Cool, like we from the monkeys, has evolved over time. James Dean was your now-cliché leather jacket style cool. Guns N' Roses were the edgy, hair-band rock lifestyle cool that is still so popular in rock music. Kid CuDi is the new-school class clown and pothead cool kid. While these different examples have certain separating factors, the most important part of their 'cool' pose is that which they all have in common; they perform the role of unique individuals who say screw you to 'the man' in order to do 'what they love'. The trend of being edgy and rebellious has been the universal slogan for cool regardless of what movement it was. From the Greasers to the Hipsters of williamsburg Coolness has, despite generational gaps, remained largely unchanged by the times. The same general ideas of cool that were held 50 years ago are still maintained, and we only see more and more aspects being tacked on to the 'cool' cork board. Examining trends of cool in the past and comparing them alongside views held today, we might be able to get a look at where cool came from, and even where its going.
My closest tie to the generation immediately prior to my own for me is my father. Having conversations with him about what life was like for him growing up gives me some minor insight into what it meant to be cool as a teenager growing up in fairly rural Ireland in the 70s. He was alive at the right time to catch the flame of the punk movement across western Europe. Bands like the Sex Pistols were gaining their fame and causing quite a ruckus for the old Catholic folk in Ireland. dad recalls times that he'd overhear other parents talk furiously about the punks who came through town, playing shows literally on trash can lids and beaten up instruments, almost for the simple sake of making noise. It was an outlet for teen angst like there never had been, and it was an embodiment of cool as we've seen it before; pretending that you don't give a fuck, that you run your own life, that you don't have to take shit from anyone....at least until you get to be 30, settle down in a respectable field, and put your 'rock days' behind you. Cool is a fickle beast, only around as long as you are young enough for it to be considered a 'phase'.
The concept of cool in the past was direct rebellion against the previous generation. Your parents were working-class stiffs, and you wanted to break out of their mold as much as possible, so that means that you had to act as different as you could from them. You had the hippies, son of 'war heroes', then punks, sons of once hippies, then there was a grunge movement, and a hip hop movement. What we are left with is a current generation of people descended from groups who have been through their own variations on what they found cool. Of course, their are always a few catches. I myself am the son of parents who were influenced partially by the punk craze in europe, but who eventually migrated to America. my parents had, whether they know it or not, a sense of exploration and need to be different that was at least partially instilled in them by what they were subject to in Ireland. The full extent of the evolution of cool is in families who have lived in america for generations, families who have had their members in many of the historical cool periods.
Take an example for the sake of argument; family living in suburban california in the 60s; their teenage child is heavily swayed by the hippy culture, something that was heavily congregated is california at the time. That teenager grew up to eventually cast aside his hippy inclinations and 'settle down' with a family. (let's say they moved to New York to settle.) His child, by now the late 70s or early 80s, will be heavily influenced by punk rock and hair metal music, giving him a new mentality that is more aggressively 'fuck the man' than the hippies would have been. At the same time, he could be influenced by rap and hip-hop music, still carrying a very aggressive sense of removal from societal normalcy. He grows up, again likely settling down with family and kids, then his kid grows up in the 90s. The early 90s was the Kurt Cobain period; grunge, the kind of apathetic, subtly rebellious tones of angsty teenagers. Punk was still strong at the time, but it was growing more angsty as well. Everyone had problems they wanted voiced, and found the voice in this music. I would say that this is the first example of a mold that is half-complete; they weren't entirely sure of who they were or even wanted to be, and this might have helped ease the turmoil they all felt.
Those specific people are still growing up, but those who have already have the kids of my generation, and we are exposed now to a lot of pop music, a lot of it centered on drugs and sexuality, with people like Lady Gaga, Kid Cudi, and more. We have perhaps less guidance than nay other group, and more cool memes to choose from. If I had to label our cool group it would be the indie ages, where everyone wants to jump on the indie bandwagon and show how edgy and different they are. We are a time of hipsters and parties in Williamsburg, of wearing cardigans and dress shoes with plastic neon glasses, of trying to be cool in our difference, without realizing that we aren't the first to try it.
