While I cynically agree with nonconformists for the sake of nonconformity (reflexive anti-sheep) I offer an alternative explanation here:

  1. free-thinkers sometimes stake out open space on the noosphere. For them, elbow room is more important than consistency.
  2. once there is a critical mass of people involved with a given subculture, and orthodoxy arises, impinging on freedom (if you're truly free, you can deal with it, but the rest of us tend to beinfluenced by our surroundings)
  3. it seems to be easier to be completely unorthodox than it is to be sligtly unorthodox. I think it has something to do with error correction: one bit off implies an error, while many bits off are choice, man, conscious choice
  4. when the brussel-sprouts scene gets too crowded, it's time to find a new scene
  5. when the brussel-sprouts scene gets flooded with poeple you don't like, it's time to find a new scene
  6. retro is recycling for nonconformists: once something has been abandoned by the mainstream, it's once again, temporarily safe for the misanthrope

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