OK, so I am probably not talking about you. I am, however, talking about him. And her. And that one in the back.
You know the type: the self-proclaimed activist. Usually young in age and all about being local and a non-consumer. That's what they preach, at least, but any actions seems to be forgotten about. At night they turn into the hipster, but don't call them that, because they don't like "labels." Hipster-activists... Hiptivists... There are plenty of them in Spokane; the herd tends to mingle around Baby Bar with their fixies and complicated shoes.
The thing I don't quite get is this: If the Hiptivists are so into supporting local establishments, why don't I see them in local restaurants that are big on local ingredients and high quality food? A good example was our visit to Italia Trattoria where we were the youngest people by far. Shouldn't people be lining up around the block to support these restauranteurs? You can replace "Italia Trattoria" with anything from Sante to Latah Bistro. The Blue Hair Club is abundant at all these places; the Hiptivists are not.
So. What could the reason be? There are two possibilities I'm leaning toward...
A) The Hiptivists are cheap. This would explain why they feel extremely comfortable with $1 PBR nights. But I actually think the real reason is...
B) They have little taste. I tend to stick more with this one. I mean, why spend -- shock and awe and lo and behold -- $13 on some gnocchi when beer nuts come free? And hey, the Hiptivist uniforms don't come cheap either; gotta save up for those.
My point here -- and I do have one -- is that many Hiptivists are leaving Spokane, claiming places like Seattle or Portland (god forbid they went anywhere else) are so much more cultural. If you want culture, then good dining is about as cultural as you can get. The Hiptivist, at very best, only minimally supports this. Possibly because they don't understand it.
Meanwhile, the Blue Hair Club is out there and they're loving it. When a new place opens, they're in line from day one. The Blue Hair Club literally hungers for culture.
In other words... Maybe the Hiptivist should put down the PBR and take some cues from The Blue Hair Club. You know. Support local businesses; support local culture; learn how to class up a bit. Spokane certainly needs some of the latter.
It's tough, but I hope to see it happen some day.
And with that I take my condescending-boots off. For a little bit.