Hw- 30 Theorizing Cool

What is the point of being born, if later on we find emptiness? I guess being an evolved human being is the worst thing to become. Life is a difficult topic to fully understand and planning it is even harder. In life, nothing always goes the way we ourselves want it to go. Why? Well because nothing is perfect, nothing in life is perfect even if we subconsciously believe it is. Our own personal lives hinder our own interpretation of what "Life" is because no two people are the same, so not everyone has the same motive. Now it is possible for people to have similar motives but how we get to it, is completely on our own. Is that how we fill emptiness then? Do we fill emptiness with our own individual quest or goal? I believe it is, and there are many ways of doing so.

The first way many of us seek to fill emptiness, is finding an answer to it. In many ways finding the answer to our emptiness could be on a superficial level of the popular "Coolness." We fill this void of emptiness with what being cool is, such as; being the rebel, the wealthiest, most popular, lots of friends, etc. With all these different criteria of cool, then that void of emptiness should be filled. Its many of the roles in society we try to be to fit in with every ones needs. This is where I believe being the conformist is one ultimate way of filling the empty and finding a meaning. Now there are downsides to becoming a full-on conformist, people will believe you are fake. People will categorize you as fake for being a conformist because you, yourself does not have a self of your own. In the "cool" societies this looked down upon because you do not bring fourth a unique and individual trait, which in the cool societies everyone wants to duplicate. So if you would like to conform, do it in a moderate fashion because almost everyone is.

Another way I look at how we fill emptiness is to be everywhere, with everyone, doing everything. The answer to that is creating something everyone can relate too. Heroes are great examples of these characteristics because everyone idolizes them. Heroes are the type of people that are perfect and nothing could be wrong with them because everyone likes him/her. For example in the 1960's when blacks were segregated from whites, Martin Luther King, a famous black activist stood up for what he and millions of other black males and females believed was right. In the black culture, they looked to Martin Luther King as a hero for ending segregation. Not all would agree, but majority would believe and even for Hitler, his near-accomplishment of taking over the world in the 1940's might of been heroic in the eyes of most Germans. Both these two individuals created a movement that captured the eyes of many, which would categorize them under heroic(depending on your belief). So I feel that they had filled most of their emptiness.

My final thought on figuring out or understanding emptiness and filling it is, what if we just don't care. If we did not care about having a meaning or filling an emptiness would we be better off? Is it possible to not care about it all? Basically just questioning life as a whole would to just stop, and finding an answer to it has deceased. Then how would our society be like?

Hw-31 Exploring Methods

Matthew-

Are there ever situations where you feel the need to make yourself bigger than another person?

"yeah, times where I feel awkward or I have to prove a point."

How does that person feel when your the bigger person?

"I guess sometimes there are two types of people who sometimes accept it or then some people who take it as an offense.  But it always go back to the idea that nobody is always going to like you."

Why is that?  How come people aren't going to like you?

"umm.. Sometimes people won't understand me, or for better words they can't relate.  And what is a relationship if they can't relate which is a reason why someone would not like me."

For me-

For me,  I think I'm more of a conformist because of the many identities I put up front, to fit in with the many different social scenes.  I feel that this role of being the conformist is valid in the cool society because there are many different criteria's that cool requires, and by being one identity won't really get you far in the cool scene.

Hw-29 Merchants of Cool

In "Merchants of Cool" it showed how corporations use teenagers as their source of money making machines. It was interesting to see how they got to the teenagers to find out what the "cool" was, and how oblivious the teens were to the manipulation of the companies.

One of the manipulating techniques that worked really well were the cool hunters. The cool hunters were the people who sought out to find the dominant teenagers who led trends and were unique. When these people photographed the unique and trend setting individuals (the teens), it made them seem like they were special, or meaningful. At least that's how I think they felt because they did not really question it. Little did these oblivious teens know, was that they were suckers to huge corporation stealing their individuality and spreading it everywhere. So now, that person's style was no longer unique.

Another method that companies used were focus groups that had meetings with teens to find out what the "new cool" on the street was. The teens were paid to be in these focus groups made by the companies and in the meetings they are asked questions such as: "What type of music is cool? Whats the most favorite brand of clothing to wear? etc." This gave the teens the sort of power to guide where companies should be looking to spread their business and in what type of style that was "cool" of course.

Probably the most effective of its time and risky but succeeded was the Sprite corporation because they broke the boundary of trying to sell cool but basically become it. It was interesting because of that time, Hip-hop was getting popular and cool, and every teen was into it. The Sprite corporation acknowledged the fact of "coolness" that trailed it and they went along with it. Sprites attempt to become cool scored them big and all the teens associated themselves with the Sprite drink because it affiliated with the Hip-hop scene.

