Cool is so uncool (or vice versa)
Tuesday, August 02, 2005
In a generally lighthearted article (subscription required, I'm afraid - get a grip FT!) about geekery and 'cool', Richard Tomkins makes the point that whereas cool used to denote rebelliousness and an alternative lifestyle (witness its origins in jazz and its later uptake by the Beats - that's 'Beats', not 'Beatles' Sharon), the term 'cool' is now an affirmation that something belongs to the mainstream.
Now I am reassured that when my children tell me something is cool I know it represents whatever is fashionable, not what appeals to any spark of independence residing within them. That makes me feel even better about making my inevitable temperature gags whenever the word is used in a non-metereological manner. Now, what's the modern definition of pompous?
Now I am reassured that when my children tell me something is cool I know it represents whatever is fashionable, not what appeals to any spark of independence residing within them. That makes me feel even better about making my inevitable temperature gags whenever the word is used in a non-metereological manner. Now, what's the modern definition of pompous?
