In the course of the last month, I have realized a common recurring saying amongst nearly all groups of people that I know. “That’s cool.” It’s simply, short, to the point, but impossible to justify. You see, cool is not so easy that you pinpoint it in a single sentence like that. In fact, saying “That’s cool” is an empty statement. With nothing else to frame it, to shape the situation and perspective, it’s comparable to saying “agreement” or “likeability”. Cool is what somebody likes, or wants to like, to put it simply. However, humans feel the need to be liked by as many people as possible and therefore feel the need to be cool. If more people could set aside their need to be liked and simply were as they are, then the need to be cool would start to crack and maybe even crumble.
The first thing that I feel is necessary to discuss in order to fully realize my question is, what does it matter if you are cool? What is the big deal if somebody likes you or not? I mean, it’s not going to make or break your life, or is it? You see, in many ways cool is incredibly important to success and progressing through life on the desired course. Take for example an election. Elections are based on how many people vote for you for a certain position, like say, class president. There are many different things that impact why somebody votes for another, but in the end it all boils down to who you like more, who you agree with more. For whatever reasons you might have. In a situation like this, cool is very important, because as we established earlier, cool is essentially how much people like you. So if you win the election, you are going to be cooler. This brings up more issues down the line, which brings me to my second argument on whether it matters to be cool or not. Is cool a trapping? Does the need to be liked and viewed as cool lead to trapping oneself in a series of boxes that cannot be broken? Cool is not an isolated concept. It is connected to likeability and in many ways power. People who obtain power often do so by looking cool, which helps them win an election, as I said before. They then gain a form of power from this election and have to use it according to how the people want it to be used. For example, there is a Marvel Comics character called Norman Osborn. Originally he was Spider-Man’s archrival and they fought many times. However, he eventually gained power over a great deal of the world and had to use it in a way that the people felt he should. However, he felt like he was losing public favor after many exposures to the media showed his darker tendencies. This is reflective of a “cool” person being seen doing something that most people find un-cool. In order to remain in power and stay in the media’s favor, or cool, he decides to do many things that serve to make him less cool and eventually he begins to lose his mind. This is one of the trappings of cool. Those who obtain it on purpose often feel the urge to remain cool over all else. They will do things uncharacteristic to them and will become what everybody tells them to be. This is when cool can be a bad thing, when one forces themselves into that situation and they are afraid to lose it. In this situation, it does matter if you are cool, but that cool should not always be desired.
Another point about cool that I would like to bring up is the issue of whether or not you can control your own cool. One of the main points of interest for this is the topic is posers. They represent the ultimate in controlling cool, and how it cannot be done to a true extent. See, when somebody is a “poser”, that means that they are not actually cool, that they are trying to be cool by copying what they see of their classmates or co-workers. This is often referred to as “biting” somebody’s style. While this can be done and they seem cool, the person being “bitten” often notices this and eventually spreads this knowledge to show to everybody that that person is fake, and therefore, un-cool. Another point on controlled cool, and how it cannot be controlled, is gossip. Gossip is word of mouth, the thoughts of one person spread around and turned into the thoughts of many. Gossip can be manipulated, but the thing that makes it so unique is that no matter how hard one tries; you cannot control its course. For example, in the movie American Pie, one of the main characters, Paul Finch, pays another student to spread rumors and start gossip around the school that he is cool and amazing in bed (Sex-wise). However, later in the movie the truth comes out and he is shown to be even more un-cool than he originally was. This supports my thoughts on how gossip, and by extent, cool, cannot be manipulated. A final way of showing that cool cannot be controlled is unexpected perceptions that result from an action. For example, you might think it would be cool to come to school wearing a pair of hightop Nike shoes. However, somebody else might perceive that as un-cool, because Vans are in fashion. This is a simple example of how you don’t always know how other people will react to what you do and if they will see it as cool or not. All in all, these show that cool cannot be controlled.
To that extent, those who do not try to be cool and simply are themselves naturally are often seen in the best light. Take for example, the girl in my story. She becomes cool by coming into the school and being herself. She doesn't wear the hottest clothes ever, but just a t-shirt and a sweatshirt. Yet she becomes cool through her own being. This is in fact not cool and in actuality is her being herself. This is reflected by Alex Simmons, a writer. When interviewed, he said that cool is in fact a state of mind. This is very much in the same train of thought as what I am proposing with this paper. See, in this situation he states that cool isn't something people can fake our try and obtain and therefore trying to judge somebody by how cool they are is wrong. Henry Guss, a high school student, agreed with Alex that there is not such thing as cool, while another high schooler, Connie A-C said that some find her cool and others don't, showing that cool is fickle and undefined, and therefore an impossible standard to try and uphold. So why uphold that which doesn't work when in fact it should be abolished?
However, many would argue that cool can be a key instrument to succeeding in life. Take for example, a college recommendation. The way one obtains a particularly strong letter of recommendation is by being cool in the eyes of the teacher. This helps them gain favor and shows that they are a good student (Or at the very least, they appear to be and/or try to be). In this situation, it is good to be cool. The problem is, the ideal case rarely appears. People pretend to be somebody they aren't to their teacher, trying to be cool for them instead of themselves. This can cause backlash in many ways, such as in the eyes of the teacher, who can easily see that the student is faking. In the eyes of the classmates this is also especially uncool, being seen as a "teachers pet" and a fake. This raises questions about authenticity and identity that in a world without cool would not need to be asked, for these situations would not occur.
What I suggest is that cool be abolished. Here is the thing, cool cannot be broken down single-handedly like a Lego castle. No, if anything it must be broken down like the Berlin wall, with a time of great change coming before it can be clearly and cleanly abolished. See, cool is not really a good thing or a bad thing. It does not hurt to be cool, but by trying to force yourself to stay cool or become cool, you are in fact hurting your sense of identity. To judge others by how cool they are is something I did not discuss above, because I feel that it is obvious, it is like racism, where it is agreed to be unfair. If people could act in this way without being aware consciously, then cool could be abolished and overcome. To see the person underneath the cool, that is what matters. It’s the sappy moral behind countless movies and stories, from 40-Year Old Virgin to Along Came Polly to The Breakfast Club to X-Men. However, these movies all show this recurring theme for a reason. It is important for society to judge others without a lens altering their picture. Judge people by who they are and not by what others think of them or what group they fit into. In this way, cool is much like racism, a lens that you are seen through that can never be broken without people changing the way they look at others and the world. Racism has been defeated though (Opinions vary, but everybody can agree it is getting better), so why can't cool be abolished? To do this would be tough, but if done, well I would say “That’s cool.”
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