HW 23- What is "Cool"?

Cool is a very elusive word. Companies want to bottle it and kids want to be it. Many things evoke cool, the cigarette-smoking-leather-jacket-wearing-motorcycle-riding-rebel is one image that comes to mind and the other is the "popular kids" which in movies are the "cool kids", most likely a cheerleader or the high school quarterback. All of these are such caricatures of the word that it is almost laughable. True, though, here, that type of cool or even people who would be outrightly considered the "popular" kid isn't that prevalent; it almost makes me wonder where the movies get that from. Perhaps a time when that was more common, or maybe it is common in the suburban high schools they're set in (just a guess since I don't know firsthand). Nevertheless, cool is something kids wanted to be, when it was actually cool to be cool.

We use that word alot. So what isn't cool? Its not cool to try too hard. Its not cool to try to be cool, it contradicts with the meaning and its obvious, and thus you are labeled "wannabe". To be honest, the kids I have met, don't really seem to aspire to that in the "lets be popular" way. That's just not how our social structure is like here. I think its defined more subtly than the glaringly obvious way books or television series depicts. When we think someone is cool, that feeling stems from a place of admiration and respect. Its not always pure, sometimes its a feeling tinged by jealousy. But basically, we admire something about someone and we think that is cool.

There are the cool instances, when someone does something that we think is cool, whether that is playing well in a sport or standing up for themselves, it comes from their actions in a circumstance and we associate that feeling with them. Then there are the generally cool people, who have a type of personality we think is appealing. These personality types can range from the bold do-first-think-later to the calm with emotions-in-check type. Sometimes in these instances we admire them and think they're cool because they have a quality we think we lack and we try to emulate them. I think that's pretty common, when we admire someone we try to emulate them. It doesn't always work because sometimes it will clash with our own personality, but that just shows you shouldn't totally copy, you can copy a little bit, but more create yourself, you have to make it your way.

Jackie Chan said something like that. (He is cool and wise!) I think he's cool because he's got a good philosophy and I admire the way he approaches things. He puts effort into his work and makes sure it is done well. He has a good work ethic. He has a sense of humour and values authenticity and will act even if he's afraid. Like instead of doing CGI, he actually set a building on fire and just started running once it started falling down. I admire that he can do something (his stunts) and do it well. Those qualities make him cool to me. People like that, I think are cool. People who aren't afraid of being authentic, and the things they are afraid of, won't let it hold them back. Those are traits I think are cool. His stunts are all real too, which is hard to grasp when I see him jumping off the roof of a ten story building onto the rope of a helicopter.

I don't think of myself as cool. I probably wouldn't be the first thing that comes to mind when people are thinking of cool either. I don't seem to fit into the that prototype. I'm too dorky and gluttonous for that. But that's fine. I think I'm just me and I'm "cool" with that.

Look I just used a pun!... which is exactly why...

(I infringe upon you one more Jackie Chan pic...I just finished watching a documentary on his stunts...and I can't delete the pic...No really. I can't delete it.)