Monday, January 25, 2010

Final Draft

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Thursday, January 21, 2010

paper comments for triangle partners

How do we feel this emptiness inside of us? "Cool" or having the sense of popularity gives us all a distraction from our emptiness and gives us something to focus on for a little. We just keep buying things to fill something that can't be filled by someone else's style or idea of something that has so many different versions. We spend so much time trying to fill this fake persona, when in the end it is crashed by something new, and once we figure that out the whole cycle begins again. So when does the cycle stop? When is our empty space filled? Corporations are the main source of where we find out what's cool and what's not cool. Andy stated "corporations make cool things" and " It's much easier to be cool then to be yourself" Now i highly agree with Andy's statements corporations are what teen's look up to and if they are selling everything for celebrities and there buying it that must mean it's something cool. But what does it fill? Nothing we are once again giving into a fake society just to fit in and be "cool" If we maybe branched off and did our own thing maybe our emptiness would be filled a lot quicker and easier. A couple of tips: reread over your work check for spelling and gramme mistakes. Flow your paragraphs Analyze your quotes a little deeper Good start leah :)

Society is turning teenager's into fake people in order to fit everyone into the sense of cool. If you don't have the coolest sneakers or the newest clothes you are considered un cool which leads to not being popular. That results to you being picked on then your child hood memories being ruined. In Merchants of cool they talked about how many young girls want ti be just like Brittney Spears, what if she started promoting that its okay to not have the newest clothes and still be cool? Celebrites should take more action and display something more productive. Tip: Spelling Reread work
Add qoutes

Sunday, January 17, 2010

rough draft of cool

What is cool? There are so many different definitions its hard to be cool. Depending on your social map and the way your raised you cool is different from someone raised with a different sense of cool. From baggy pants to skinny jeans, regular ear piercings to big gages in your ear, or from tattoos to doing canvas paintings. Cool ranges, but where is the limit? Is there even a limit? Teenagers and even kids the age of 5 are always trying to out cool someone by having the coolest toy or the newest pair of sneakers. If in this day in age the competition to be cool starts at such a young age what is happening with teenagers? Is the peer pressure of cool going to corrupt the minds of all up coming teenagers?  This age of cool has a sense of danger to it and its scary because there is no way of stopping it. 

On the weekends most teenagers go out to party's or hang out with a group friends. Usually partying results in drinking and smoking. What happens with the kids that say no the first time? They end up doing it just to fit in and be cool. But is it all worth it? If they where your true friends shouldn't they think your cool regardless of what you do or don't do? Some kids social maps are built in such a way that there raised with the idea that smoking and drinking is fine, many kids start drinking between the ages of 11 and 13. http://www.focusas.com/Alcohol.html Its very easy to fall into the coolness of drinking and smoking, you are seen as cool cause everyone around you is doing it and it makes you feel good (not based off of personal experience!) but when does it stop? Is it when your actually the legal age of 21 when you are allowed to drink that it stops being cool so you don't care anymore? Falling under the peer pressure of cool and doing something for the "cool effect" are both starting to fall under a dangerous category because many teenagers don't no when to stop. 

Jordan, Nike, Gucci, Prada, Levi these are all name brands that if your seen wearing you get props for looking "fresh" or cool. But ask someone who gets fresh how much they spend on there outfit... the price you will usually get it outrages. Sneakers alone cost at lest 120 or 450 depending if its Gucci, Prada, or an exclusive pair of Jordan's. Growing up i didn't have much style none actually and always wore turtle necks with Velcro sketchers. Now i always had a lot of friends i just wasn't  considered very cool, and yes i did get made fun of. So did a lot of my friends i never understood why kids didn't like my light up sneakers or my corduroy pants, then i got into high school  and discovered NAME BRANDS! I lost the turtle necks i gained the Jordan's and found one of the greatest articles of clothing... SKINNY JEANS! After a few wardrobe changes all of a sudden i became cool i didn't get cracked on anymore and i gained a lot more respect and props in the school and the outside world. The media gives off the idea that if you buy what everyone is selling and what celebrities are wearing you will get the same effect and respect as the big guys do. When it comes down to it the media is our enemy and just looking to grab our money, and give us a fake appearance. 

Is it me or are gages the most ugliest things in the world. They leave huge holes in your ears, and when you take them out it gives off a horrible smell. People get the back of there neck pierced, their lower back, their hip, all these ridiculous places all to have the image of bad ass which gives off the sense of cool. When i think about all those ridiculous piercings i think how foolish people are... Why scare your body just to fit into a society that expects a fake appearance. Who ever explains their tattoo or piercing as a holy or significant thing isn't lying but just not telling the whole truth, because everyone knows that when you get a tattoo or an exotic piercing you will receive more attention an get asked multiple questions about it. I don't understand the concept of bizarre piercings... 1 they hurt, 2 they have a chance of getting infected and 3 you look weird, well to most people. I think teenagers getting tattoos and obnoxious piercings all fall under the category of bad ass cool or rebel which makes them feel cool because there breaking the rules/laws and no one can stop them. If younger kids see there 16 year old brother or sister with a bunch of ear piercings and tattoos it gives them the idea that its okay to do that and cool. Teenagers need to set an example for the younger generation so that all the wrong things where doing now hopefully get fixed. 