To conclude, in some sort of cliché wrap-up sentiment, we're just like we have always been - looking for some recognition where everyone else just sees anonymity. We want to stand out, be bold and daring, but not necessarily isolated. We want to be loved and appreciated by all, while claiming we want none of it. Except we don't realize that James Dean did it first, or at least did it best the earliest, and we can't bring a fresh approach, because at this point, it's all scripted.
Take 3, and action....
Monday, January 25, 2010
Sunday, January 24, 2010
Triangle comments
To John
Thesis: Cool is a role, and we are but actors on a stage, performing not only to an audience, but to ourselves as well. (I also thought i got some idea of frustration in your words.)
1.) We think that being 'cool' is being different, approaching life differntly, with new perspectives. However, coolness in itself, the quest for it, kind of limits ourselves to only what we see and percieve as cool. There are no new perceptions in cool, only borrowed ones.
+ I thought you might also want to add that the perspective on cool changes based on what group you perform to.
2.) Corporations see profit in coolness; they hunt down the mask-wearers and take the masks to sell. After some time, they find ne things to hunt after, continuing in an endless cycle
+ an example would be very strong here
I liked it a lot, altogether. I would only say that you might want to approach it a little calmer than you seem to now - you sound vindictive.
Thesis: Cool is a role, and we are but actors on a stage, performing not only to an audience, but to ourselves as well. (I also thought i got some idea of frustration in your words.)
1.) We think that being 'cool' is being different, approaching life differntly, with new perspectives. However, coolness in itself, the quest for it, kind of limits ourselves to only what we see and percieve as cool. There are no new perceptions in cool, only borrowed ones.
+ I thought you might also want to add that the perspective on cool changes based on what group you perform to.
2.) Corporations see profit in coolness; they hunt down the mask-wearers and take the masks to sell. After some time, they find ne things to hunt after, continuing in an endless cycle
+ an example would be very strong here
I liked it a lot, altogether. I would only say that you might want to approach it a little calmer than you seem to now - you sound vindictive.
Cool, like we from the monkeys, has evolved over time. James Dean was your now-cliché leather jacket style cool. Guns N' Roses were the edgy, hair-band rock lifestyle cool that is still so popular in rock music. Kid CuDi is the new-school class clown and pothead cool kid. While these different examples have certain separating factors, the most important part of their 'cool' pose is that which they all have in common; they perform the role of unique individuals who say screw you to 'the man' in order to do 'what they love'. The trend of being edgy and rebellious has been the universal slogan for cool regardless of what movement it was. From the Greasers to the Hipsters of williamsburg Coolness has, despite generational gaps, remained largely unchanged by the times. The same general ideas of cool that were held 50 years ago are still maintained, and we only see more and more aspects being tacked on to the 'cool' cork board. Examining trends of cool in the past and comparing them alongside views held today, we might be able to get a look at where cool came from, and even where its going.
My closest tie to the generation immediately prior to my own for me is my father. Having conversations with him about what life was like for him growing up gives me some minor insight into what it meant to be cool as a teenager growing up in fairly rural Ireland in the 70s. He was alive at the right time to catch the flame of the punk movement across western Europe. Bands like the Sex Pistols were gaining their fame and causing quite a ruckus for the old Catholic folk in Ireland. dad recalls times that he'd overhear other parents talk furiously about the punks who came through town, playing shows literally on trash can lids and beaten up instruments, almost for the simple sake of making noise. It was an outlet for teen angst like there never had been, and it was an embodiment of cool as we've seen it before; pretending that you don't give a fuck, that you run your own life, that you don't have to take shit from anyone....at least until you get to be 30, settle down in a respectable field, and put your 'rock days' behind you. Cool is a fickle beast, only around as long as you are young enough for it to be considered a 'phase'.
