What Is A Hipster? Discuss.

We learn from Philebrity - via Doree - that the National Main Streets Conference, in Philadelphia, will include a seminar entitled, "Understanding the Hipster." To wit:

What is a “hipster,” precisely? We struggle to understand these peculiar sorts — with their deliberately-unkempt look, their ironic t-shirts, their embrace of dead beer brands, and their Elvis Costello-like glasses. But it is critically important that we do so, given their willingness to pioneer neighborhoods, their role in setting trends, and their importance to the “creative class” economy. In this fun and interactive seminar, the speaker, who counts many hipsters among his friends, demystifies this vital psychographic, describing how they think, what they want in a neighborhood, how they spend their money, and much more.

I wonder what "interactive" means. Maybe fun games like picking out the best Elvis Costello glasses. Or how to tell an ironic t-shirt from a cheesy t-shirt.

The seminar's leader, Michael J. Berne, sells himself as an expert in "ethnic, socio-economic and psycho-graphic "niche" markets." He seems to have specialized, in part, in bringing chain stores to low-income urban neighborhoods. I found this charming quote in a blog about citizen concerns about steamrolling development.

"Let's not romanticize mom-and-pops; the honest truth is some of these businesses do not deserve protection."