January 1, 1999

[Remember, the Blockhead cartoon What's Cool? ... Nothing. This will act as art and title.]

Incredibly but not surprisingly, the free-thinking, open-minded, haven-for-true-individual-thinking/acting/dressing lifestyle that we call snowboarding is in danger of becoming narrow-minded, self-mimicking, hypocritical crap. What's the point of rejecting the mainstream's rules and expectations if the new "alternative lifestyle" creates stricter rules, all of which are self-imposed-what to wear, how to be, how to wear your hair, how to walk, who to like.

At the dark root of this problem is the ‘what's cool' concern-not snowboarding first, other concerns second. Who's cool? Who's lame? It's lame. We're chillin' with the cool guys. This guy's "the shit." That guy is a shit. Those pants are lame and those shoes are wack.

With such a narrow view of what's cool, you could be standing next to the best person in the world and not realize it, because he/she isn't fitting the frame of what's cool now. Jesus Christ could be standing next to you but you wouldn't think he's cool because he wasn't wearing the right shorts or something. It's all up to you-follow your own path. Trying to be cool is definitely not.

What's cool? ... Nothing?

What's cool is what has been and what always will be. Do the right thing even when it's not popular or may not be "in fashion." Be into life for the long run, not for the fast kill. Try never to injure the spirit of a person or any living thing. Treat people with respect and dignity-even the ones who aren't cool. Unconditional love is pretty cool. Honesty and forgiveness are cool.

Writing about what's cool is uncool, and I'm almost positive I don't have the right shoes on.-Jon Foster

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