The concept of cool in the past was direct rebellion against the previous generation. Your parents were working-class stiffs, and you wanted to break out of their mold as much as possible, so that means that you had to act as different as you could from them. You had the hippies, son of 'war heroes', then punks, sons of once hippies, then there was a grunge movement, and a hip hop movement. What we are left with is a current generation of people descended from groups who have been through their own variations on what they found cool. Of course, their are always a few catches. I myself am the son of parents who were influenced partially by the punk craze in europe, but who eventually migrated to America. my parents had, whether they know it or not, a sense of exploration and need to be different that was at least partially instilled in them by what they were subject to in Ireland. The full extent of the evolution of cool is in families who have lived in america for generations, families who have had their members in many of the historical cool periods. Take an example for the sake of argument; family living in suburban california in the 60s; their teenage child is heavily swayed by the hippy culture, something that was heavily congregated is california at the time. That teenager grew up to eventually cast aside his hippy inclinations and 'settle down' with a family. (let's say they moved to New York to settle.) His child, by now the late 70s or early 80s, will be heavily influenced by punk rock and hair metal music, giving him a new mentality that is more aggressively 'fuck the man' than the hippies would have been. At the same time, he could be influenced by rap and hip-hop music, still carrying a very aggressive sense of removal from societal normalcy. He grows up, again likely settling down with family and kids, then his kid grows up in the 90s. The early 90s was the Kurt Cobain period; grunge, the kind of apathetic, subtly rebellious tones of angsty teenagers. Punk was still strong at the time, but it was growing more angsty as well. Everyone had problems they wanted voiced, and found the voice in this music. I would say that this is the first example of a mold that is half-complete; thye weren't entirely sure of who they were or even wanted to be, and this might have helped ease the turmoil they all felt. Those specific people are still growing up, but those who have already have the kids of my generation, and we are exposed now to a lot of pop music, a lot of it centered on drugs and sexuality, with people like Lady Gaga, Kid Cudi, and more. We have perhaps less guidance than nay other group, and more cool memes to choose from. If I had to label our cool group it would be the indie ages, where everyone wants to jump on the indie bandwagon and show how edgy and different they are. We are a time of hipsters and parties in Williamsburg, of wearing cardigans and dress shoes with plastic neon glasses, of trying to be cool in our difference, without realizing that we aren't the first to try it.
Argument 3: Cross-examining those older ideas with the current ideas.
My closest tie to the generation immediately prior to my own for me is my father. Having conversations with him about what life was like for him growing up gives me some minor insight into what it meant to be cool as a teenager growing up in fairly rural Ireland in the 70s. He was alive at the right time to catch the flame of the punk movement across western Europe. Bands like the Sex Pistols were gaining their fame and causing quite a ruckus for the old Catholic folk in Ireland. dad recalls times that he'd overhear other parents talk furiously about the punks who came through town, playing shows literally on trash can lids and beaten up instruments, almost for the simple sake of making noise. It was an outlet for teen angst like there never had been, and it was an embodiment of cool as we've seen it before; pretending that you don't give a fuck, that you run your own life, that you don't have to take shit from anyone....at least until you get to be 30, settle down in a respectable field, and put your 'rock days' behind you. Cool is a fickle beast, only around as long as you are young enough for it to be considered a 'phase'.
