Opinion: The cool side of things

The “cool” kids in middle school wore the right things, said the right things and did the right things. Indiana-born actor James Dean as Jim Stark in the 1955 film “Rebel Without a Cause” evidenced it with good looks and an exceptionally well-crafted personal style. Inspiring countless teens around the world, his red Harrington jacket, white T-shirt and blue jeans, now commonplace, then were considered identifiers of rebellion, of “cool.” Most of the film’s characters were unlikely to be someone a regular kid might find amenable to sharing a lunchroom table. Cool was unattainable. Cool was aggressive. Cool was confident in the way that no 14-year-old is likely to be. By the time we mature into adulthood, our definition changes. A “cool” person is likely to be open, emotionally intelligent