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Writing / Schoolwork

The Meaning of Cool

11-04-02
Com. 1
Definition Essay
428 words

The Meaning of Cool

    Cool. We hear and use that word several times each day, whether it's used as an adjective or an exclamation. "Cool" is a word that has lasted over the ages, outlasting "swell," "the bee's knees," and "far out" (although some would be to differ). While people agree that "cool" is an adjective used to describe anything well-liked, they will always disagree on what it is exactly that "cool" describes. While "cool" generally conjures up the image of a school setting, the definition of "cool" depends on the views of the person asked to define it.

    School is what people immediately think of when they hear the word "cool." In school, "cool" is often used as a synonym for "popular," and is generally used to describe clothes and looks. The reading on one's Cool Meter decides which group is placed in. The cool people all hang out together, wear their designer clothing, and generally all look like clones of each other. In school, if a person doesn't fit this description of "cool," he or she is usually not paid much attention to (which may be a good thing or a bad thing, depending on how the said "uncool" person feels about it). To teens, "cool" is a combination of the way you dress, the stuff you like, and the attitude you have.

    In reality, however, the definition of "cool" depends on who defines it. While one person might think one thing is cool, another person might disagree. For example, I enjoy international music, reading, languages, and computers. I think that stuff is cool. Unfortunately, most of the population disagrees with me. To them, this stuff isn't interesting; it's actually kind of dorky. It's uncool. On the other hand, I don't see what the big deal is about Tommy What's-His-Face. They think those clothes are pretty snazzy. I think they're kind of lame. A Mongolian nomad will probably think that horses are cool. An Inuit caribou herder will probably disagree. It's simple a difference in opinion.

    So, to sum up, "cool" is relative. Everyone on the planet has an individual definition of "cool." For that reason, people shouldn't try to be someone they're not on account of what other people think. If those other people don't think it's cool, it's no big deal. People should do what makes them happy, not something that makes other people happy. "Cool" is what one makes of it. Personally, when I hear the word "cool," I get a mental image of the Fonz giving everyone a big thumbs up along with a hearty "Aaaayyyy."