A couple of questions to make you all hate me:

[wolven7]

On the way back from the store, with mech_angel and lord_of_smoking, I yelled at a guy with a huge muffler on his piece of shit, 1985 Honda, calling him a poseur, which brought up this question, in my mind: Does a cry of "Poseur!", from someone outside of the particular group in question, really carry any weight to it?

For example, if Joe Sixpack calls you a Punk Poseur, for wearing Hot Topic checked pants, and listening to Blink 182, it means nothing to you. But if Joe Strummer said the same thing to you, it would be devestating, would it not?

Ansilarily, is not the person who feels the need to cry "I liked _______, way before it was Cool" the real poseur? The one who feels, in fact, the need to Pose? Hm.

mech_angel brought up two interesting perspectives: 1) It doesn't matter, because anyone with the ability for discernment can see when someone's trying too hard. But 2) It matters because you can't really judge a thing, unless you're involved in it.

I put the question to you.

Comments

[mendori.livejournal.com]

its one thing to have a glass pack in the muffler on your POS car - I think most people can spot really over priced car parts on a junker.
Its another thing to have a wing on your POS car.... mounted BACKWARDS - most people wouldn't spot that, but I do because I know cars.
So I think it is relative to WHAT you are calling them a poseur for as well as who is doing the calling.

[wolven.livejournal.com]

So, to continue our metaphor, if the person calling you a poseur on you punkocity is doing it based on the fact that you've never heard of the Clash, and don't know where the music came from, they're more suited to calling you out, than because of an obviously store-bought piece of "punk" clothing?

[mendori.livejournal.com]

Yep. Metaphor works perfectly there.