HW 23: 1st Constructivist Exploration of Cool

Cool is a label given to you by other people and not a permanent trait. You can be thought of as extremely cool to one group of people and be a total outcast to the next. It all depends on what the judger prefers. If they prefer someone who smokes, has a ton of piercings, and dresses gothic, then that would be their ideal version of cool. Everyone has their own checklist and their own image that they admire.

The environment we've grown up in has fostered these idealistic images in our minds so whenever we look at someone we judge based on that one image. It doesn't even has to be a single image. It could just be a collection of aspects we would like in a person or we would want in ourselves. So depending on how much of that a person embodies, we would use that to determine their level of coolness. And sometimes you even might find a person with a trait you admire and might not have liked before, so you add that onto your checklist for future references. Some of us though aren't as glued to our checklist or as narrow in our preferences. We will just get to know a person before we judge them because even the same traits can be portrayed differently by different people. And no two people can be the same in personality. The combination of traits are way too much for someone to just look at a person and determine whether he's cool or not.

Many strive to be cool because that's where they find self value. They find confidence through others' approval or confirmation of their coolness. So as a result they try too hard and life becomes a popularity contest. Others though, are cool unintentionally. Being liked for yourself, I feel is the realest version of cool.

Nowadays being unique is the new cool. You can't conform too much, but just enough to have others like you. And then you have to be a little different (but in a good way) to establish your own individuality and have others recognize you. So it's a little of both. That's the way I see cool these days, not that I agree with it.

It's hard to determine too, whether a person is trying to be cool or if he's naturally the person he portrays. Some people are so good at hiding the fact that they're trying to be liked and come across as naturally cool. I guess it all comes down to whether you rather be cool to a ton of people for someone you're not or whether you rather be cool to a handful for being yourself. (unless you're just naturally likable to everyone).