5/24 thurs

Documentary: Merchants of Cool

In the documentary “Merchants of Cool,” there is a struggle between popular culture (of what is “cool”) and subculture (rap metal). Some viewers might question why there are not many subcultures shown in the video if there is a real “struggle,” but I believe that this question implicitly answered itself; they are just underground cultures that have not yet been packaged into popular culture by the popular media! Throughout the documentary, I felt sick of the superficiality of our society and our greed for money (the source of all evils). When I heard the phrase “real life and TV life began to blur,” I think of the power of the popular media, how they can use different rhetorical appeals to apply abstract notions such as “cool” into reality. How “cool” is marketed? First, the media study teens to obtain something cool, then package this coolness, and lastly sell it to teens. When the interviewee stated that she needs to “look for the raw of the rawest materials,” it made me think of the concept cultural authenticity, how there is no authentic culture. However, people in general still want to go along with it so the current system functions and brings back profit for these participants. Again, this made me think of the concept hegemony or “common sense” because some people in power think that this perpetuating cycle of marketing coolness is uncontrollable, and therefore, they justify their participation in this system, despite the negative consequences.