/lit/ - Literature

How do you deal with New Sincerity?

Is it a saccharine affectation involving lying to yourself and being emotionally exposed or is it refreshing honesty?

Everywhere I look for New Sincerity I see people talk about its merits or qualities, but not getting to the heart of what it is. They often point to an indie band or director as examples, but it seems like an elusive quality. People also take it to mean being undiscerning, like a cutesy webcomic that eschews formal qualities (skilful production) or intellectual depth. Is it a form of hipsterdom around childlike naïveté?

Is being self-awarely new sincerity really that sincere? Seems like you can't turn self-awareness off.

It's good to not be cynical, and emotionally healthy - as with what comes with self-deprecation, but that's also based on self-awareness and at the very least some form of cynicism. Sincerity and irony are splitting hairs that need to be un-split.