Its funny, how through out the ages, perceptions of certain things, peoples and professions can change almost 180 degrees in the minds of the society. “Bad” is actually “good”, “Killer” is a favourable exclamation and “wicked” is well …..also good or rather awesome! Now slightly more unpleasant is the phenomena emergent from the rap or hip-hop music scene. Yes I admit I am a huge fan of hip-hop and rap music, but sometimes listening to some of the stuff these “adolescent-in-the-head” over-rated, over-paid and heavily inked ex-gangsters who had served time, is an insult to your intelligence. So whatever they utter out in extreme profanities is actually cool? “Ummm…. No it isn’t!” I say to one of my young nephews who is in the 4th grade and listens to among some Tupac, B.I.G, and Lil Wayne (I was listening to Boy Band music up till my teens!) He gives me that uncool look and as if he tells me that I’m just being and old nosy bum who is so stuck-up!
As we head ourselves to the nice big posh Cineplex and buy ourselves a nice big tasty packet of caramel flavoured popcorn and some soft drink to entertain our tummies to watch that new pirates movie, “….because it’s so cool!”, I had a thought or two on how in the world, did a concept such as piracy that was so feared and cursed long time ago, become cool and well… fun?
Ahh the fantasy of the movies and how they make everyone to, “…..live happily ever after!”
I seriously doubt, “COOL” is what more than 500 hostages of the REAL LIFE PIRATES off the coast of Somalia, are feeling! Not too long ago, some Indian, Pakistani and Egyptian sailors were freed from being their hostages for many days. On their return back to their home countries, they reported many a horror tales of what they actually went through, the various torture techniques and also schemes as to make their employer company to pay them the ransom. The captain they say…… (No he was NOT blind in one eye and did not walk on a wooden leg!)….was extra “evil”, as in he would often hurl them with insults, human waste and spit at them, beat them with sticks and threaten to throw them to the sea if their employer does not call back with the moolah! I don’t think Captain Jack Black was available, neither was Peter Pan, so yeah it was very un-cool!
When I was in college there was this really attractive Iranian girl in my class who would always put one ear phone from her iPhone during class. As I see her almost everyday in that state, my curiosity led me to actually speaking to her and asking what she was listening to. She replied that she loved music so much and she felt she could concentrate in class more if she was also at the same time listening to some music! Not any music but “Gangsta rap”! There is a side of me that finds this kind of cool and well to be honest with you, kind of attractive but things went into a weird overdrive when I asked her who she was listening to. “Umm but do you know that this guy actually calls women bad names and raps about **** and **** and etc:?”, I asked. “Oh yeah I know that, but hey it’s not about me you know, so I am cool with that!” she said…… Hmmmm…..
I met one of my old school buddies not too long ago at a mall here in Doha and we sat down for a cuppa at one of the cafés. As we were talking about the good old days and drifting in the clouds of nostalgia, I enquired about a certain individual “Charles” who I must say I happened to befriend him primarily out of pity, but in a way also because he was ummm cool, as in he wasn’t like everyone else in class and he had an ok taste in music, movies etc: “Oh yeah that guy is still in India, doing his college!”, says my friend. “Ummm guess he started late huh?” I said. “Nope…” he says, “…its just that he keeps repeating his papers, and he’s enjoying it!” “Well that’s strange!” I said, “What do you mean he’s enjoying it?” My friend says, “The guy is a ladies man, and they can’t get enough out of him! For all I know, there had been some of the girls over here who also have been enquiring about him and the guy has a reputation with them!”
Now I am not a jealous dude, (well excuse me here, I am a human being and I do have thoughts!) but the guy used to reek of pee right up to our teens, looked like he was coming from a country that was facing drought and famine had a fashion sense of Lady Gaga and had a big hairy mole on his nose and yeah trust me if I was standing next to him, you would actually consider that we were the extremes (as in ugly and well not-ugly), yup he was that bad, so how in the world did this guy be like what he is describing to me? I know, I know, sometimes the ladies have very odd and very unexplainable choices but this is way over board!
I rarely had anyone tell me that I am cool. And in someway I don’t really care, what you feel is more important. Yeah that and also you know you don’t really get unwanted attention. So I try to stay umm what’s the word….as inconspicuous as possible. Yeah I do wear clothes but I don’t wear to impress or show off. Maybe that’s the reason why I’m not part of the crowd of pseudo-happy people. Thank God! But there are sometimes when you meet these people occupied in their self indulgence that you just wanna slap someone them hard in the face till his/her face comes out! Like the time when one of my relatives came from Kuwait, I mean the dude had just a few hours of sleep in the house and he’s asking me to take him to a barber shop. I take him to this place where I usually go and he’s like, “No man I don’t take my haircut in these kinds of places, please take me to a better place you know a much cleaner place and probably get a face massage! Cousin, why are you so old fashioned?” Yeah and you could probably get a manicure or maybe get your nails and eyes done!
No, that’s not cool! I guess I am a bit old fashioned maybe just maybe! But then again tackling the subject of cool and what isn’t is absolutely subjective! So what’s cool for you might not be for me. But really can it be that varied? Anyways we got to get a more accurate definition of what really is cool!
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