While I was walking around Austin on my way to a South by Southwest showcase on Wednesday evening, I almost stepped into a “hipster trap.” It was a bear trap filled with cool kid-approved items, like a paperback copy of On the Road, a flannel scarf, a “vintage” cassette tape, and a coffee cup. An ironic coffee cup, probably. It’s unknown whether it was an art project or, like, a STATEMENT, but it’s not grabbing nearly as much attention as stickers that were placed on certain East Austin businesses reading, “Exclusively For White People.”
“This is an appalling and offensive display of ignorance in our city,” Mayor Steve Adler said in a statement. “Our city is a place where respect for all people is a part of our spirit and soul. We will keep it that way.” (Via)
The stickers use the city’s logo, making them look official, but Mayor Adler commented that they “were neither produced nor knowingly displayed by the businesses and were removed by their employees when discovered this morning.” Though not before they were Instagram’d.
Meanwhile, every white dude with dreads in town remains un-vandalized. What a shame.
https://twitter.com/davidmcswane/status/578268764132753408
Via CNN