HW # 31 - Exploring Methods of M,M,C,A, & Aggrandizing the Self

Interview with Mrs. P by Devin

Method of adorning

Ms. P is a woman who lives on our block and is always out walking her dog. The dog always has a big red bow around his neck. He is a boxer, and he always looks uncomfortable to me with the stupid bow on. Mrs. P. also has a very distinctive walk.
She has a straight back (good posture) and takes quick short steps. Her lips are pursed, and she looks everyone she passes in the eye.

D – Why is your dog wearing that big red bow?

Ms. P – It keeps his neck warm in this freezing weather.

D – But he wears it in the summer too, doesn’t he? Is that one a cooling bow?

Ms. P – Ha! Ha! Ha! It’s the same one, actually. He wears it because he likes it. He asks me to put it on before we go out.

D – That’s amazing. You mean he brings it to you in his mouth whenever he wants to go out?

Ms. P. – (thinks) Well, I think he used to do that. He probably did. Now it is a habit.
He would feel undressed without it.

D – And your red scarf? Do you feel the same about it as your dog does about his bow?

Ms. P. – I can tell that people who see us think it is kind of cool that we both have red around our necks.

Mrs. P is obviously trying to get attention for herself. She appears to live alone. . I would normally have little respect for people like Ms. P who try to get attention for themselves so obviously. However, in the case of Ms.P I feel sorry for her, I think she is just lonely.

Part B

Interview with Self by Devin

D Now that you've finished analyzing Ms. P's performance, what about your own?

Self What do you mean?

D Well, you perform for others in some way too, don't you?

Self I guess we all do to some extent. "All the world's a stage," as Shakespeare says.

D Yeah, but you have been performing with real audiences for a long time, haven't you? Why do you think you have done that?

Self Oh, you mean in soccer and in dance. Well, I started both at a young age so I don't think I can be blamed.

D But it has been your choice to continue both. There must be some need you have for an audience to appreciate you.

Self That's something to think about. Both soccer and dance training have been a lot of hard work. Soccer started out as all fun when I was seven, and I have always needed an outlet for my physical energy. My brother and I were both hyper kids. I've been lucky to have been on good soccer teams, and we have played and won so many tournaments. I think the satisfaction of playing well comes from the reaction of the coach and teammates and not so much the audience. As players, we try to shut the audience out. There are a few exceptions. When we represented the US in France, we played in a stadium with 40,000 people, and that was pretty cool. You can't shut out an audience of that size.

D The soccer is part of your identity now, isn't it? If you stopped playing, wouldn't you be less you?

Self I have to admit that's true. Once I broke my wrist and arm in a game and was out for four months. I really missed playing. Luckily, it didn't stop me from dancing. After two months I started the dance training with my cast on.

D Okay, so what about dance? That 's part of your identity too, right?

Self It must be to some degree. Most of the time it is just hard work the way soccer is now that I am older. Both are really competitive. I think that maybe that is what doing both soccer and dance is really all about. I like to compete.

D So competing and winning or doing well makes you feel good about yourself and gives you satisfaction in life. Is that right?

Self. That must be true. Dancing at the Joyce Theater or at the Apollo Theater is exciting, but public performances like these don't happen that often.
I am in class six days a week. I have soccer practice two or three times a week and play on the weekends.

D It's amazing you have time for anything else.

Self That's true. What I think soccer and dance give me are two different worlds. In soccer I am with my team of course, but I know kids from all over the city and in different states too. We've travelled to France and Brazil. Soccer is played all over the world, and I like the fact that I can go anywhere and with just a ball pick up a game and meet people.

D What about dance?

Self That is another world for me. I like the people a lot or I wouldn't stay with it. Also, dance is fun, and it's a social activity that stays with you. Chances are I won't continue to train seriously in college, but the training has been great and helps condition the body for sports too.

D You have to admit your life is a performance or even a big series of performances.

Self I blame my parents. Actually, I can't even do that. I was at Chelsea Piers watching my brother play basketball when I was 7. I started kicking a soccer ball when one of the games ended, and a coach asked me if I would like to play.
My dad knew nothing about soccer. For dance I was auditioned at my school in the third grade. I just got a letter in the mail about a scholarship. Luck had a lot to do with my starting both soccer and dance.

