HW 30- psychological and Philosophical Theorizing of cool

What are the sources of this sense of meaninglessness but also of the need for a sense of meaning?

Questions like this came up a lot in English question and even in my own personal life. This question could have a lot of answers to it that people wouldn’t think of or understand. When I thought about this question, I thought that meaninglessness had sources that were dependent of other stuff. But reading what Viktor Frankl has to say is making me change what I think.

"People today seem more than ever to be experiencing their lives as empty, meaningless, purposeless, aimless, adrift, and so on, and seem to be responding to these experiences with unusual behaviors that hurt themselves, others, society, or all three." people in this world to feel that that if they have no meaning in their lives, the only thing that's left for them to do is hurt other people or themselves. That's only one of the sources that makes meaninglessness inside of people. For people to try and "fill" that emptiness they try and find someone to value in their lives or some one to value them. This is what makes people wanting meaning in their lives to fill that gap that's thats making them feel like they have no purpose in this life. Like when Viktor said "Experiential values is the love we feel towards another. Through our love, we can enable our beloved to develop meaning, and by doing so, we develop meaning ourselves!" Like, people use other people to find this emptiness, more like a hole that is missing something that, if that hole gets filled, they feel complete. Like when someone comes in a person's life and makes a difference, that could be a hole that is complete. That can be the emptiness that isn't empty no more.
When I think about when Viktor said "If meaning is what we desire, then meaninglessness is a hole, an emptiness, in our lives.", it really means alot. I never though about it like that. When we look for meaning in our lives then that ACTUALLY does mean we have emptiness. So my question is can we ever be fulfilled with meaning if it means that we are empty? I guess not. But the sources that make people's lives meaningless is when they are alone. When Viktor says that we attempt to "fill our existential vacuums with “stuff” that, because it provides some satisfaction, we hope will provide ultimate satisfaction as well: We might try to fill our lives with pleasure, eating beyond all necessity, having promiscuous sex, living “the high life;” or we might seek power, especially the power represented by monetary success; or we might fill our lives with “busyness,” conformity, conventionality; or we might fill the vacuum with anger and hatred and spend our days attempting to destroy what we think is hurting us. We might also fill our lives with certain neurotic “vicious cycles,” such as obsession with germs and cleanliness, or fear-driven obsession with a phobic object.", I agree with him 100% and it makes me believe that these are the main sources that make use have meaninglessness in our lives. The fact that whatever we do try and fill our "EMPTINESS" is never enough is the reason why we would always feel unhappy, empty, and meaningless.

HW 29 - Merchants of being cool

Some people think that it is wrong for people or corporations to manipulate others to make a profit off of them, while others think its right. I see it all the time and I feel that sometimes people or businesses need to do what they have to do in order to make profit and if it means manipulating kids buy selling stuff that teens are addicted to then so be it. So is it evil to help the corporations to manipulate the minds of young people for the sake of profit?

Businesses have to make money. And not only that but they have to make profit as well so they can keep growing. The fact that there are 33 million teens in our generations, means that if you sell the right thing, there could possibly be a lot of money coming into your business. So what do you do if you want your business to grow financially and there is 33 million teens who most likely what the "next best thing"? You sell WHAT THE TEENS LIKE. Plain and simple. You can't get mad at the businesses for manipulating teens with stuff to sell that they like. It's the parent's fault. Corporations aren't worried about how teens are buying their product or when they get it, they are worried about how much money is coming in from their product. So I don't think that its evil to manipulate young teens to make profit. When they said "Marketers have to find a way to seem real: true to the lives and attitudes of teenagers; in short, to become cool themselves. To that end, they search out the next cool thing and have adopted an almost anthropological approach to studying teens and analyzing their every move as if they were animals in the wild." I think that is a perfect idea! That's an excellent way of getting 33 million and counting teens to buy your stuff. See what they like because PEOPLE BUY STUFF THAT THEY LIKE! That is the way life works. If companies didn't know what kids liked then how would they know what's "the next best thing" they like. And they wouldn't make any profit.

