解读西方的非主流文化

They can be seen more frequently than ever before on college campuses, wearing flannel and thick-rimmed glasses while listening to indie music. One might find them playing unusual musical instruments, shopping at second-hand stores or expressing themselves in other unique ways.
在大学校园里，有这样一群人变得越来越多——他们穿法兰绒衣服，戴厚框眼镜，听独立音乐。可能他们喜欢玩一些冷门乐器，喜欢去二手店购物，或是以特立独行的方式来表达自我。

They call themselves hipsters. Being “hip” used to mean following the latest fashion. But gradually the word has evolved into a synonym for “cool”, “edgy” and “quirky”.
他们自称“潮人”。“潮”一度意味着紧跟潮流步伐。但是渐渐地，这个词已发展成“酷”、“前卫”以及“另类”的同义词了。

Hipsters value independent thinking, progressive politics, an appreciation of creativity and intelligence. Hipsters take pains and pride in not being mainstream. However, their culture has become quite trendy. This irony is central to their culture and offers an interesting paradox.
“潮人”看重独立思考，信奉政治革新，崇拜创新与智慧。对于“潮人”来说，成为“非主流”是件痛并快乐着的事情。然而，他们的文化已成为一种时尚。这一令人啼笑皆非的局面对于他们文化却有着至关重要的意义，因而形成了一个有趣的自相矛盾的现象。

“I do take things in the mainstream with a grain of salt,” says Ben Polson, a college student at Brown University in the US. Polson describes himself as a hipster and says he often questions what determines popularity, especially regarding music.
“我对主流文化持保留意见。”就读于美国布朗大学的本•波尔森表示。他自称“潮人”，并表示自己经常质疑是什么左右着流行趋势，尤其是在音乐方面。

When lesser-known bands become popular they often lose their former fan base in exchange for a new one. There is a famous hipster cliché that goes: I used to like that band before it got popular.
当一个小众乐队走红时，他们常常会失去先前的粉丝阵营，而换来新的一批簇拥者。“潮人”们有句著名的老话儿是这样说的：我曾喜欢过那支乐队，在它还没有走红之前。