Teenagers are being corrupted by the media and being given the false impression that in order to be cool you need to get multiple piercings, tattoos and have the newest clothes. Yes those some of those factors help some one's coolness but it isn't what makes them. Teenagers shouldn't fall into a fake society with fake images just t be accepted by people who are fake them self. Our society needs to change the image of cool to be something like "don't do things for others to think your cool" something that doesn't give off that the image of cool is based off of only tattoos, piercings, and the most expensive newest brands. 

Tuesday, January 12, 2010

Class, Race, Gender, Age, etc.

Cool has changed throughout the years, and has gone through many different stages. Depending on your neighborhood or class you "cool" is different. If your in a rich area your "cool" is being classy with the newest BMW or the hottest tennis racket. If you live in a not so wealthy area such as parts of new york city, your "cool" is determined by whether or not you have the newest Jordan's, clothes or piercings. Then if you live in the projects or a place considered "poor" your cool if your pants are sagging low you don't go to school and you a drug dealer in a gang. Cool is highly based off of social class and race. What happened to every ones cultural math? If everyone is raised based off of different beliefs how can these types of "cool" be made? 

Cool is a sense of power, your with your friends and your cool cause either your funny, really good at something that impresses others, or just charming. I find it weird how if you see to group of kids ( white males, and black males) you would most likely run from the black group because they are more intimidating. Is having an edge to you cool? Is having people run away from you cool? Or is it the sense of control that is cool, because you have the power to control someone emotions. 

Having people think you are cool definitely effects some kids ego based off of race. If a black kid grows up in the projects hanging out on the streets all day and then tries to go to school and graduate high school his former friends make fun of him and he is no longer cool because he wants to switch his cultural math and try an fit into a new class of "cool". I believe that there should be no restriction's on cool, and that everyone should be given the chance to change their cultural math if they want to. 

Whether your black, white, Asian, or Hispanic everyone fits into there own group of "cool" and is accepted somewhere, i do think tho that no one should be discriminated against if they wish to change there path and try a new type of "cool" everyone needs a new them at some point in their life's, so there should always be space for them. 


Monday, January 11, 2010

cool outline

As teenagers or even 5 year old kids we are always trying to over play our peers to be seen as better then them or "cooler". The key question is when does this all stop? The majority of teenagers try to make themselves look cool by following the newest trend, but how long will it take before people realize... each trend ends. 

Intro: example the key things that are done in this day in age in order to be seen as "cool" and how most teenagers fall into peer presser such as smoking, drinking, getting weird and obnoxious piercings, and even spending extreme amounts of money on clothes or things expressed by the media.

Body paragraphs:
1. peer presser and how a lot of teenagers are more of followers then leaders in relation to drugs 

2. how we are influenced by the media and spend tons of money on unnecessary name brand items just in order to be considered "cool" 

3. The significance of tattoos and piercings and how if a teenager is seen with one they are considered a rebel or "cool"

conclusion: restate my thesis and conclude everything and end off with a suspenseful last sentence. 

Tuesday, January 5, 2010

Tattoos

A majority of the people who walk by me have tattoos, weather its a biblical phrase or just a lovers name each tattoo is spread largely across the persons arm, back, or neck. I find it absolutely ridiculous to get someone's name (a lover) tattooed on your body because what if the relation ship doesn't work out, the person's body is permanently scared and tagged with someone elses name (as if your there property). Although i am against tattooing people's names i want a tattoo of my grandmothers name as a remembrance, i think it shows the amount of love i had for her and it shows that she really impacted my life. ( although this doesn't have to be the case for everyone) 

Tattoos show a sense of "cool" many of my friends have tattoos that represent the crew they role with or the group of people they hang with. If people know where you come from and see a group represented on you some how (such as bandanna's, tattoos, certain clothes) they recognize that you fit in and you get that much more respected. Tattoos on certain people give off a different effect then on others. If an African American male has a cross tattooed across his for arm it is considered gangster, yet if a white male gets one its considered religious. Why are different races judged differently for the same markings that are known for signifying beautiful things/events. 

I don't believe that we should fight against the tattoo trend because it lets people be artistic and gives another opportunity for people to express themselves, in a way that is understood and liked by a lot of people. When John Fanning was talking about his "sleeves" he stated that in his family tattoos weren't accepted yet they gave him an escape, because he never thought he fit in with his neighborhood. If tattoos are having a good effect on communities they shouldn't be banned. Piercings have the same effect as tattoos (unless you get gages, which expand your whole earlobe) they mark your body but just not permanently. 

When you ask someone the reason behind why they have a certain tattoo or piercing they give you a long story of how its important to them and means something special, there's no doubt in my mind that each tattoo means something special to the person who got it but for everyone the factor of cool is always measured in. If your seen with a tattoo your automatically seen as cool an as a rebel. Although the significance and history of tattoos have been altered in our day in age they are still important to us as a community and show our growth in art.