When media critic Mark Crispin Miller said "What this system does is it closely studies the young, keeps them under constant surveillance to figure out what will push their buttons.", that was an excellent way of finding out a capitalizing teens and their desires. The only way it could be evil for them to do this is if they are interfering with their personal lives to the point where it gets annoying and abusive. But they have the right to interview people to learn about whats the hottest thing out in our teen society. Ain't nothin wrong with that. Even when the analyst went to the concert to speak with teens to see what kind of music they liked to listen to and why that music is so appealing to them. What's wrong with that? I think that is a completely good idea for them so they know what kind of music the teens like so they can make money. I just feel that companies do what they have to do to make their money and that it's the parents fault for pulling out their wallets to buy these companies products. I say this because if the parents didn't want to buy their kid this stuff they could easily say one word.."NO".

Even though companies have great ways to sell things, there also can be looked at in a bad way. Them selling bad things for you like 50 cent drinks, cigarettes, sour patches, etc. Those products that the companies puts out to sell is bad for you but since its peoples desires to have them that's all they care about, they don't really care about people's health and the fact that their minds are only set one one thing. But Companies like that you can't blame, but then at the same time you can blame them. You can blame them for putting these products out to mess up peoples bodies. But then again, you can't blame them buecause at the end of the day, someones health isn't going to make profit, desires and products thats a must-buy" are. So the argument of businesses manipulating teens minds for profit has 2 arguments to it. It's not wrong but it ain't because you can manipulate them towards the wrong products.

Hw 28 - informal research - Internet, magizines, and TV shows

Tips on how to be cool website: http://lifestyle.iloveindia.com/lounge/how-to-be-cool-3148.html

In this website they give you tips on how to be cool. Instead of telling you what cool people do or how they act, they give you tis on how to be cool. And some of the tips they gave you to be cool was some of the things that we discussed in class. Things like, not following the crowd and having your own identity, to speak your mind, being different then everybody else and not foloowing the trend and maybe start your own trend. There was one tip that they gave that we haven't talked about in class I don't think. The tip was being calm in any situation that is given to you. I like that one alot because I seen when people thought that the brave kid that didn't choke up in any situation was cool. So this website gives you tips on how to be cool. But who is to say these tips are the actual ways of being cool. Some one could think other wise.

TV show-The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air

This is a 90's TV show that still comes on because it is so cool and popular. It's about this teenager from Philadelphia (Will Smith) and he moves with his aunt and uncle and they deal with his clowning around and crazy life. Cool people tend to be the cool people which is why Will Smith and Carlton Banks seem to stand out above the other cast members. Will stands out because he wears sneakers, Hats and sporty gear while his other family members wears casual outfit's, is one the reasons why he stands out and makes the show cool and different. There was never a show like this becasue the stuff that goes on is so crazzy and it makes you think how someone could have a character like that. Like in one episode they was going to a dinner and the family had suits and ties and dresses while Will had black shorts on with a T-shirt that had a fake Tuxedo on it. He was loud and making jokes. As crazy and disrespectful that is, it's also the reason why so many people watch the show. So sometimes acting crazy can make you cool in a way.

Magizine- PEOPLE magizine

This is a Celebrity magizine that everybody likes to pick up while they are waitin to put their groceries on the conveyor belt. It's a magizine thatEverybody has because of the information and articles that is has in it. Like in Some of those Magizines, they have interviews on celebrities and their sex life whats going on in their lives and so on and so forth. And stuff like that is what people love to feed off. Because to hear about the personal life of a celebrity is so much of need like bases, that the more stories and interviews they have the more popular they get. Not only that but the magizine has Red carpet photo's of different celebrites wearing the same thing. They would have a percentage posted bassed on which celebrity wore that particular outfit better. This magizine is so cool to people because the features that it has in it, allows people to see the world of fashion and celeb life and have opinions about it. So it's not only being the things certain people do to get coolness but it can be a simple magizine that has alot of things to offer to the public that make them cool.

