Look at ME! I'm Cool!

OK. I’ll admit in advance this is a rant. So there—it's out in the open.

But it's time to shoot the spotlight over to a segment of society that desperately wants it. You find them in the newspapers, magazines, TV, radio and all over the internet. They are the self anointed, self ordained and self-satisfied arbiters of cool.

Posturing, posing, vamping pretending…..I’m cool, my friends are cool. We think and talk about cool things. We are ahead of everyone else. Look at us, laugh with us, become one of us and be cool too. We are cutting edge…A step ahead!

They are desperate to be cool and desperate to be seen that way.

"Hey, look at me! I'm cool!"
It seems strained, trying too hard. Like outsiders trying to act cool so they can fit in with the cool kids. A self satisfied, elitist vibe permeates the mood, solidly entrenched with condescension.

Relax, calm down, you aren’t fooling anyone. We see through you. Dial the attitude back a notch, chuckleheads, and just be yourself.

Show us what you’ve found but don’t imply it makes you superior.
I’ve always been cautious about people and websites that promote themselves as home base for cool, insider ideas. The main reason is that there’s not an unlimited supply of those in the world and its hard to pretend there is exciting new stuff every minute.

It becomes a lot of reaching for cool from people who don't have any, but act like they do anyway. They do find some good things, fresh ideas and insights, new programs and approaches. But there is a ton of nonsense, fluff and just plain blather you have to wade through to find the legitimate useful material.

So thanks for exposing the fresh, good and new—but stop pretending its all cool just because you gave it your blessing. And stop pretending that you’re above the rest of us, because you’re not and everybody seems to know it except you.