Hippy Hell

Andreas Fell

10/1/14

Eng 1100

Prof. Young

            Hastings on Hudson, New York, has been called by most a paradise for hipsters. The issue with this new age trend is that while the arts have been emphasized, most other areas, such as athletics, the sciences, etc. have been neglected. Now while this artsy, European, hipster, free thinking, style of living works for some. But for others it does not. Hastings has experienced a rapid change of culture. These hipsters are trying to keep the town hostage in an old timey look and feel. Their actions are both selfish and are without good judgment.

            Hastings on Hudson was originally a blue color factory worker town. During World War 1 the town manufactured mustard gas, and the majority of the town worked there. Even before that Hastings was always a factory town, producing buttons, cables, and other goods. But ever since the “Hippy days” the town has taken on a whole new look. It is hard for you to walk down the street and not see a pair of skinny jeans, or hear some strange underground band being blasted out of a vintage Volkswagen. Even the school has taken up this artsy life style. The art department in the High School is one of the best in the county and offers more class options than any other subject. This has permeated the being of everyone in the town and affects the decisions that have been taken. Now while in Kinloch’s piece about Harlem, focuses on the gentrification that occurs in Harlem, what is happening in Hastings is rather similar, but in a different sense. The issue is that these hipsters are making it so hard to do anything, even get a turf field put in that it has created that people are starting to move out of the town. The gentrification that is occurring is not text book gentrification that occurred in Harlem, but is more of a cultural gentrification.

            Back in Hastings’ early days we used to have factories down by the river that produced various goods, but some of the more volatile ones include mustard gas, and other forms of wartime goods. This has created serious pollution and the site is condemned. For years there have been attempts to destroy and safely remove the contaminated land and the building. This past year there was a bill that was finally passed. But sadly a group of these so-called “Hipsters” applied for the land a building to be protected as a historical landmark. The building is decaying and has graffiti and broken glass all around it, it is an eye sore and for someone to call it a historical landmark is both blind and dumb. The decision to save the building came up out of nowhere as for many years the towns’ people were for the removal of the toxic sight. But when a bill was finally passed all of a sudden this group of people stopped the destruction. But what is the true logic to this, other than using the building as a backdrop to an artsy photo shoot it is rather dangerous. The amount of contamination that the land has requires the removal of 10 feet of topsoil from the entire sight to ensure that it will be safe for years to come. This is one of many issues that have arrived with the creation of a Hipsturbia.

            Another of these issues that have been created by the new outlook of the town is an issue very close to me. That being the football field, to some this is just a field and nothing else, but to me it is my home. The field itself was last renovated in the early 80’s with a new, non-regulation track being put in place in the early 2000’s. The field itself is poorly maintained, and the grass is always dying, so by mid season it is a giant dust bowl. The facilities too are very poor at the field. This past year a bill was put through to put in new bleachers, and a brand new turf field. Well the first issue that the hipsters had was that it was not eco friendly, so the school found an alternative, which used coconut husks instead of pulverized tires. Since that issue was solved a new one came out up, a movement was started that contained the slogan, “Keep Hastings really green, save Reynolds field.” The bill came to a screeching halt and when voting occurred it was defeated by a rather large margin. So now Hastings is stuck with a dirt bowl, and the town folk save $2.50 on their yearly taxes, $2.50 was the increase of taxes, had they passed the bill.

            The change in the town was swift and apparently it seems that the town is never going to go back to its roots of a blue collar, workers town. The yoga studio, the French pastry shop, the bicycle store, and all the non chain stores all play into the whole Hipsturbia that has been created appears to be ever lasting.  The problem is that most of the other towns’ people who do not follow this hipster lifestyle are not usually the ones at the town meetings, or the ones to protest, they are usually the ones who are more quiet, and for that reason these hipsters are taking over this town from its very core. The solution, which seems simple but that is far from the truth, would be to get all those who do not have the same views as these people, and bring them together to try to fight for what we want. But even that is a lot to ask for this town. For those whose lifestyle is similar to the lifestyle created in Hastings, the town is a dram come true. But for those who do not wear skinny jeans, sip soy chai latte’s, or listen to the next band that you have never heard of, it is hippy hell.