The concept of cool in the past was direct rebellion against the previous generation. Your parents were working-class stiffs, and you wanted to break out of their mold as much as possible, so that means that you had to act as different as you could from them. You had the hippies, son of 'war heroes', then punks, sons of once hippies, then there was a grunge movement, and a hip hop movement. What we are left with is a current generation of people descended from groups who have been through their own variations on what they found cool. Of course, their are always a few catches. I myself am the son of parents who were influenced partially by the punk craze in europe, but who eventually migrated to America. my parents had, whether they know it or not, a sense of exploration and need to be different that was at least partially instilled in them by what they were subject to in Ireland. The full extent of the evolution of cool is in families who have lived in america for generations, families who have had their members in many of the historical cool periods. Take an example for the sake of argument; family living in suburban california in the 60s; their teenage child is heavily swayed by the hippy culture, something that was heavily congregated is california at the time. That teenager grew up to eventually cast aside his hippy inclinations and 'settle down' with a family. (let's say they moved to New York to settle.) His child, by now the late 70s or early 80s, will be heavily influenced by punk rock and hair metal music, giving him a new mentality that is more aggressively 'fuck the man' than the hippies would have been. At the same time, he could be influenced by rap and hip-hop music, still carrying a very aggressive sense of removal from societal normalcy. He grows up, again likely settling down with family and kids, then his kid grows up in the 90s. The early 90s was the Kurt Cobain period; grunge, the kind of apathetic, subtly rebellious tones of angsty teenagers. Punk was still strong at the time, but it was growing more angsty as well. Everyone had problems they wanted voiced, and found the voice in this music. I would say that this is the first example of a mold that is half-complete; thye weren't entirely sure of who they were or even wanted to be, and this might have helped ease the turmoil they all felt. Those specific people are still growing up, but those who have already have the kids of my generation, and we are exposed now to a lot of pop music, a lot of it centered on drugs and sexuality, with people like Lady Gaga, Kid Cudi, and more. We have perhaps less guidance than nay other group, and more cool memes to choose from. If I had to label our cool group it would be the indie ages, where everyone wants to jump on the indie bandwagon and show how edgy and different they are. We are a time of hipsters and parties in Williamsburg, of wearing cardigans and dress shoes with plastic neon glasses, of trying to be cool in our difference, without realizing that we aren't the first to try it.
Argument 3: Cross-examining those older ideas with the current ideas.
Wednesday, January 20, 2010
Cool Paper Draft
James Dean was your now-cliché leather jacket style cool. Guns N' Roses were the edgy, hair-band rock lifestyle cool that is still so popular in rock music. Kid CuDi is the new-school class clown and pothead cool kid. While these different examples have certain separating factors, the most important part of their 'cool' pose is that which they all have in common; they perform the role of unique individuals who say screw you to 'the man' in order to do 'what they love'. The trend of being edgy and rebellious has been the universal slogan for cool regardless of what movement it was. From the Greasers to the Hipsters of williamsburg Coolness has, despite generational gaps, remained largely unchanged by the times. The same general ideas of cool that were held 50 years ago are still maintained, and we only see more and more aspects being tacked on to the 'cool' cork board. Examining trends of cool in the past and comparing them alongside views held today, we might be able to get a look at where cool came from, and even where its going.
My closest tie to the generation immediately prior to my own for me is my father. Having conversations with him about what life was like for him growing up gives me some minor insight into what it meant to be cool as a teenager growing up in fairly rural Ireland in the 70s. He was alive at the right time to catch the flame of the punk movement across western Europe. Bands like the Sex Pistols were gaining their fame and causing quite a ruckus for the old Catholic folk in Ireland. dad recalls times that he'd overhear other parents talk furiously about the punks who came through town, playing shows literally on trash can lids and beaten up instruments, almost for the simple sake of making noise. It was an outlet for teen angst like there never had been, and it was an embodiment of cool as we've seen it before; pretending that you don't give a fuck, that you run your own life, that you don't have to take shit from anyone....at least until you get to be 30, settle down in a respectable field, and put your 'rock days' behind you. Cool is a fickle beast, only around as long as you are young enough for it to be considered a 'phase'.
Argument 2: Results of independent research conducted into trending topics of times past.
Argument 3: Cross-examining those older ideas with the current ideas.
My closest tie to the generation immediately prior to my own for me is my father. Having conversations with him about what life was like for him growing up gives me some minor insight into what it meant to be cool as a teenager growing up in fairly rural Ireland in the 70s. He was alive at the right time to catch the flame of the punk movement across western Europe. Bands like the Sex Pistols were gaining their fame and causing quite a ruckus for the old Catholic folk in Ireland. dad recalls times that he'd overhear other parents talk furiously about the punks who came through town, playing shows literally on trash can lids and beaten up instruments, almost for the simple sake of making noise. It was an outlet for teen angst like there never had been, and it was an embodiment of cool as we've seen it before; pretending that you don't give a fuck, that you run your own life, that you don't have to take shit from anyone....at least until you get to be 30, settle down in a respectable field, and put your 'rock days' behind you. Cool is a fickle beast, only around as long as you are young enough for it to be considered a 'phase'.
