The guide to "cool" can be found on nearly every website. While often generic, AskMen.com had something not surprising but still unique to a degree. The first part of being cool, have a nice girlfriend. The article then expanded and including things like "being called more than you call" and "having a purpose when you call, not just to talk". Later, the article said "be scarce", alluding to not always being available. If you are always available for somebody you will be seen as "needy".
On a more emotional level, the article suggests that in order to be seen as "cool" one must not broadcast their weaknesses and should associate with "cool" people. If you bring losers to the group, you are seen as a loser, so bring cool people and be seen as cool. Lastly, don't ever "lose your cool", a.k.a. don't get angry or frustrated, because nobody wants to see you get all riled up, man.
This guide on how to be cool does not specify towards men, like the AskMen.com guide, but rather it approaches both genders on an equal playing field. The guide begins with not caring about what other people think of you. However, step two is "Be aware of how others will perceive you". The guide approaches this contradiction by acknowledging the difference between letting opinions affect your self esteem and being aware of how you come off to others.
The guide then has other generic statements like "Don't be afraid to be different" and "find real friends".
My favorite part of this guide to cool was the seventh guideline, "Learn how to laugh at yourself". This is a personal favorite of mine and it is something that you rarely see in person and you almost never see acknowledged. The guide says that doing so humanizes you, which is true, but it also shows you know you aren't perfect, which I feel is even more important.
The was not so much of a guide as an answer to somebody's question online. The question being "How do you turn from geek to cool?" The answer that was posted was surprisingly heartfelt and real for an online generic answer. The answerer stated that you don't need to change who you are to be cool, claiming that you can be a geek and still be cool.
However, in this answer their impression of what is cool came through, mainly being popular and being social. While somebody can be into anime and video games and things typically labeled as geeky, they can still be seen as cool if they are social and wear make-up and do their hair. While this raises questions, I will leave it for now.
How to be cool- AlanWho.com
Lastly we have Alan Who's perspective on how to be cool. This guide starts with telling you in the first guideline that you are already cool, despite what everybody told you. He then lists how to be cool. The article should stop, because what guidelines could I possibly need if I am already cool? Regardless, the following guidelines cover everything from posture to social interactions, with Alan Who stating that you should stand tall and upright and that you should never lose your temper and should use you own lingo instead of yo and ight and later. I thought that this latter suggestion was good and I had not seen it anywhere else, but it makes logical sense that if you are cool you start trends and don't participate.
My favorite part of this guide was that the last guideline said you are constantly learning. Those not learning are busy dying, as the article says. I thought that this was a very cool perspective to see and I had never thought about where learning fit into a larger opinion of cool outside of my own. I thought that this was refreshing and shows that intelligence is in fact valued in some circles.
Bibliography
- WikiHow. December 7, 2009
- "How do you turn from Geek to Cool?". Wiki.Answers. December 7, 2009 <http://wiki.answers.com/Q/How_do_you_turn_from_geek_to_cool>
- Who, Alan. "How to Be Cool". AlanWho.com. December 7, 2009
Bayer, Jeff. "Be Cool". AskMen.com. December 7, 2009
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