The Impossible Cool @emmarunevad - Tumblr Blog

I’m Shmacked

I didn’t visit UM before deciding to come to this school, I didn’t visit any college that I applied to for that matter so all I was exposed to was what there was available online. I did watch the I’m Shmacked video before coming here. So then you might wonder why am I a student at UM. But when I saw it I just thought it was fake, trying to depict this stereotypical “American college experience” and over hype what this place was really like. Which I defiantly think it does to some degree. I can’t say that I have seen girls fighting in a kitty pool, but maybe that's because they have now upped their game to mechanical bulls.

I would be lying if I said I wasn’t culture shocked when I came here. I didn’t even know what a tailgate was. I had never experienced anything remarkably similar to greek life so I was excited to see what it was like. But it was a below average experience. When I try to explain greek life to anyone back home they just ask why would you ever want to get involved in something like that. I think it’s interesting how different people view the Greek system when it's not something they are used to. It makes me wonder why people outside of the US question how messed up it is to judge if people can be in a specific friend group based on looks and wealth but here it is normal. Honestly, I don’t know why that is?

I did fall into the trap of rushing because I thought why not just try it, maybe it's not as bad as I think. But after visiting 1 house and being asked what state Switzerland was in I decided to end my sorority experience. But then I also realized that yes 700 girls rushed, but out of those around 300 dropped. The highest number in years at UM. I would hope that would be because they realized how fucked up the system is and its no longer 2012.

So when I see videos like the I’m Shmacked one yes it does depict UM to some extent, but I would argue it is a small portion of people who are actually like that I think its more to do with the fact that they make themselves more known on campus because they are so loud. It has also become the image that the school sells to create desire. The social scene is a big part of school so that is what they are trying to sell, and the market says we want to see parties, so that is what we get. Just like the consumerist product of cool says we want rebellion, and freedom so that is what we are given. Not that buying something or going somewhere is actually going to give you those things, but coming to UM can give you the feeling that you are at this insane party school with a subpar tan 24/7. Just like buying a leather jacket and a cigarette in your mouth can make you feel cool.

Attempting to map out the change in cool

1980s-90sgifs

Aired during the 1984 Super Bowl.

Our series on male status continues with a look at how the millennial generation is changing the definition of cool, and the social signals they use to denote status.

A shift in the meaning of cool

"The day culture stops changing is the day our notions of coolness will also be frozen in time."

I think this is a very interesting point to make and sums up exactly why the James Dean style we have explored in class may no longer be what we associate the stereotypical cool look to be. I was reading an article where researchers found that more people believe a person is cool when they are friendly, warm, and smart. Clearly contrasting to what we have been studying. I don’t think cool is used to describe rebellion anymore, it has instead become synonymous with being liked by others. The image of cool has moved away from a guy wearing a leather jacket and instead has almost become nerd like. Where characteristics of being hardworking and driven are viewed as cool. Beyond a change in culture, I think the meaning of cool is different today due to the fact that it goes hand in hand with what is considered socially desirable. Therefore characteristics such as being friendly, smart and attractive are viewed as cool rather than a narcissistic rebel. I think this is also a big factor that goes back to why my friends responded with Ultra, tailgates or parties being the coolest things to happen this school year. Because we are highly driven by what other people think of us and therefore that seems like the most socially desirable answer, and in turn cool.

Some stats from the article that demonstrate how Millennials have changed the meaning of cool:

* 9 out of 10 young people think it’s important to get good grades and 72% graduate high school — a record high. * In 1980, 60% of high school seniors had tried pot, and 9% smoked it daily; today, 45% have tried it, and 6.6% smoke regularly. * In 1980, a third of high school seniors had smoked cigarettes in the past month; today that number is less than 1 in 5. * In 1980, 72% of high school seniors said they had recently consumed alcohol; only 40% said the same in 2011. * In 1981, 43% of high school seniors had tried an illegal drug other than pot; in 2011, only 25% had done so. * The number of boys who’ve had sex by the time they’re 19 has fallen by almost 20% since 1988.

