The Socio-Economics of Cool
The Socio-Economics of Cool
Today I was awaken by a thought. My subconscious mind had brought me back from a place; a place where the judgments of people, my sense of self and the excitement of acceptance all collided within the confines of a five-floored building: My High School. Once again, being brought back to adult life from dream state, I, for a moment, had the ability to traverse my ego and access my memories of my ‘not-so-far-but-far-former’ teenage self. As I walked to the shower, recalling the details of said travel, and in an attempt to unravel the deeper meaning of my dream, I began to analyze what the underlying significance could be. What I extracted was a reoccurring and revolving theme that haunted my psyche and self esteem; since my [teenaged] years, this thematic state has been my prime subconscious concern: The Holding On To My Ephemeral State of ‘Coolness.’ The state of ‘cool’ has dominated my intuitive rational since my mid-90’s adolescence and since then I have sat in divine reverence to the Godly ‘cool.’ Today, I have decided to investigate my obsession: What is ‘cool,’ how is ‘cool’ relatively defined and exemplified in America and Europe, currently and historically? Why is ‘cool’ so revered? And what makes ‘cool’ such a valued socioeconomic cultural asset? I have decided to approach ‘cool’ from its metaphorical roots to its hyper-cool frost-bit branches.
In my attempt to explore the ‘cool,’ I began exploring its definition.
8 Notes