Hw- 28 Informal Research

Fenichel, Michael "What is cool?" (What's Hot? What's Not?)
http://www.fenichel.com/Cool.shtml

This article articulated their definition of "cool" and how teens deal with it daily. It talked about how self esteem, peer pressure, hormones and social experiences shape the way cool is showered upon us. What I thought was pretty interesting about what the author said about self esteem is, what really makes someone cool? Most of it comes across understanding what one is really good at it and sticking with it. In some other cases self esteem is making grades, points, or money.

I thought this article was dead on about what "cool" means in our adolescent lives because we are affected by so much in societies that portray a different thing every day or week or month. But this obsession with "you" is probably a main characteristic of just being cool because what is really you in a society that has criteria of being a "cool you."

Who, Alan "How to be Cool."
http://alanwho.com/ask/how-to-be-cool/

The author of this article gave more of a list then an explanation of being "cool" which is pretty interesting because how does he already know that people think he's cool. Anyway, in the article he gives out these tips/advice on how you could structure yourself around cool by doing it in his interpretation of cool. What I thought was interesting about this article was at the end when he explains that (once again the theme of being you arises) being you is your best teacher. So how come he's teaching people how to be them? What if the things he listed on how to be cool are the total opposites of what other peoples interpretations of cool are? Very tricky situation and that's why I believe that finding the answer to cool is infinite and there are no real correct answers to it. For example, his fifth suggestion of how to be cool is basically not wear brand name clothes, be your own brand. There are many people who will disagree with this because in our society, wearing brand name clothing that are pretty expensive, is pretty damn cool.


http://www.askmen.com/money/how_to_250/252_how_to.html


Like the second article, this one gave their own personal tips of how to be cool. In comparison to the second article, this one gave more of how to "bag" women and maintain your coolness level. I also felt it gave an impression of the stereotypical cool for example their tip on the type of women you should date or have. The header was "Have a nice girlfriend(preferably good looking)", and from their on it went on about how if you have a hot girlfriend you look really cool.



http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OnuK0ka9Ho8

In this video, Russel Simmons, explains what cool is with his own analogy of the cool guy. The type of cool guy he desrcibed was more of the "real-cool" guy because of the calm qaulities that he had. For instence, that type of guy goes for his goal without "frustration, anxienty and seperation from power."

Although I'm not sure why Simmons brought meditation into context, which he brings up a lot after the first minute of the video, but he believes that meditating brings you bliss, which is pretty cool.

Hw-27 Informal Research

Do you think your cool?
No, not really. I'm just normal. Just a nice little person haha.

Who's the coolest person you have ever met?
YOU GUYS!! I think your cool because of what your doing right now; doing mini interviews.

Do you think your cool?

Isn't obvious. I may the coolest person you ever know.

Besides yourself, who's the coolest person you ever met?

I don't believe there are actually cool people out here anymore. I mean not like today but in the past.

Like who?

A lot of the western heroes or Steve McQueen and Steven Seagal.

Family member-Nadia
What is cool?

Cool is what you would want to be. It is more of just being yourself then trying to be someone else.

What is popularity?
Popularity is thinking that you are better then someone else. I think it is that because most "popular" people think that their better then someone else but it is not true.

Are you more popular then your friends?
No, My "clique" is equal to me because none of us think we are popular or act it; we're just friends.

What inspired the way you dress?
Well, my mom and brother because they dress casually, and I would like to dress the same way.

Hw-26 Photos and Questions

To view their awesome cool pictures, please sign in to Facebook.
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http://www.facebook.com/home.php?ref=home#/profile.php?id=100000456491167&ref=ts

Harry Hazan

What makes you cool?
What makes me cool, is that im funny and I like making other people laugh; gives me attention.

What is "Being cool?"
Being cool is having people think that your someone who they like being in the presence of.

Do you have an idol that inspired your look? Or anything that has inspired you?
My brother inspired me to be cool because I would always see him bring friends over and see how much they appreciated him, so it made me want to be more like him.

What inspired your look?
Well I wanted to do something funny and i'm the type of person that does the unexpected. My friend Alan told me i woudn't do it, so it really motivated me even more to shave my head like an old man and go with it.

http://www.facebook.com/#/keiji

Keiji Drysdale

What inspired the way you dress?
My friends, they inspire me because I am able to pick and choose from each influence and develop my own personal style.

Are you cooler then your friends?
Bet. Fuck yes I am.
How so?
I pull off the looks that my friends attempt to put on.

http://www.facebook.com/#/profile.php?id=862400360&ref=ts

Taylor Hodges

What is being cool?
Being cool is smoking a lot of weed and drinking maddd shit.(She jokes) nah
um being cool is not giving a shit about what any one thinks of you.

Do you think your cool?
uhhh, on occasions; I have my moments.
What are the moments?
Like moments when i'm with the people I really love and not caring about what anyone thinks.

What inspired the way you dress?
Gossip girl and sometimes things I see in magazines.