Drugs - the solution to everything

In class, we talked about how 1968 is considered the “year of the freak out” where the reality of what was going on began to emerge. Such as the causalities in Vietnam, as well as the assassination of both MLK and Robert F. Kennedy. This ultimately caused violence to break out and the concept of ‘cool’ flipped. The hippie movement was one way to shield yourself from the freak out of 1968. They were aware of what was going on but they found ways to cope, or perhaps avoid what was happening. For example, using drugs was one way to do this. I think this idea of almost being ignorant to the realities of the world is similar to what we can see today, and parallels can be drawn to how the hippies coped with the freakout and what we do now.

I decided to ask my friends what they would consider was something cool that happened this year. From their answers, it was clear that we may not resort to drugs to ignore the realities of the world but we use other methods just like the hippies did in 1968 to distill the most important messages of today. For example one of my friends said Ultra was what she considered to be the coolest thing to happen. So instead of attending March for Our Lives, she opted for Ultra because ultimately it allows you to disappear and distract yourself from the realities of gun violence for a few hours. Not that this can’t be seen as a good thing, of course, you should do things that bring you joy, but it draws parallels to how the hippies coped with 1968. One way to look at Ultra is that it helps you ignore the real problems of the world, just like drugs. Other responses from friends included the tailgate before the Notre Dame game when Drake came to campus or the many nights out in South Beach. All things that fall under the same category, a distraction from what is going on. Since this is what we categorize as cool today is it something we should even strive for? Will we ever be able to go back to what cool once was? Or is this there too much shit happening in the world to achieve such an aesthetic of cool again?

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1964 vs 1968 Beatles

A little inside, a little outside

The other day we were discussing the idea of being a little inside and a little outside. Similar to what DuBois argues with the idea of a double consciousness. In my two current “homes” Sweden and the U.S, I find myself to be an outsider in both these countries even if I am technically from them, or hold citizenship to both. For example here in the States I am not really considered American by others. People I have met often make the comment that I am not a “real American” because I have never lived here or maybe just because I am also from Sweden. Honestly, I am not really sure why I’m not seen as one. Even when I go onto explain that I voted in the last election it just doesn’t seem to click to people that I am in fact just as American as they are. Similarly, when I am back in Sweden I am also not seen as fully Swedish normally people make the comment that I am the “American friend.” I think having double citizenship can create a double consciousness.

I have always found it fairly annoying that people don’t consider me to really belong to either of these two countries fully. Although more so Sweden than the U.S. But it means no matter what, I am always going to be a little outside. But with being an outsider it can give you a perspective that others simply don’t have. I have come to realize by not being considered a “true American” here in Miami I have an easier time identifying things that insiders don’t see. I guess I am not as oblivious to things that “real Americans” consider to be normal. For example, throughout this semester I have realized how obsessed so many of my classmates were with creating this perfect image in high school in the hopes of impressing colleges when applying. It seems like they were being hardwired from the age of 12 on how to take the SAT. The education system I was in for my last 3 year of school does not pressure this at all. Extracurricular activities run by the school does not exist in Sweden. Nobody really cares if you were President of the student council, and the teachers never tried to mold you into some type of ideal college candidate. It was completely up to the students to decide how hard they wanted to work. I didn’t even need to take the SAT to get in here or any of the other 12 colleges I applied to. So by hearing how much my classmates have talked about a pressure in high school to be a certain way, I guess by being an outsider I have an insight into something they didn’t know. That none of that shit really matters.

Different kinds of comfort

Is Instagram Art?

Here are some of my pictures I have posted to Instagram over the past few months but can they really be considered art? A lot of people are on the platform for the purpose of fitting in with everyone else, and attempt to share their best selves with the world. Or like me make sure that everyone is aware that I was in fact at Ultra this weekend. On the other hand, Instagram lets you make art because out of all the possible photos I could post I have to select certain ones, and with that, I can manipulate them through editing the colour, cropping etc and why can’t that be considered art? After all, I am creating something. In a sense, Instagram accomplishes what street art tried to do. Art intended for masses of people. Instagram aids in showing how you see the world through the selection process of what you decide to post. It shows what you value, and what you want other people to know about you. I would argue that art also translates into how you experience the world. Therefore Instagram should be considered a new form of art.

