West Coast Cool
I figured out the main cultural difference between here and "home" that bothers me. The people here completely lack cool. This is not unique to Scotland. It is a problem in Duluth, where I grew up. It is a problem in Iowa, where my closest cousins grew up. The only place I've lived that had plenty of cool was Seattle.
What do I mean by cool? I don't mean leather jackets and sunglasses. It's all about attitude. Imagine that someone over six feet tall with a curly purple mohawk just walked into the room. How do you react, and how to the people around you react? Here, people would flat-out stare at him with an expression that brings to mind Cletus the Slack-Jawed Yokel. In the Midwestern US, people might not stare, but they would definitely whisper to each other about him. In Seattle, he wouldn't get a second look. People in Seattle are too cool to be phased by mere size and hair.
If you are cool, you are not surprised by anything. No clothing, no hair, and no human body can surprise you enough to warrant even a second look, much less a point or stare, because you have seen it all before. Nothing bothers you. When your co-worker shaves her head, you just say, "Good morning" as if nothing has changed. You are not bothered by cross-dressers, punks, goths or even the occasional furry. You've seen everything.
Why is cool important? As much as cool is actually a form of arrogance, it is a useful arrogance. It is arrogance that accepts everyone, and never makes anyone feel excluded. Whether you look like Brad Pitt or Drew Carey, you are treated the same by people who are cool. The world as a whole could use more cool.
Alana
