Cool Paper Outline [HW #33]

Focus: Alienating effects of our pursuits towards coolness.

Background Info: What is the definition of "cool"? What are the aspects of cool?- Playing the roles that would most likely give us status and a label- Being put under certain circumstances that shape our perception of "cool"
(Sources: Merchants of Cool, Interviews, More Interviews, Cool Rules: Anatomy of an Attitude)

Argument #1: Alienates our bodies from our identities- Separates bodies from our minds, and minds from our bodies- Bodies become accessories, tools- Bodies: a way that other people identify coolness- Rather than being who we are, our bodies are a projection of who we are
(Sources: Tattoos/John Fanning, The Body Social Symbolism)

Argument #2: We lose control of how we experience life- Go through our lives, fulfilling roles, playing our little game, creating a false sense of self-importance to the world
(Sources: Merchants of Cool [?], Viktor Frankl, Buddhism, Previous Blog)

Argument #3: Our chances from escaping our boxes, the roles that we play- Seeing past the roles- Finding out who we are at the core, without all the cool layerings, if possible- End the cycle of jumping from box to box
(Sources: Closed Captioned, Lectures, Cool Rules: Anatomy of an Attitude)

Connection: Never Let Me Go or Youth in Revolt

Alternative POV: We aren't alienated, in the sense that we are now more aware of our identities. We are constantly shaping it- molding it so it becomes more appealing. For instance, we keep ourselves in shape, adorn ourselves so that it matches our perception of cool. Our desire to be cool provides us with the desire to maintain ourselves, mentally and physically.

Significance/Conclusion: Be aware that being cool comes at a cost. We might be gaining momentary approval, but we lose our connections with...{Sum Up}