What it is to be cool

[AllyOops!]

Originally Posted by Strangler Lewis

I doubt that. Which supermodel recently denied being pregnant with Tom Brady's child?

Why, it's Gisele Bundchen. Ex-girlfriend Bridget Moynahan is carrying his sprog. (It's about damn time my weekly readings of Us Weekly, Star, In Touch & Life & Style paid off!) Having said that, Tom Brady is a skeeze and I'm a Dallas fan.

[Kevy Baby]

I think someone who doesn't think themselves cool and doesn't try to act cool, is typically cool. Anyone who *knows* that they are cool, definitely isn't.

Or did somebody already say that? I'm too cool to go back and look.

[Ghoulish Delight]

Originally Posted by Kevy Baby

I think someone who doesn't think themselves cool and doesn't try to act cool, is typically cool. Anyone who *knows* that they are cool, definitely isn't.

Eh, there's a total duality to the word "cool." There's the side that's all about acting cool, looking cool, getting attention and being the cool kid, often at the expense of having sympathy for (and from) others. And I think that's more what the wiki entry is about. Whether you like it or not, there are invariable aspects of any society which divide the in from the out. That's not to say that being "in" is the best choice, but it's there.

Then there's the other side of "cool" which falls in line with what you're getting at. It's an internal definition and changes from person to person.

[alphabassettgrrl]

Originally Posted by Ghoulish Delight

Eh, there's a total duality to the word "cool." There's the side that's all about acting cool, looking cool, getting attention and being the cool kid, often at the expense of having sympathy for (and from) others. And I think that's more what the wiki entry is about. Whether you like it or not, there are invariable aspects of any society which divide the in from the out. That's not to say that being "in" is the best choice, but it's there.

Then there's the other side of "cool" which falls in line with what you're getting at. It's an internal definition and changes from person to person.

I think the first kind of cool is decidedly uncool though people seem to like it. I much prefer the second kind of cool, both for myself, and in who my friends are.

I've rarely been in the "in" crowds and I don't care. My husband says that makes me sound bitter but I can't see it. It's a fact that I generally wind up in smaller groups and the people who are the centers of the big groups don't interest me. I find people who do interest me and we have a great time.

[Ghoulish Delight]

Originally Posted by alphabassettgrrl

I think the first kind of cool is decidedly uncool though people seem to like it. I much prefer the second kind of cool, both for myself, and in who my friends are.

But the first has nothing to do with what individuals find "cool". In that case, the word "cool" has an entirely different meaning, they're simply homonyms. Whether you personally ascribe to it or not, the fact remains that there are certain things, transient as they may be, that at any given time are defined by society as "cool", individual tastes aside. These things don't define individuals, but they define trends and societies. It doesn't matter if I lived in LA through the 80s and didn't surf/thought it was boring. The fact remains that surfing was "cool".

[€uroMeinke]

Originally Posted by Ghoulish Delight

But the first has nothing to do with what individuals find "cool". In that case, the word "cool" has an entirely different meaning, they're simply homonyms. Whether you personally ascribe to it or not, the fact remains that there are certain things, transient as they may be, that at any given time are defined by society as "cool", individual tastes aside. These things don't define individuals, but they define trends and societies. It doesn't matter if I lived in LA through the 80s and didn't surf/thought it was boring. The fact remains that surfing was "cool".

Yes, but in those "what is cool" situations - there usually is a newer synonymy for cool used to describe it - so it's cooler than cool - Boss, Rad, Groovy, Bitchen, Phat, gnarly, etc. thus "cool" is sort a secondary generic.

But if we want to get pedantic, we can just argue that cool is about temperature.

[Not Afraid]

I like the idea of looking temperate.

[Not Afraid]

There are so many thing that are generally classified as "cool" that I don't think are cool at all. It' so subjective.

[€uroMeinke]

Originally Posted by Not Afraid

There are so many thing that are generally classified as "cool" that I don't think are cool at all. It' so subjective.

Indeed - just like Truth, Beauty, and Goodness

[Not Afraid]

Or, Truth, Beauty, Freedom, and, above all things, Love.