David Gornoski: Being Cool Is Fake

Remember when the worst thing anybody could call you was uncool?

Wrong shoes. Wrong music. Wrong friends. Somewhere, an imaginary committee was keeping score, and most of us spent more time checking the scoreboard than questioning who appointed the judges.

David Gornoski’s “Being Cool Is Fake” brings that familiar pressure into a larger conversation about groupthink.

We like to imagine conformity happens somewhere else: in political rallies, corporate boardrooms, or crowds repeating slogans. But the desire to fit in lives much closer to home. It can shape what we say at dinner, what we share online, and which questions we decide are too expensive to ask.

Sometimes we call it having an opinion when we are really protecting our membership.

That deserves an honest look.

Wanting friendship is natural. Belonging can be beautiful. The trouble begins when acceptance requires us to surrender our judgment or participate in somebody else’s humiliation.

Then the cool crowd starts collecting dues from our conscience.

For Christians, this poses a serious question. Jesus loved people without auditioning for their approval. He welcomed the socially inconvenient and challenged respectable people when their certainty crowded out mercy.

Following that example takes more than adopting a rebellious image. Contrarianism can become its own costume, complete with another crowd telling us what to think.

The harder work is examining our convictions, admitting uncertainty, and treating people decently when our friends would prefer a punchline.

At WeRockTV, we appreciate conversations that make room for that kind of honesty.

You do not have to agree with every argument to consider the question underneath it: How much of what I believe have I examined, and how much have I borrowed to remain welcome?

There is freedom in discovering you can listen without joining, disagree without sneering, and belong without disappearing.

Maybe growing up means finally retiring that imaginary committee.

Wear the shoes. Ask the question. Show kindness to the person nobody is trying to impress.

Your conscience deserves a louder voice than the crowd.

Let it speak.