boomerang wrote:I'm really not trying to derail this thread because I find the study of coolness interesting.
As I was growing up "Nimrod" was a synonym for "retard" or "dweeb" or "nerd". In use: "I was such a nimrod that I thought the people at my lunch table were cool."
Well, Dr. Nimrod is true to his name, cause he totally doesn't get it.
Quote:According to the research, roughly 60 per cent of survey respondents now say cool is someone who possesses socially desirable characteristics, while roughly 15 per cent identify it with the classic image of someone who is mysterious, aloof, and dangerous.
See, this is where he doesnt get it.
The reasoning here is: the majority of people think those with socially-desirable attributes, not those who rebel and live on the edge, are cool.
But by definition, what the majority of people think is cool, is not, in fact, cool.
If you'd asked back in James Dean's time, I'm sure 60% would also have said that, no, what's really cool is a steady guy who is reliable, looks good, and your parents will like him too. That same 60% would have looked rather askance at a non-conformist rebel who'd die young. Not cool, the majority would have said.
Which is, of course, exactly why he was cool.
Jimi Hendrix was cool. Sid Vicious was cool. 2-Pac was cool. None of 'em would have gotten 60% in a popularity test. To be really cool, you've got to have the 60% looking at you with suspicion.
Dr. Nimrod is a nerd.
Stumble It!
Tweet This
Bookmark on Delicious
Share on Facebook
Share on MySpace