The "Cool" Sensation

That "cool," tingly feeling people are striving to experience is something that is not unheard of and that has been done many, many times before. "Cool" is a repetition and a come-back of old things since new, original ideas are not "in" now a days. Our friends, The Backstreet Boys, tried their cool come-back when they sang "Everybody (Backstreet's Back)" but their lyrics were a little off:

Am I original, yeaaaah
Am I the only one, yeeeeaah
Am I seeeexual, yeeeaaahhhh!

Sorry, boys. You're not original, you're not the only ones, and a big N-O to being sexual. Nice try, though.

Trends are something that repeat, only with one or two things that have been changed about it. Take Ugly Sweaters, for example. This year, around Winter, horrendous looking sweaters were “cool” party themes. The only thing that is different from the old, retro, granny sweaters is that people changed them and cut to show a bit more cleavage and that the sweaters no longer smelled like moth balls. We keep relying on old styles for our new fashions and to make them even more “hip,” we add some razzle dazzle to them.

Something that I think is trying to achieve cool-status now a days isn’t a fashion statement, but a personality quirk. It is cruelty. Go on the internet and look around Youtube, Facebook, even MSNBC news articles (just look down in the comments section) and you will see people saying horrible, terrible things about others. Sarcasm, profanities, and flat-out heartless comments litter the page. Look at what people say about Rebecca Black. Not only is she being harassed on Youtube on her own video, but also by people like Jay Leno. We get our humour from being mean to others. This cruelty has been around for years, but with the internet and sites allowing people to be anonymous, it is in the spotlight more. Especially with the cyber-bulling that caused teens to commit suicide. When I look around Facebook, people don't post nice things, or if they do, they are rare. People are usually saying "My Prof sucks... this friend of mine sucks... This artist sucks.." I have even seen people say people like Justin Bieber and Rebecca Black should go die. Now, I'm not a huge fan of either of them but just because they make music that isn't the best doesn't mean they are not real people with feelings. They read these comments and Rebecca Black even said on Good Morning America that someone wanted her to get an eating disorder and cut herself so she knew what it was like to be beautiful and then to kill her family. Whoa. Whoa. These comments come out of peoples' mouths without them giving it a second thought. It had become a natural response to have a mean comeback or to just say something heartless to someone in passing.

I think this internet cruelty is something that is spreading like an annoying, hurtful disease. It is "cool" to be sarcastic and to "Hate" on others, which, in my opinion, is the worst thing that could be described as as being cool. I hope that this plague is something that will vanish and the new "cool" thing will be genuine kindness.