D Luck has a lot to do with being able to continue both too.

Self Right. I could be injured at any time and have to stop both. Then who would I be?

HW # 30 Psychological and Philosophical Theorizing of Cool

When Sisyphus, a clever king, fooled the gods one too many times when he captured Hades so no one could die, his own deadth ended in an eternal punishment of having to push a voulder up a hill that would just fall down again just asit reached the top. In this absurd situation, Sisyphus found satisfaction in the struggle to keep trying with the boulder, and this was what was interesting about him to the existential writer Camus. Sisyphus had to look within himself to find some meaning in his life since there was no outside power that was going to help him. I can understand why an existentialist would like to use the Greek myth of Sisyphus as a way of explaing human happiness in an absurd world. An absurd world must be a world without a higher power (a god) who puts people on earth for a reason and gives meaning to their lives. If there is no god and no afterlife to go to no matter what we do in this world, and we are all just going to die, then life can seem absurd. Camus is making the point about Sisyphus that it is the struggle to achieve our own goals that gives us satisfaction and makes our lives worthwhile.

I think that being a teenager can be considered an existential time because a teenager is not a child with godlike parents telling him or her what to do, and a teenager has no idea what being an adult will be like. It is a time to try to find your identity by creating your own existence in the eyes of your peers. Being cool is an identity. We are all judged by our peers, and if they think you are cool then your life has meaning. Whatever you are doing, you are doing it right because the feedback is great. The problem is there are so many ways to be cool, some good and some bad. The ideal way to be cool I think is by developing your talents into skills that can help you achieve goals and help you feel you are contributing to humanity in some way or that you will be able to before you die. This is not possible if you act like a "poser," someone who has the need for attention and acceptance without having developed a sense of self.
I think this a poser does what the existentialist philosopher Sartre called inauthentic acts. Posers are not developing theirr own abilities and identity so they can make some positive contribution to humanity. If death is the end of existence, then making the most of this life means feeling part of something bigger while you are alive, and that bigger thing is humanity. I am not arguing that you should never try to act cool like a James Dean, sometimes it is nice to feel wanted or be found interesting by your peers. Everyone should have some unpredictable qualities that distinguish him or her, but these qualities should have to do with positive achievements of some kind that give satisfaction. This kind of satisfaction gives meaning to life, and that is what humans are all looking for.

I think that Bhuddists are in a sense existentialists because they are trying to live a better life in this world. Even if they believe in some sort of way of the spirit continuing after death, they do not believe that an individual is going to wake up again in an afterlife. So the important thing is to live a good life doing "authentic acts" as the existentialists would say to contribute in a positive way to humanity. Bhuddists believe in The avoidance of unwholesome actions and the cultivation of positive actions is called Śīla (ethical conduct in Sanskrit),
meaning "the avoidance of unwholesome actions and the cultivation of positive actions." Cultivating positive actions would give life satisfaction, and that brings me back to Sisyphus, who was cool because he kept on trying. No one is going to be cool all the time (think of poor Tiger Woods). But if we keep trying to develop our own talents and live in a way that makes us good human beings (helping humanity), we will get some satisfaction that gives our life meaning.

HW # 29 Merchants of Cool

So What Exactly is the Problem?

Corporations have always manipulated people through marketing and at every age group. And the commercials try to make us feel dissatisfied with our lives and offer their product to help us out. Is it any different marketing to teens than marketing to old people(making them feel less sexy) or to children(get them the latest action figure or Barbie?) After thinking about the merchants of cool, I realize that marketing to teens is different. First, we're a huge demographic with a whale-load of money to spend(not me personally.) Second, we are in the buisness of developing our identities. We're not children and we're not adults. Advertisers can't help giving us materialistic values to identities they seem to think we have or want.

So What is he Danger?

The danger I guess is that the teenage time of life is an insecure time of peer pressure, trying to fit in, and getting self-confidence. Advertisers have the job of taking advantage of our fear of not fitting in and make us feel that buying the right stuff will make us one of the cool guys as defined by them based on what they think we want. Conforming to what everyone else does though is not most people's idea of cool. I think the idea is that corporations want us to believe that before we can even think about how we might distinguish ourselves as cool we must have certain products and dress in a certain way. I guess they are making us first stage cool. Then it's up to us. The scary thing is that for kids who can really get sucked into advertising(and its hard to avoid not getting sucked in to some degree) the identity being sold can get out of hand.

