Q: When is a trend not a trend?
Categories: General Archive
A: When it appears in the Star Tribune
The Star Tribune ran an article on Wednesday about the latest trend framing the faces of hipsters across the Twin Cities: vintage eyewear. The story reads like the infamous 1992 piece in the NYT, "Grunge: A Success Story," where a pair of pranksters at Sub Pop Records convinced the writer that "swingin' on the flippity-flop" was Seattle slang for "hanging out."
Geek-chic glasses have been an under-the-radar trend since their inception in the 1950s. Even an eyewear-shop owner interviewed for the article says punk rockers have been wearing them for 15 years. But the Strib didn't get it wrong because wire rims are about as new as Doc Martens. They got it wrong because they appear totally alienated from a core demographic they're so intent on targeting.
For the Star Tribune, making ridiculous claims about so-called crazes is nothing new. (They would probably call this a "trend" in journalism, though for them it's as commonplace as a pair of blue jeans.)
"Trend" con't: the Strib, terrorism, and Swiffer sweepers
The Star Tribune ran an article on Wednesday about the latest trend framing the faces of hipsters across the Twin Cities: vintage eyewear. The story reads like the infamous 1992 piece in the NYT, "Grunge: A Success Story," where a pair of pranksters at Sub Pop Records convinced the writer that "swingin' on the flippity-flop" was Seattle slang for "hanging out."
Geek-chic glasses have been an under-the-radar trend since their inception in the 1950s. Even an eyewear-shop owner interviewed for the article says punk rockers have been wearing them for 15 years. But the Strib didn't get it wrong because wire rims are about as new as Doc Martens. They got it wrong because they appear totally alienated from a core demographic they're so intent on targeting.
For the Star Tribune, making ridiculous claims about so-called crazes is nothing new. (They would probably call this a "trend" in journalism, though for them it's as commonplace as a pair of blue jeans.)
"Trend" con't: the Strib, terrorism, and Swiffer sweepers
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