The Cult of Cool

Breaking down the Term to be ‘cool’ has been a lifelong struggle for me. I’ve never sat with the flow of society but nor have I been counter-culture. I’ve just done like so many of us do, and that’s just to get through everyday without dying.
Teams of society strive to think they are cool, simply by having the evil monarchs of media tell them what they should buy, wear, watch, listen to. This without a doubt is not cool.

To start the debate, I despise BBC Radio 1 and all who sail in her. I Then get lynched in a discussion that concludes I’m not cool and subsequently boring because I prefer Radio6 music. A far superior station that plays quality and diverse music rather than a station that is told to play ‘safe’ music, (basically the top 40) purely for greedy ratings.
Me being the only one flying the independent flag, I was on a loosing streak to become the triumphant one blowing my horn, or maybe playing my gramophone at 76rpm’s. Therefore the cool gang continued to play their cool Olly Murs and Rhianna singles; Something about that last sentence just doesn’t gel?
Merely a week later and 6Music won ‘best radio station of the year’ at the SONY awards, this I had to brag about in-front of the larger party. Only I realised “this isn’t good” surely it’s now publicly ‘cool’ to like my station, a small posse of listeners may be bombarded with society’s 18-29 year old, Canary Wharf workers. Then they hear The Brothers Johnson ‘Strawberry Letter 23’ and the masses revert back to the top 40, all is well again.

Secondly I decided to wear corduroy trousers accompanied with a denim shirt, sure I’ve seen this to be the thing to wear around the bohemians of soho, but you try donning the same attire in Essex, The county where a high street can contain more nail bars than grocery stores. The same clump of opinions were present again to give an honest, yet short-sighted review of my dress code. Sadly someone who wears clothes that will only become fashionable to them in two years is presently open for ridicule on others (namely me). I just kept quiet an listened to the guy wearing a Superdull... sorry Superdry t-shirt and Evisu jeans. shh, just let them have their moment.

Now I’m not sure weather this has been a intellectual deconstruction of the term ‘cool’ or just a rant because I was bullied for my choices in culture? but we all know those who follow what a majority dictate only make themselves cool within that majority, look at the Nazi Party for example.

If only Hitler Listened to Radio 6Music things could have been different.

Welcome to the Industry: The Runner

• MUST have good sense of humour and a positive attitude towards work

This was a bulleted requirement on a recent advert for a runner position for a TV production. This Simply infuriated me, the very fact that an alumni that studied an arts course or more obvoiusly yet redunduntly, a broadcast course who has amounted the same steep of financial debt as someone studying Law, but the unequivocal difference is, when the Law Graduate apply's for a job one will discover required skills to be: Strong transactional skills, Ability and motivation to manage a broad range of work, Ability to adapt management style, Strong academics along with a 2:1 in Law related Degree. Salary: 45'000 to 50'000 Pa. Whereas our brethren in the Media industry are received with an initial application that contains: MUST have good sense of humor and a positive attitude towards work, starting Salary: 12K and a free Lunch.

All that money spent on a Creative Degree course and all along I could have got a BA (Hons) in quantitative humour.