The "Midriff" girl who can only think about distinguishing herself by trying to get sexier and sexier with more revealing clothes. The Merchants Of Cool program says she can't even get in
perspective that she is being manipulated as a sexual object.

The Solution

Since it seems that right now there are only a very few(5) corporations trying to sell us their stuff, they will just get more competitive. The Merchants of Cool say that means they will "drag standard down." I guess that means more sex and violence. The answer I guess is to make us aware of what the advertisers game is and make us feel like idiots(uncool) if we don't think for ourselves.Also, we need to develop our own interests. I love playing soccer for example. I buy shoes that are best for my sport, not just buy what I see in ads(although you never see soccer ads with basic cable.)

HW # 28 - Informal Research - Internet, Magazines, and TV Shows

Cool (African philosophy). Wikipedia, n.d. Web. 10 December, 2009
http://infao5501.ag5.mpi-sb.mpg.de:8080/topx/archive?link=Wikipedia-Lip6-2/1576344.x
This is an interesting article about the concept of cool in popular culture coming from
black jazz musicians beginning in the 1920s. Their idea of cool came from a West African concept of the “mask of the cool,” where cool is “composure, dignity in being and comportment and a practiced stoicism… It is a way of being, a way of walking in the world.” In African culture opposite forces create balance so the concept of hot is equally important. Cool represents “stillness, calm and strength.” Heat represents “energy, strength, and movement.” The two mix together well in African movement, dance, music, and art. The word “hip” comes from the African work “hipi” meaning to open up the eyes and be aware. African Americans used it to mean something “fashionable and current.”

This article is helpful for information about the start of the idea of cool and how African-American uses of the word were taken up by mainstream white culture.



Will America Ever Be Cool Again. iNewsit Blog, n.d. Web. 8 December, 2009
http://www.inewsit.com/blogs/entry/Will-America-Ever-Be-Cool-Again

This is a blog in the form of a letter to the editor from a Staten Island Ferry souvenir seller who says that tourists are not interested in buying American stuff because “Bush trashed the American Brand” and even Obama’s “Yes I can” hoodies aren’t selling now. The editor says that a recent survey by Pew ranks the U.S. as 117 on the cool index now. “Only Russia, China, the UK, and Zimbabwe were considered less cool than the U.S.

This is a humorous article about how the U.S. used to be cool and now is not. There is
a lot that is true in it as it talks about what has been cool and uncool in America over time. It is hare on other countries too. “China hasn’t been cool since Confucius…Italy has a seventy-three year old President who brags to teenage girls about his sexual prowess.



Marc, 25 Acts of Body Language to Avoid.. 7 July, 2008. Mark and Angel Hack Life.
9 December, 2009 http://www.marcandangel.com/2008/07/07/25-acts-of-body-language-to-avoid

This is a list of common gestures and other body movements that make us uncool when
we do them. Examples are: holding objects in front of you and sending a message of shyness or wanting to be separate from the person in front of us, crossing your arms and sending a message of “defensive resistance” or arrogance.

The list is interesting in that makes the reader aware of how a lot of what can make people look uncool they aren’t even conscious of doing.



Bharadwaj, Ajay. In Bhatinda, blood donation is considered cool. 27 February, 2006. DNA Read the world. Web. 8 December, 2009 http://www.dnaindia.com/india/report_in-bhatinda-blood-donation-is-considered-cool-10

This article is about a certain district in India where people take great pride in giving
blood over and over. It didn’t used to be that way. People who needed blood there 30 years ago used not to be able to get any. Then a man who nearly lost his daughter because there wasn’t a single unit of blood for her started a campaign that now has 10,000 donors. He made it cool to give blood.

The article gives another perspective on cool and that is the idea that people can make change for the better in a society by changing behavior to make something that needs to be done seem cool to do.

