The bohemians of Greenwhich Village or the hipsters of Harlem Renaissance used the speed of innovation to keep their critics a step behind. This protection, or grace, is a kind of forgiveness claimed in advance. Under its umbrella, hip becomes not sumptuary correctness—the right shoes of the right flip flop—but a state of forgiveness for being incorrect. The hipster, who is by nature out of step with the society that would judge him, lives within this grace; we admire him not for his perfection but for the blamelessness of his flaws. We should all have his or her capacity for error.
Excerpt from Hip: The History by John Leland. I read this in my liberal arts class, the best english credit of my college education Angelheaded Hipsters: The Beat Writers with Kenneth Brandt. Redefine the dirty word hipster.
