Between Thursday and Friday, I went from SXSW in Austin to All-Con in Dallas. This drive was more than simple geography. It marked the greatest pressure shift ever from the obscenely hip to the shamelessly geeked-out. At SXSW, everyone is a rock star, even the ugly people are pretty. At All-Con, intelligent people capable of curing cancer have invested their efforts into Star Wars and Lord of the Rings trivia.
We choose our friends and enemies based around a subculture of shared interests. Your likes and dislikes are more than a matter of taste. Personal taste and style now represents a life statement, a guiding philosophy.
SXSW and All-Con exist as the ying and yang of personal taste. What is profound? What is superficial? I have no idea.
