Cool and Lame

Cool:

1. Winning
2. Intelligence
3. Beaches
4. The word cool
5. Being fit
6. Nonconformity
7. Determination
8. Spirituality
9. Soccer
10. Being Independent
11. Ipods
12. Sex
13. The Borne Identity
14. Athleticism
15. Feminism
16. Open-mindedness
17. “Going Green”
18. Lesbians
19. Obama
20. Doing
21. Self-exploration
22. Doctors
23. Hybrid Car
24. Nature and the Outdoors
25. Ellen DeGeneres
26. Achievements that are earned
27. Peace
28. Gandhi
29. Fighting world hunger
30. Living Now
31. The Colbert Report
32. Cynicism
33. Authentic
34. Selflessness
35. Wealth
36. Confidence bordering on arrogance
37. Finding something out yourself
38. Talking
39. Dogs
40. Holding hands in public
41. Focused
42. Youth
43. Goal-oriented

Lame:

1. Losing
2. Having an IQ lower than Paris Hilton
3. East Texas
4. Words like “hip” and “square”
5. Not being able to fit into your pants
6. Conformity
7. Complacent
8. Religious
9. Golf
10. Depending on others
11. CD players
12. Abstinence
13. Casablanca
14. Couch Potatoes
15. Hyper-masculinity
16. Traditionalism
17. Littering
18. Homophobia
19. Sarah Palin
20. Watching
21. Guided discovery
22. Lawyers
23. Hummer H2
24. Shopping Malls
25. Jerry Springer
26. Advancement by ass kissing
27. Violence
28. George Bush
29. The War in Iraq
30. Living in the Past
31. CSPAN
32. Not saying what you mean
33. Fake
34. Greed
35. Poverty
36. Self-conscience and shy
37. Believing what others tell you
38. Listening
39. Cats
40. Making out in public
41. Withdrawn
42. Being Old
43. Goal-less

I. Obama and Sarah Palin

Obama represents cool because he is original. He says what he wants and brings new ideas and concepts to American. Obama stands strong by his beliefs and is against discrimination. This is cool today, being unique and having an idea and running with it while still respecting everyone’s beliefs around you.

Palin, on the other hand, didn’t know what she was talking about. She seemed to be trying to say whatever she thought Americans wanted to hear.

II. Lesbians and Homophobia

Lesbians are cool because they represent an overall oppressed group, women, breaking out and not relying on men. Overcoming obstacles to get recognition is cool.
Homophobia on the other hand is no longer cool. It’s someone trying to press their beliefs on others. Most Americans are not in favor of discrimination of anyone. The few small-minded people trying to unfairly control others’ lives are uncool.

Many of the terms found in each list seem to be interchangeable or to have recently been in the opposite column, times are changing. With these changes, it’s evident that it is becoming more and more cool to be open-minded. In the recent past, cool has had certain well thought out boundaries. I think today what defines the line between the cool and the lame or the “hip” and the “square” is getting blurred. It’s harder to definitely say this is cool and this is uncool today. Ten years ago, you could have never said a girl who is in love with another girl is cool; today it is cool. What isn’t cool is being limiting or trying to press your beliefs on others. There’s really not one cool image anymore. Cool isn’t so much about the stuff or the labels as much as it is about the attitude of the person. Things aren’t as cool as they once were; a person could make just about anything cool.

Cool is a much more fluid term today than it once was. Nobody tries to define cool today; it’s either you have it or you don’t. Motorcycles and leather jackets don’t make you cool, rock and roll music doesn’t make you cool, being an athlete doesn’t make you cool. Nothing on this list can make a person cool; instead, it’s that these things have been cool within our culture. Cool is mostly about being yourself, through all kinds of adversity.