HW 27- informal research

During Class on wednesday December 2nd, we had went out in the streets and we had did interviews on random people that was in the streets. We had interviewed them based on the questions that we had made the day before.

Question: What do you think it means to be cool?

Austin (Person#1) - I think cool is just something that everybody wants to be because they just want to be down with everybody else.

Question: Do you think being cool is important?

Austin(Person#1) - No I just think it that it's a self esteem builder that everybody esepecially kids in school want to have.

Question: What do you think it means to be cool?

Joe(Person#2) - Stay away from drugs and alcohol, and just live a good good life. Be your self and not everybody that is in the crowd. Stay out of trouble and be good. Take care kid.

Question: Do you think being cool is important?

Joe(Person#2) - No I don't, I just think it's just a way for people to stay uncool. Just a way to get their hopes up to think they can be somebody.
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Question - What do you think it means to be cool?

Officer Perez(Person#3) - Being awesome, Being your self.

Question - Do you think being cool is important?

Officer perez(Person#3) - Yeah, if everybody thinks you are cool, thats a positive thing and we need more people like that in this city.

Question - What do you think it means to be cool

Emily(Person#4) - I would need an hour to tell you that (laughing). I'm in a rush got to go...hey your cool though (smiling and walking away)

Question - What do you think it means to be cool?

Guy holding package(Person#5) - Being myself, being a leader not a follower

Question - Do you think being cool is important?

Guy holding package(Person#5) - Sorry no more questions

I decided to interview my brother Jeffrey. He is into all the name brand stuff just like me so I figured interviewing him would be interesting.

Question: What do you think it means to be cool?

Jeffrey(brother) - Man listen you gotta be fly, gotta have the lastest gear out and you just gotta be successful. I mean there ain't much more you could say feel me. I mean you could just tell by the way a person look if they cool or not, sometimes by the way they act but rarely.

Question - Do you think you cool?

Jeffrey(Brother) - Stop it Charles. You already know.

Question - Do you think being cool is important?

Jeffrey(Brother) - I don't think it's important, but if you cool then that could be good too.

The interview for my friends are on HW 26.

Through out all the informal research we have done, most of the people think that makes you have an image that stands out from everybody else. Rather its something that you wear, doing something positive, or acting a way that that makes people happy. Being cool to everybody is things that are good and make people compliment. Everybody's answers is the same that i interviewed but they are just said in a different way.

HW 26- photos and questions

Kareem

Q:Do you think you are a cool person?

A: Who doesn't. I know you think you are cool right? Imma cool person cause I'm to popular Charles you know this (laughing). Nah but yeah I think I'm cool.

Q: Do you even know what it means to be cool ?

A:Yeah, being the person that everybody knows or like the person that is known for making people laugh and have fun. Like you (laughing) when you be making them faces, that shit be so funny. So ugly. (laughing) Yeah but Being cool means to be a leader and not follow everybody elses decisions. And don't wear FILI'S (laughing).

Anias

Q: Ok so Anias do you think you are a cool person?

A: Come on Charles is that even a question you should be asking me.(peeking and laughing). Nah yeah I think I'm cool, me and you are like the most known people in this school and we fresh light money cheese. (laughing again)

Q: (laughing alittle) what do you think it means to be "cool"?

A: Well to be honest, I think being cool is being ya self. If you a funny person then be the funny person, if you the unique person, BE that unique person. Don't be something your not, because your either going to get joked on or looked at like a fool. So that's what I feel. (paused) Oh and another thing, you gotta be fresh, gotta have things no one got. (smiling)

Kiana

Q: What up Kiana, Do you think you are "cool"?

A: Duh dummy. DO you think you are cool or something? For I slapped you. I'm cool cause I'm not like these little girls around here ok now leave me alone

Q: Woah hold up I ain't done with you, so my next question is What you think it mean's to be cool?

A: UUUGH..(fusturated but laughing).. it mean's not acting a fool of your self and being regular. Trying to be something your not, is a wanna be and stupid. Cool can be just plain talents you have. Be original, and not being fake like all these other people in this dam school (laughing)...Now beat it.