Argument 2: Results of independent research conducted into trending topics of times past.
Argument 3: Cross-examining those older ideas with the current ideas.
Monday, January 11, 2010
Cool Paper Outline
Potential thesis: Coolness has, despite generational gaps, remained largely unchanged by the times. The same general ideas of cool that were held 50 years ago are still maintained, and we only see more and more aspects being tacked on to the 'cool' cork board. Examining trends of cool in the past and comparing them alongside views held today, we might be able to get a look at where cool came from, and even where its going.
Argument 1: Back in my day..... Interviews with members of the generation immediately previous to our own, examining their perspective on cool.
Argument 2: Results of independent research conducted into trending topics of times past.
Argument 3: Cross-examining those older ideas with the current ideas.
Argument 1: Back in my day..... Interviews with members of the generation immediately previous to our own, examining their perspective on cool.
Argument 2: Results of independent research conducted into trending topics of times past.
Argument 3: Cross-examining those older ideas with the current ideas.
Thursday, January 7, 2010
Ink Me
I guess that I should start by saying that I am a fans of tattoos. I plan to get a few over the course of my life. I can tell you why I want to, even a general idea of what they might be. That being said, I do think that there is still a lot to be said for the kinds of people who wear tattoos. At it's basest point, the practice of tattooing oneself is a kind of attention-grabbing. People will deliberately put a sign on their skin to demonstrate something to people, to show them something, some part of what they consider essential to themselves. So many of the people who have tattoos say that they just like the design, that they found it pretty or interesting, or 'cool'. There's truth in that; of course you find it interesting, moving. But to say that that is the only reason for permanently dying your skin is shallow, not really reaching the whole reason of things. People think it's cool because it ties back to the fundamental ideas of what is and what isn't cool. The literal image transplanted on your person ties to the intangible image of being cool. Tattoos that are represented as visages of toughness or with intricate tribal connections are taken to be cool, while a tattoo of something like, say, a flower, are typically not 'cool'. Particularly for men-the dynamic changes when women are concerned.
There are still things to be said about the positive nature of tattoos. It has been true for several cases that peoples' tattoos are representative of periods of time in peoples' lives that were particularly challenging or difficult, and the tattoo implies your victory over the hurdle. Sometimes people get tattoos to serve as a constant reminder; people put quotes, specific symbols, and other things that carry a dual meaning for themselves as opposed to other people. A personal example with regards to myself is Occam's Razor. I plan to tattoo the phrase onto my body at some point or another over the course of my life. Occam's Razor, for people unfamiliar with the concept, basically means "the simplest answer is usually the right one". A personal reminder to myself to never overcomplicate things, as I usually tend to do so. It also carries significance with regards to memories of my father. While tattoos may literally be skin-deep, the implications often stretch far deeper than that which we first perceive.
There are still things to be said about the positive nature of tattoos. It has been true for several cases that peoples' tattoos are representative of periods of time in peoples' lives that were particularly challenging or difficult, and the tattoo implies your victory over the hurdle. Sometimes people get tattoos to serve as a constant reminder; people put quotes, specific symbols, and other things that carry a dual meaning for themselves as opposed to other people. A personal example with regards to myself is Occam's Razor. I plan to tattoo the phrase onto my body at some point or another over the course of my life. Occam's Razor, for people unfamiliar with the concept, basically means "the simplest answer is usually the right one". A personal reminder to myself to never overcomplicate things, as I usually tend to do so. It also carries significance with regards to memories of my father. While tattoos may literally be skin-deep, the implications often stretch far deeper than that which we first perceive.
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