ideas in a mess

The Fight for Cool

I imagine Writing about cool would be a lot easier if I myself were cool. The source of uncertainty comes from the word cool itself. A word Webster’s dictionary defines as being collected, exciting, calm, self-disciplined, highly skilled or clever and sophisticated. It is a word everyone has heard and mostly likely has thrown around. Used as a universal term by children and older aged adults the word still remains undefined. Based on every situation and possible definition, the word “cool” remains with no solution. Yet we all strive to have a sense of cool and importance. By trying so hard to be cool and define ourselves we fall in meaninglessness.

Culture of cool

We are stuck in a culture where being cool holds high importance. Although cool is defined in all different ways the more dominant, standard definition of cool is that set by society. Facing 3000 advertisements a day and 10 million by the time they reach the age of 18. The media provides teens with an image of cool that they look up too. Advertising is tricky; no matter what it is there is always a purpose. While we are mostly oblivious to what corporations do we feed into it. Commercials are made to send out a message and influence the minds of teens. The media effects teens. So we define cool as what we see. Celebrities who are famous, who have lots of money and are always carrying the new fashion trends. Sending this generation wanting success and fame. To be apart of it, teen mimic what they see and try to associate them with it. Each dependent on the other. We are surrounded and trapped by this lifestyle. Where we follow the culture map and all live the same way. We need to get our education and go to school. In order to be apart of the meaning rat race and get a good job. Only to make ourselves seem more important. By getting that job you allow yourself to make money. With the money a person can buy all the new updated shit, take exotic vacations, and be just like the people we look up to on our big flat screens. In the end it is all one big attempt to make us cool. So we can feel valued and have a sense of importance in the world.

Playing cool

We mask, manipulate, costume, adore and aggrandize ourselves as a way to seem significance to others and ourselves. The main thing of concern is how we appear in other people’s eyes. So we are on an endeavor to making ourselves attractive. People play a role to put out an image of them that they want other people to see. We do what we need to do in order to make ourselves appealing others. Our self-presentation is massively important to us. It is something we take very seriously. The fact is, we will do whatever we need to in order to fit in. It is top priority to be accepted. It is the reasoning be hide the actions people take. It explains most of the stupid ideas we have.

We all play a role. And to be cool you have to be able to help it well. Acting to get attention. Someone might play the goofball. The one people rely on for cracking jokes.

Being the badass character. The one who does thinks highly of himself, and generally doesn’t give a shit. Although being loud, or funny, or rebellious is not always enough. We need look the part as well. It’s the distinctive clothes and edgy haircuts that are used as key signifiers of cool. Wearing makeup, getting tattoos, staying fit are the things people do to their body in order to create the image they are perceived as. Doing so associates them with other things. A friend recently got a tattoo. The first letter of all her sisters names inked on her hip, forever. She reasoning was that although it may not have much importance or any meaning to anyone else, "I will always know what it means, it will always mean a great deal to me." That the reasoning behind they most people decided to get tattooed. This marking on her body was a sign that linked her with something else, her family. By linking ourselves to the ones we want to be provide us with a sense of meaningful. And we use these projects as a attempt to give our lives some importance The ways we chose to present ourselves is what makes us feel cool, by being acceptance. Which is the feeling we rely on the fill the emptiness in our lives.

Rules of cool

Cool is never always the same. It is on constant move. It changes according to the lifestyle someone lives. Whatever the surroundings that will have a ever ending impact. Anatomy of an attitude states, “Cool is not inherent in objects but in people, then what is seen as cool will change from place to place from time to time and from generation to generation.” (Pountain, and Robins) it varies what a person is surrounded by. It is always changes, and people are adapting to it. Being cool is a burden we carry with us. Accomplishing cool requires perfect balance. You cant try to hard to become cool because then your immediately not. On the other hand if you don’t try at all you are just weird. It has to be somewhere in the middle. It compares to be as dangerous as walking the highline. In order to make it across you need to stay calm. Any sudden movements will lead you to come crashing down. And the stress builds and the fight against the internal panic becomes harder. Because cool has grown to be such an importance thing in our lives, it is like we never stop, and we lose who we really are.

While conducting street interviews, I came across man with a leather jacket. He gave off an image of the badass who really did not let anything get in his way. I approached him after he crossed the street before everyone else. He strutted my way with his hand in his pocket and a cigarette in this mouth. I did my best to get his attention, hoping he would give me a chance to say what I had to say. He was very relaxed as he stopped. I asked him about cool. In no rush to answer he said "people are cool when they are comfortable with themselves. You gotta be confident with the person you are. And yeah don’t sweat the small stuff.” Most people these days will answer that question just the same. Because the cool defined by society is generally the dominating one. Reconsidering we are not the cool ones at all. In reality the people we consider to be "uncool" are the one who are truly cool. They are the one who do not true as hard as the rest of us to fit in. although we are all playing these roles. His or her role does not exceed to be anyone else. They are different and go against the norm, which follows the originally norm of cool.

I stead of putting so much energy into being cool, It would be more beneficial if we directed to just simply being nice.

Pountain, Dick, and David Robins. Cool rules: anatomy of an attitude. London : 2000. 12-33. Print.