Hw # 37 - FINAL DRAFT

“ It still loves the night and flirts with living on the edge.” (Cool rules)

Flipping through magazines or looking around on streets, you see cool. Cool people, cool technology, cool trends, etc. But what is cool? The definition given by dictionary is “ The best way to say something is neat-o, awesome, or swell. The phrase "cool" is very relaxed, never goes out of style, and people will never laugh at you for using it, very convenient for people who don't care about what's "in.” (Urban dictionary) "Cool" is an essence, an attitude, a skill only portrayed by the very best actors, cool is eternal (Matthew). Cool can mean a lot of things, it can be the sense of lifestyle one lives, the way one looks or an object one wears. Even though everyone has a different idea of cool, it is created by the roles one plays day by day. These roles we play make us who we are and are shaped by all that surrounds us.

Every single person has a role they play and it usually changes depending whether at home, work or school. One might say role? Does that mean that my whole life is just play, it’s not real? No but we do fall into little scripts daily but it doesn’t necessarily mean the performances can’t be real. When I lost a friend, I cried and mourned for him so I played the role of the mourner or friend. But it didn’t mean my “script” was fake, because I really was upset and sad when he passed away. These roles we get from different sources make up our identity and can be authentic at times or not.

One of the main things that shape the roles we play is family and friends, starting from when we are born. Our parents raise us and try to impress the certain values, ideas and lifestyle they have upon us. And it affects our view on cool as well. We are all the products of our family and they are the product of their families (Andy). So we begin to create an identity that works in our home, for me it was being the “good girl”. Who didn’t throw a tantrum when older brother made me be Robin, when really I wanted to be Batman, always ate at the dinner table, was respectful, etc. But my parents weren’t the only ones who influenced me in the scripts I began to play, my older brother also did. When I was younger, he was my idol, tried to listen to whatever he was listening to or play the videogames he would and try to be as good (sadly I never was).

These identities we grow up with to fit in our families just might not work in the real world, like in school, work or street. When we begin school all the kids soon influence us as well. Kids, who we realize did not grow up like us, so have different ideas of what cool is. For me in elementary school it was more about making friends, friends who my mother knew their mothers and they knew her, the “good” boys and girls. But in middle school I began to choose my own friends and cool became so much more important because for them it was as well. Because I grew up with no sisters, I watched girls in school to see what a girl “should” wear and what was “in.” It was hard because my identity at home didn’t work at school and vice versa, for example wearing the prettiest skirt was cool at school but at home it was cooler passing certain level in the hottest videogame of the moment.

Once we begin high school, as adolescents being cool is what we all desire, but one must work harder to adapt to what our certain group of friends find cool. The elements you need to ever be cool, ask any teenager are being good – looking, popular, trendy, wearing the name brand clothes, having sex, being confident, and so much more depending on what friends we surround ourselves with. We start to play scripts one might not want to play but need to in order to be cool. We create different identities for ourselves that aren't original but come from other sources because we are trying to impress others and live up to our audience’s expectations of cool all the time (Larche).

Our family and friends isn’t the only thing that surrounds us and creates our identity, death does too. All around us people are dying and we all know we will too some point, so one thinks what the hell am I doing here? Thus we create an identity shaped by our surroundings making us feel important. This sense of importance helps “cover” the hole of emptiness we have due to the fact that we will die and soon everyone we know will as well and it’ll be like we never existed. So we choose to play roles instead of crawling up in ball shaking and crying about something we can’t change, one must die someday.

Even when we act cool or create a cool pose its just another way to “ keep the lid on the most intense feelings and violent emotions.” (Cool Rules) And most of these emotions and feelings come from us trying to spend our lives trying to become complete before we die. We always want something a lover, clothing, home, money, etc but it’s never enough, we always want more. So we continue to play scripts that make us feel good but this never lasts, making our whole life a performance.

Life’s but a walking shadow, a poor player

That struts and frets his hour upon the stage,

And then is heard no more. It is a tale

Told by an idiot, full of sound and fury,

Signifying nothing. – Hamlet: Shakespeare (Act 5, Scene 5)

We try to live a meaningful life, but in the end it means nothing we die and our life’s performance “is heard of no more.” In this life we try to feel important, be cool, or play roles and I think this is what Shakespeare meant when he says, “ That struts and frets his hour upon the stage.” Death is just another thing that surrounds us and shapes who we are.

Whether it is our family, friends or death that shape us, they help us create our identities. Identities that have their own idea of what one finds cool. We spend our lives trying to play these roles or scripts that are influenced by what we are surrounded by, so our family, society or friends approve us. But we must also remember to not forget what we want as well. And how do we know what we want? Well I’m still figuring out that myself.

Work Cited Page

Urban Dictionary - http://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=cool

Hamlet by William Shakespeare - Act 5, Scene 5

Larche's triangle partner post (Larche)

Matthew's triangle partner post ( Matthew)

Cool Rules - (cool rules: Anatomy of an attitude – Dick Pountain and david robins – yr 2000)

hw #36

Larche,

I think you have a good thesis and it not too broad but you can stiil tlk bring a lot of ideas and thoughts you have.

A topic you can talk about of how we change as a society is the Birth of Cool: Jazz created "cool", these jazz players would talk in voice that was never enthuasitic, more w.e., would talk in slang, would get the ladies, smoked cigarettes, would drink, everything that made what we know today as the "cool attitude." Soon it was adapted by actors and film makers and then by everyone else transcending through to what now has become the norms of our society. But the elements of cool are what change throughout time but this want to be society's cool is is always the same, trying to fit the current cool.

