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Let's Redefine What It Means To Be Cool
The ten qualities
Back in the good old days, cool people were the best looking, the most athletic, well-off financially relative to their peers, the most charismatic and insanely incestuous — keeping their romantic ventures confined to equally cool people.
During my teenage years (and early twenties), I tried to emulate those extraordinary people, often with embarrassing results. Picture an awkward skinny teenager dressing like a jock or wearing a polo shirt with the collar up.
With the benefit of maturity, it's now evident that the "cool" people I tried to emulate as a teenager were actually assholes. They shut out everyone they deemed unworthy, bullied the weakest among us, and roped us into doing favors by dangling the disingenuous possibility of joining their club. As they matured into their twenties, they only exploited their advantage.
But as we aged, we came to see them for who they are. The popular ones were never really cool. They fooled us. Now, the game is up. It's time we evolve the definition of coolness to adopt a more enlightened set of qualities.
It's not about how you look, the attractiveness or athleticism of your friends, or your social standing. Today, we define coolness by how we carry ourselves, how we treat others, and how we act under…