HW # 27 Informal Research - Interviews and Surveys

My mom was pacing back and forth, hand to chin obviously thinking, so I went up to her and asked " Mom, what seems to be the bother?" "Well," my mom responded, "I was thinking about whether we really have to have turkey this Thanksgiving. I actually think we should have some filet mignon. The pieces of meat will be really tender, but small, and that will be healthier for everyone. We'll begin with a lot of cajun shrimp that people can peel themselves." Our immediate family loved the idea because we aren't great turkey fans. It was clear that the guests were initially surprised. No whopping plates of turkey, stuffing, mashed potatoes, sweet potatoes and gravy in sight. In fact, after the shrimp course was cleared, the plates had a small round filet mignon with mushrooms, asparagus, and salad. You could actually see a lot of plate. For dessert there were two big homemade blueberry and raspberry tarts and some small lemon tarts. My uncle said, "This is a very cool Thanksgiving dinner." This was just the opening I needed to ask all the guests about their idea of cool. So here are some of their comments:

Being cool is like this dinner. It has style and it's not copying anybody else.

Being cool is having the confidence not to worry about what others are thinking.

Being cool is not submitting to peer pressure.

Being cool means having a natural swagger without being arrogant.

Being cool means having a style unique to you, not a copy of someone else's.

Being cool means being consistently cool -- not depressed one minute, hyper the next.

People notice really cool people who aren't trying to be noticed.

Cool people develop talents that make them cool.

Cool people are likeable and people are drawn to them.

Cool people don't talk too much about religion. If they have it, they mostly keep it to themselves.

Cool people don't make themselves feel better by making fun of others.

Lupe Fiasco is a cool guy with a quit confidence, unusual for a rapper. His lyrics make you think.

Will Smith is always cool. Fresh Prince of Bel-Air and Men in Black.

Steve McQueen was definitely a cool guy in The Great Escape. A comic rebel among Nazis has to be cool. Also, he never gave up trying to escape the prison camp. Cool guys have to be consistent and are not be intimidated.

Humpfrey Bogart was very cool. He stood up to Nazis too in Casablanca and he gave up the woman he loved because she was married to a war hero. Beyond cool.

The mention of Humpfrey Bogart made one guest talk about how cool Humpfrey Bogart looked.
She thought he especially looked cool when he was smoking. She said Albert Camus, the writer, also looked cool especially when smoking. My dad said that he thought he used to look cool when he smoked. He thinks there are a lot fewer cooler people now that fewer people smoke. Not than smoking is a cool thing to do. It is a cool thing to look doing.

HW 26 - Photos and Questions Cool Guy # 3

Gustavo

Dean & Deluca -

Prepared food section

Broadway and Prince Street

Where are you from?

I come from Santo Domingo in the Dominican Republic.

How long have you been in the U.S.?

I've been living here for 14 years.

What do you like to do best when you aren't working?

I like to watch soccer.

What do you think is the coolest thing about you?

Definitely not my hat. I think I take my hat off for the picture.

I just like to talk to people I like. Most of the people I meet here

I really like, but there are a few...

What would your dream job be?

I would like to be a doctor's assistant. I want to help people who are sick get better.

HW 26 - Photos and Questions Cool Guy # 2

James

Plays guitar in the Prince Street Subway Station (R-W trains)

How long have you been playing guitar?

I only started five years ago. I get my practice in down here.

What do you like to do when you're not playing in the subway?

I'm only just now getting good enough to play in clubs.

Where are you from?

Alexandria, Virginia. I grew up in the shadow of the Pentagon.

What is the coolest thing about you?

Definitely my Sergeant Pepper type outfit.

What would your dream job be?

I want to teach music to kids if I get good enough. I want to be a teacher.

HW 26 - Photos and Questions Cool Guy # 1

Bemmet

Addidas Store -Athletic Shoe Department

Broadway and Houston Steet

Where are you from?

Germany. I came to the U.S. in 2004.

How long have you been playing soccer?

I started playing at the age of 8 in Germany. I played with Germany's third division Bayern Munich professional team.

What do you like to do best when you aren't working?

Surprisingly, I like to play soccer.

What do you think is the coolest thing about you?

Am I cool? I don't know. My hair, I guess.

What is your dream job?

To be a professional soccer player. I have a tryout coming up with the Red Bulls.