A Theology for Hipsters (Part 4): Concepts of Cool

Parts 1, 2, 3

First, cool as a behavioral characteristic. This appears as an attitude of detachment, of subtle rebellion. This concept was epitomized in American culture by James Dean in Rebel Without A Cause. Dick Pountain and David Robbins underscore this behavior with a little history:

Cool was once an attitude fostered by rebels and underdogs, such as slaves, prisoners, bikers and political dissents, etc., for whom open rebellion invited punishment, so it hid defiance behind a wall of ironic detachment, distancing itself from the source of authority rather than directly confronting it.[1]

So this concept may have roots in slave culture. Regardless we can certainly grasp the concept in our current context.

Second, cool as a state of being. Thompson has made the argument that this concept has to do with both social and transcendental calmness.[2] It is a state of being at rest, peace, or simply non-conflict. It is from this concept, most likely, that we get idioms like “I am cool with that.” To be cool, then, is to be perpetually at ease, laid back.

Third, cool as aesthetic appeal. This concept puts cool directly into the realm of appearance, art, clothing, etc. It is all about what looks good and appealing. It is this concept, so it is argued, that largely brought “cool” into popular culture and nomenclature. So something is cool if it is aesthetically pleasing.

Fourth, and finally, cool as slang. “Cool” as an adjectival word seems to have held on for quite a long time. It is now a common form of expression for conveying admiration for another subject. This was especially popularized among Americans, in my own opinion, by The Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles cartoon of the 1980s (the Turtles thought pretty much everything was awesome and cool). [3]

These concepts are all part of the definition of cool, and yet we still must recognize that a strict definition is not permissible due to “cool’s” fluidity and its own self-awareness. To define cool is to instantly make it “un-cool.” With this “history” in place let’s look at the evolution of cool in Western culture and the birth of hipsters in particular, both subjects we can more concretely analyze.