HW 33: Cool Paper Outline

Thesis:

Cool has driven teens into stuffing their 5 feet bodies into an inch of identity resulting in a society of caricatures. Defining ourselves have become a ritual and a necessity for gaining acceptance.

Argument 1:

Ethnocentrism - judging other cultures based on own. The idea of cool is derived pretty much from the same concept of thinking. It's all based on perception and in the eye of the beholder.

Examples:

- Cool interviews: the different perspectives of cool
- Cool stories
- Our cool webs

Argument 2:

Masking - Comes from emptiness.
"Cool is not a collective political response but a stance of independent defiance, which does not announce itself in strident slogans, but conceals its rebellion behind a mask of ironic impassivity."
"A carefully cultivated cool pose can keep the lid on the most intense feelings and violent emotions."
We feel that what's behind the mask isn't enough, so we develop a front that includes the way we talk, the way we dress, the way we act/react etc. Plus, we want to feel a sense of importance. When this mask is challenged or ripped off by somebody else, we feel great embarrassment.

Argument 3:

Archetypes - We're all identified as some type of storybook character whether we mean to come across as that image or not. Some archetypes are regarded more highly than others depending on the person. This is where cool comes into play. As some strive to be heroes, others strive to be rebels. These are all poses we take on to fill in our emptiness. Otherwise, who are we? Without an identity, we will be regarded at the bottom of the spectrum, as antagonists or even worst, as extras. So we adapt to trends, and speech, hoping that our audience will notice and snag us a spot somewhere high on the social ladder.

Examples:

- Cultural boxes and maps
- Tattoos
- Rebel without a cause
- Emptiness

(Argument 2 and 3 might be meshed together)

Conclusion:

Our desire for attention and importance has convinced ourselves to calculate every move and decision we make so that we can be sure that we are sending out the signals that we want others to receive. Is it possible to have natural performances, one where you aren't aware of your audiences?