nice person that he has consented to being at the bottom of the list, despite the fact that our caste system (as suggested by Charlton Heston) designates him as being the best.

Marri falls between Aging Hippies and Jocks (Democrat)-- this is because she's a jock who plays the guitar. Now she is making a determined move towards hipsterdom. This shows that Marri exemplifies the American dream of class mobility. In India I am somewhere between Brahmin and Kshatriya, and there's nothing I can do about it. But in America I can marry a social chameleon like Marri who freely moves from sub-group to sub-group with nary a care in the world. This is why I love Marri Coen.

and America.

U-S-A, U-S-A, U-S-A. Also, Walmart.