Opinions. Need to vent? Contact the editor at opinions@theotherpress.ca The political party bandwagon Learn to think for yourself By Aidan Mouellic, Staff Writer olitics are complicated. Try explaining to a recent immigrant the roles of parliament and senate— heck, try explaining that to a born-and-bred Canadian college student! I barely know what the senate does, though I do know that it’s an awesome post to have since you barely have to work but get paid a lot. What is not complicated is Canada’s party system. Federally, we have three dominant parties, and in British Columbia we have two dominant parties. It’s a simplistic representation of otherwise complicated politics and individual political beliefs. People throw themselves onto one bandwagon and call themselves Right-wingers, Left-wingers, liberal, Is the show for real and why it shouldnt be By Jacey Gibb, Assistant Editor errible. Bad. Horrendous. Spider-Man 3. There are plenty of different synonyms for the word awful, and while I could exhaust the entire thesaurus using them all to describe the upcoming reality show Real Hipsters of Vancouver, I’ll save us both some time and just stick to calling it a cultural atrocity. Two months ago, a peculiar craigslist ad emerged calling for locals to audition for a new reality show centred on hipster culture in Vancouver. While first theorized to be a practical joke, the show has been increasingly gaining buzz and credibility, with a Twitter account to its name and an actual website. For those curious about what the show will be like, the 16 conservative, or some other enclosing term. Politics is not black and white, yet so many people align themselves wholeheartedly behind one party or ideology. I used to call myself liberal, until I noticed that on some issues I lean left and on others I lean right. For instance, I have a rather conservative view on terrorism and crime, but a liberal view on same-sex marriage equality and drug use. I judge my political stance on specific issues— something few people do. Whenever I’m at a party, bar, or anywhere where I meet new people, Tusually get asked the two questions that annoy me the most. The first question being, “What do you do?” (Answer: lots of things, including but not limited to breathing and sleeping.) The second question is geared towards finding out website describes the series as a docu-soap that follows “the drama and chaos surrounding the eclectic lives of counter- culture artists of all kinds.” The series’ name is a similar style to the wretched mega-franchise Real Housewtves of (Insert city here), though it’s unclear if the show’s format will share similarities. One thing the two shows do have in common: they’re both offensive to my senses. First off, let’s address the use of the word hipster, a term so wildly dated that it could apply for heritage status. Hipster is one of those words that lack a definitive definition, meaning it’s a word that doesn’t carry much credibility. Everyone flings the word around like it’s monkey feces, but no one really knows what a hipster is. It’s usually used by someone trying to prove a mundane point, but the mere presence of the word in an argument results in an immediate disqualification on account of linguistic ignorance. which political ideology I subscribe to. I usually tell people I’m an anarchist just to kill the pointless conversation. I wish I had the guts to tell the person asking me that they’re dumb for subscribing to a specific ideology because it’s not possible to be on only one political bandwagon. If you claim to be 100 per cent politically this or that, then you might need therapy to sort out your needing to belong to and be accepted by a group. Twitter is perhaps the best place to find people whose identities are closely tied to their political beliefs. I’ve seen it too many times: the people who identify themselves before anything else as a “Liberal for life” or “Neoconservative soccer mom.” Aside from the sadness that these individuals can’t come up with anything more creative But let’s pretend this fictitious, all-encompassing social group does in fact exist. They immediately distance themselves from anything remotely popular, ooze pessimism and condescension, and embrace the exclusive things in life; do you really think someone who takes pride in operating socially incognito would apply to be on a show documenting their activities? The applicants to the show— and likely the people who end up being featured—will be individuals who are so eager (desperate) for fame that they'll adopt any persona to get there. The handful of audition videos that have made their way onto YouTube are unbearably painful to watch, as you witness several individuals trying their hardest in under five minutes to prove that they’re worth more than a fraction of your time. The mere concept of “reality television” is such faux pas garbage: name one show that has managed to to call themselves, if you quiz them on a few issues, chances are they aren’t what they claim to be. Political parties are a necessity in a democracy, but that doesn’t mean they’re right. If I had it my way, every politician would run as an independent. This wouldn’t appease the appetites of people who love to place things in neat categories, but not everything fits neatly into a avoid allegations of forgery / fabrication. The main reason behind this fictional fluffing is that reality is traditionally boring. There are always characters and fun times to be had, but when it comes down to it, who could actually sustain a category—in fact, few things do. Though we may lazily identify with a group that mostly resembles our beliefs, it’s illogical to do so. As your mother told you before your first date, “Just be yourself.” = ; < aii Ne Local hipster Bryant Boesen one of the many hopefuls who have auditioned for RHOV Photo courtesy of Joel McCarthy weekly show with their antics? If you answered an enthusiastic “T could!” then congrats. | imagine this show will be wildly successful and that auditions for season two will commence immediately.