I like the topic of your paper feel like you have great ideas and thoughts to support it. Keep up the good work :)

Matthew,

Re - written thesis: I read your paper and the ideas you talk about are great examples of how cool and gang life and cultural maps all connect. But in your introduction i didnt really see a thesis if there is maybe you should try to make it more a statement. Im not really good at making thesis statements srry bout that but here's one: Gang life is appealing to those whose cultural maps lead them to the dangers of cool in society. Tried to make it off your thoughts in paper but you dn't have to use it.

Sometimes we turn to cool because its the best role our cultural maps give us. This is why the youth turn to a wrong path like gang life because it's best choice they can choose. They get to have many of the things they never had before, for once they feel important and recieve the attention they had never gotten from their broken homes. The cool pose they perfom in a gang helps them keep their sadness , anger and other intemse emotion inside, so it doesn't hurt as much. It "covers" that hole of emptiness we all have and makes us feel complete.

I think you have a great start and the topic of gangs is interesting so i can't wait to read ur final paper. Keep up the good work :)

HW #35

Flipping through magazines or looking around on streets, you see cool. Cool people, cool technology, cool trends, etc. But what is cool? The definition given by dictionary is “ The best way to say something is neat-o, awesome, or swell. The phrase "cool" is very relaxed, never goes out of style, and people will never laugh at you for using it, very convenient for people like me who don't care about what's "in." Cool can mean a lot of things, it can be the sense of lifestyle one lives, the way one looks or an object one wears. Even though everyone has a different idea of cool, it is created by the roles one plays day by day. These roles we play make us who we are and are shaped by all that surrounds us.

Every single person has a role they play and it usually changes depending whether at home, work or school. One might say role? Does that mean that my whole life is just play, it’s not real? No but we do fall into little scripts daily but it doesn’t necessarily mean the performances can’t be real. When I lost a friend and I cried and mourned for him, I played the role of the mourner or friend. But it didn’t mean my “script” was fake, because I really was upset and sad when he passed away.

One of the main things that shape the roles we play are our family and friends, starting from when we are born our parents raise us and try to impress the certain values, ideas and lifestyle upon us. And it affects our view on cool as well. We are all the products of our family and they are the product of their families (Andy). So we begin to create an identity that works in our home, for me it was being the “good girl”. Who didn’t throw a tantrum when my older brother would make me Robin, when really I wanted to be Batman, always ate table, definitely never put feet on table, etc. But my parents weren’t the only ones who influenced me in the scripts I began to play, my older brother also did. When I was little, he was like my idol, tried to listen to whatever he was listening to or play the videogames he would and try to be as good (sadly I never was).

NOT DONE.....

Hw # 34

There are definitely patterns of what is cool, it is always what media makes the hottest trend, people who make the trends, etc. But to understand what cool is hard. It is true that some of us do get cooler cools than others for example most of the rappers and basket ball stars are black while the rock stars are white. So what is cooler being a rapper or rocker.... you'll probably get rapper as an answer 95% of the time.

I don't think coolness is the entire reason why there is racial or class or gender marginalization but it is part of the reason. For example class wise, lower class sometimes are only given certain roles to play. They usually are not given choice to recieve good education and be able to move to an upper class, so they can choose the coolest role given and this usually ends in them jobless or low - wage job.

When we are young being cool is hugely part of our lives but once one gets older you realize that it wasn't worth it because you could've been doing something you really wanted , living well or just being happy. But then again what do I know only lived part of mine. Coolness can be consolation to one because it's all about the present and how cool we are seen and important we feel at the moment, so who cares about later but if we don't have the chance to get the "better prizes" why not choose to be cool. It's tough, to understand the contributers to cool when everyone has different situation, family, community, etc.

HW # 33

a. The roles we play make us who we are and are shaped by all that surrounds us.

b. what we are surrounded by:

- family; how their maps become a part of our map and friends/group: we try to fit in our certain friends or group, school vs street vs home

-media; the way the media makes us want is cool and how they come to doing this

- death

c.

- a human story

- classmates or teacher quotes/notebook

- interviews of friends, family, stranger and school director

- Articles from class like Home fires, cool rules

- Methods of mmcaa

- death

-the type of roles we are given and how we choose the best one of the selection

-and more....

Hw # 32

Tattoos used to mean you were working class and would most likely link you to being a criminal. But nowadays celebrities like Miley Cyrus and Rihanna have tats on and neither are working class or criminals. This start of celebs and "regular" people getting tattoos has become a trend, you look through a magazine and there are at least 5 pages in it with celebs or models with tattoos. I personally don't think I'd ever get a tat because of it being permanent, you can't just change your mind one day and take it off. They need to be thought out, if not might wake up one day and be like wtf I don't want this.

The reason there are so many different stories for same action - getting at tattoo is because every person has their own reason for getting it. For example, Mr. Fanning said it was like his rite of passage or his armor for him but for someone else might say it was to fit in with a group of friends or to symbolize a death of someone close, etc. I believe tattoos are also another thing people do become more important or meaningful if in their homes or in the streets because suddenly you have done something seen as dangerous and cool. I don't think NOT having a tattoo makes you special just a regular person but that doesn't mean this person is not doing something like wearing heels or makeup to feel cooler, they just they take the non - permanent choice, that you can take off once you get home.

In class one time, Andy asked who intended to get a tattoo someday and a lot of people raised their hand which shows just how much this has become a growing trend. But like everything else it'll die down and soon the next coolest thing will come, hopefully less painful. And make sure if it fits one's identity if not people will judge you and think you're fake because trying to be bad when you really aren't. Tattoos, makeup, heels,etc all these things are just stuff that makes up our identity and makes one feel like living a pretty meaningful life.
Tattoos also becomes part of one's identity it shows or represents who we are the rebel, rockstar, artist, lover, etc depending on the role we play day to day in our lives.