What does it mean to be cool?

Center Argument: The meaning of the word “Cool” is something entirely different in different people’s views.

            In Woodstock school, students often use the word “Cool” to identify themselves to be better than the rest. You hear students say “That’s so cool” or “you’re cool” or even “I am so cool.” What they really mean by cool is to identify one as amazing person or an extra-ordinary person. Although, Stoic, the ancient Greek philosophers, view “cool” in a different way. And the act of being cool was first brought by the Black slaves in America.

             In the article, “Cool” has been described in many ways. They also have defined “Cool” in terms of negative attitude; “it’s also a symptom of anomie, confusion, anxiety, self-gratification and escapism, since being cool can push individuals towards passivity more than towards an active fulfillment of life’s potential.” (Bornstein). “it is more important to be ‘cool and down’ with the peer group than to demonstrate academic achievement” (Bornstein), is showing the real image of being cool in this modern generation with the youths who are in High school or college.

           Even the people of the higher rankings also have now begun the act of being cool. People at the level of “CEO is not cool, unless he is a reasonable risk-taker and refrains from pursuing success in a predictable fashion.” (Bornstein) and now even the presidents around the world have been classified as cool or non- cool president. “A president is uncool if he clings to absolute power, but becomes cooler as soon as he voluntarily concedes power in order to maintain democratic values.” And that shows that the meaning of being cool has been changed, and that it depends upon the idea of an individual. Nowadays, there are movies that talks about being cool and they make fun of the non-cool kids who are interested in studying and who are interested in becoming someone great in the future.

 “Cool is a balance created by the cool person’s style, not through straightforward rules or imposed standards” And that is true because it has been a trend especially since the Hip-hop, style or genre became very famous. Although, the Greek philosophers say that “all the things upon which we have no influence are best neglected, a ‘cool’ attitude is nurtured.” The stoics also say that “cool” is control as well. And that shows the different view of Stoics from the hip-hop generation, or even the current Woodstocker.

In the end, the word cool means a lot of things and they are all from different point of views. At times, cool means to be like the Hip-Hop artists, at times it means to be someone who does not care about their grades or anything. And with the Stoics they think that “Coolness is control; but the dictator who controls everything is not cool because he does not balance a paradox.”