First off, what is cool?
Let's examine this through pop culture. From James Dean to Fonzie to Justin Beiber and Lady GaGa, cool is never the geek with the glasses who likes to read. Cool isn't Calculus and Philosophy, nor has it ever been playing Scrabble® and Yahtzee.
Cool is drinking and smoking and "breaking rules" or getting into fights. At least it has been since the end of WWII. Prior to that, anti-social behaviour was treated as anti social and not tolerated in polite society. "Rough neighbourhoods" were known to house such unsavoury types, but the vast majority of people gravitated toward a much more peaceful existence.
With the advent of television, whole generations have now come to view the "cool" kids as those who act out in arrogant displays of ignorance declaring anyone with the audacity to attempt rational thought as "gay" or "lame" and justifying "kicking their a**". Violence is the immediate response of these neanderthals who think a high score in beer pong grants them the right to breed in a society that worships reality as portrayed by "Survivor".
As a child I struggled with popularity (can you tell?) because I did not understand what cool was. To me at 8 years old, Einstein and Shakespere were cool, So was "The Big Bopper" and The Fonze. Unfortunately it was 1986 and those things weren't cool to most kids my age. Oh I liked Michael J Fox and Back To the Future, Goonies and Gremlins as much as anyone else, but I wasn't exposed to television much as a child, so I didn't see what movies were coming out or what the latest craze in kids toys was on the shelves. I had a big brother who ruled the remote and only watched music videos so I went outside.
As a teen I was exposed a bit more and as a young adult got sucked in entirely. I've found that without TV I tended to explore more and read more. I was more likely to ask questions and to think for myself.
So what makes us cool? TV, Video Games, Sports, Beer seem to top the list of cool things. Cool means popular, popular means a lot of people agree on its merit. I am told Survivor is popular, I don't know anyone who watches it, but then I don't tend to have conversations about TV shows.
Think of everything you've heard of that is generally considered "Cool" and you are likely to see that not a single one of those items is conducive to increasing intelligence. There are at times short-lived crazes for things like SuDoKu but something mindless tends to overtake those things fast (can you say Angry Birds?).
So why is it that everything they tell us is cool and popular only serves to make you think less and react more? Because if you are reacting instead of thinking you are easier to manipulate. If you think about it you will notice that when you go out shopping the items you stare at for the length of time you stand in line are all small tempting items like candy and pop, or small "useful" items that "could come in handy some day". This is why you stand in line when there are twelve closed tills and 25 box-boys in the aisles. They are counting on your boredom to inspire anxiety which is quickly eased by impulse-buying a pack of gum. If you grab at a tabloid because it claims to have secret knowledge of your favourite star, you are less likely to wonder why they are also trying to convince you to lose 20 lbs in 10 days while trying out a new recipe for chocolate cake.
TV, Video Games, Blogs and Social Media all serve to distract you from life and reality, keep you feeling inadequate, excite your baser instincts and keep you from thinking. Ever heard of a little saying "If you don't use it, you lose it"? That is what is happening to our society. All of this cool stuff is making whole generations dumber than their parents. They can't think for themselves so they allow others to think for them. They choose their opinions based on popular consensus instead of logic and reason because it is easier that way.
Try taking your family out of circulation for just one week, no more phones, tablets, computers, TVs or consoles, just imagination and creativity. If it the first time for you go ahead and plan out a few activities by Googling some inspiration, but once the plan is set unplug your world. By the end of the week you should have a whole new list of fun activities for your spare time, and hopefully a clearer mind to boot. For a really effective change try going for a month without those items and see if you ever want to pick one up again.