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emmarunevad

While procrastinating finding an ancestor to write about for my English paper I decided to dedicate some of my time to watch Mean Girls. With this I found myself looking at it through the cool lens because this class has somehow warped my brain to permanently analyze things in this way. It made me realize that it is a great example of modern day cool that I was referring to in my spring break post versus classical cool that we have been studying in this course. The ‘Plastics’ clearly represent the contemporary cool we see today. All striving for an identical look to one another just like a sheep would. This is demonstrated by the fact that Lindsey Lohan is stripped of her individuality in order to fit in with the “popular group.” The way to become cool is to be the same as everyone around you. They conform to what is expected of them as a character similar to what I saw in Bimini among all the college students. There was not a single moment on my Spring Break trip where I was surprised by what I saw. Similar to the ‘Plastics’ none of these characters shock you in any way because from the start you already know exactly how they are going to act. They mold into what our current standard of what cool means. The ‘Art Freaks’ on the other hand symbolizes the classical cool we have been studying because they are considered the outcasts. They are able to create and make themselves something rather than conforming to what everybody else is doing. Even among the group, everyone is different to one another. The tightness of the ‘Art Freaks’ in a way alludes to the difficulty and exclusiveness of mastering the cool.

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“If you’re not a sex object, you’re in trouble.”

Helen Gurley Brown (via lolnineteen)

The Shift of Cool

By studying the meaning of cool it is interesting to observe how much the definition has shifted in the modern day. I subjected myself to a stereotypical spring break in Bimini where I found myself releasing how much the meaning of the word has changed. “Cool” was viewed as being able to chug vodka down a funnel without the slightest flinch. All I saw was a bunch of sheep, no one daring to rebel against the norm. Everybody dances the same way and likes the same music. This is because it means you won’t stand out and ultimately that leads to being liked by those around you. I saw someone smoking a cigarette and people were screaming at them because of pure disgust. Which is ironic considering what was going on around them and what they were doing themselves. The moment you so much as slightly stood out from the crowd you were shamed into conforming to a sheep. It is fascinating to see how that is what cool has become today when contrasting it to what we have studied so far.

weavemama

Daily reminder that 3 black women put a man in space and primary American education is too shitty to teach about them. Their names were Katherine Johnson, Mary Jackson, and Dorthy Vaughan.

free-market-pluralist-deactivat

The individual has always had to struggle to keep from being overwhelmed by the tribe. If you try it, you will be lonely often, and sometimes frightened. But no price is too high to pay for the privilege of owning yourself.

Friedrich Nietzsche (via free-market-pluralist)

Growing Up

The necessity of growing up is something I believe everyone faces at some point or another, although I think the time in which you leave childhood and enter adulthood is completely dependent upon culture. For example in the Sambia culture in New Guinea at the age of 10 boys are forced to go through nose bleeding rituals in order to become warriors as this represents strength and masculinity. Boys at the age of 10 in the western world sit at home comfortably playing on their Xbox. This demonstrates how culture largely determines when you grow up or if you even need to. However, I think even in the western world there is a large variation between when this occurs. When I started at UM in August I was culture shocked because of the level of immaturity I found there to be among so many people. By week 1 there were kids in the lobby of Hetch being strapped to a stretcher because they got so fucked up. I couldn’t believe that the second some of these kids got the slightest ounce of freedom that they would react in such a way. Similarly, when we got the first email warning about Irma the immediate reaction many of the people around me was to call their parents and ensure that they had an escape to safety. I didn’t have that option, it was 2am for my parents and I knew there was no point in trying to call them so instead I had to figure out my own escape.

I have defiantly found that it is very common in the American culture that kids are babied by their parents even when they reach 18 years old. During the past 3 weeks, there have been so many kids who have gone home, or their parents have come here and I had obsoletely no idea why. First I assumed it was because there was some parents weekend going on but no, it was because they hadn’t seen their kid for a month. For me, this is a huge culture gap compared to what I grew up with and is a reason why I think I found there to be such a large difference in maturity level between several people at the U. Of course, that is not to generalize that all American’s are this way however it was something that really surprised me when I moved here. On the other hand, I do think that a contributing reason as to why so many kids are like that is because they have not felt the need to grow up. If you are consistently babied by your parents and they solve all your problems then why would you want to move away from that comfort? I think this connects back to the idea of suffering, and I believe once you have suffered or experienced a truly traumatic event it allows you the passage into adulthood. For me, part of this passage started when I was 10 years old and had to hide behind a desk in a locked room because armed robbers had entered my school. It was at this point I realized that the world isn’t a place to be completely comfortable in and that growing up is a necessity.

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