In this world, there are people who think of themselves and super-awesome just because they don’t like what everyone else likes.  They make it a point not to go mainstream so they can seem “original”.  Well, what’s so original about that?  There may be things in the “mainstream” that you’d actually like.  What gives?

Ah, I’ll tell you what gives: forced originality.

Here’s a scenario for you that most people could probably relate to: You find a book by an author that no one’s heard of.  They’re still “underground”, not quite “out there” yet.  And this book is so amazing that you spread it around to all your friends.  What do your friends think?  They won’t read it.  They can’t get into it, so that leaves the book all to yourself to appreciate, all on your own with your own super-awesomeness.  Congratulations, you like something that’s not popular.

Fast forward eight months: this new favorite book of yours is being made into a movie.  Now ALL your friends want to see the movie, but first, of course, they must read the book. There’s a line around the block full of your friends waiting to borrow your copy.  The kids who live online have already read this book due to their early stumbling-upon of the movie trailer last month.  Everyone wants to read this book, it’s so exhilarating.

And what do you think of this book now?  You hate it.  You hate how everyone’s in love with it, how it’s gained so much praise and popularity.  No longer is this the same book that spoke to you eight months ago.  It has become mainstream.

People who think like this are only slowing themselves down with their extreme hate for all things mainstream.  Every few months they must reinvent themselves just because some book (or movie or song or style) has slipped into the clutches of popularity.  And why is that?  These kids are afraid of being popular.  Well, I say that’s nonsense.  Just because you “discovered” something a while back doesn’t mean that now, with it’s shiny glory, you have become one of the hypocritical bullshitters that hated that same book/movie/song/style eight months ago.  You know?  Everyone else hated that same thing you loved a while ago, so why is it now that you must hate that same thing just because it’s gained some fans?