On being awesome : a unified theory of how not to suck

258 Pages·2017·1.3 MB·English

by  Nick Riggle

PENGUIN BOOKS
ON BEING AWESOME
Nick Riggle dropped out of high school to become a pro skater, participating in stunt shows, demos, and
world-class competitions (including three ESPN X Games). He has a BA in philosophy from UC Berkeley
and a PhD from New York University, America’s leading philosophy program; he is currently a philosophy
professor at the University of San Diego. He speaks widely at conferences and workshops and co-organized
the first major academic conference on the philosophy of street art and graffiti. He continues to publish in
notable philosophy journals, as well as more popular outlets, including McSweeney’s, Aeon (on the high
five, awesomeness, and suckiness), and Hyperallergic. His current academic work focuses on the role of
aesthetic value in human life and is supported by a grant from the Experience Project, a $4.8 million, three-
year initiative at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and the University of Notre Dame.

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Illustrations by Amanda Jaquin LIBRARY OF CONGRESS CATALOGING-IN-PUBLICATION DATA Names: Riggle, Nick, author.
Title: On being awesome : a unified theory of how not to suck / Nick Riggle.
Description: New York : Penguin Books, 2017.
Identifiers: LCCN 2017016020 (print) | LCCN 2017024527 (ebook) | ISBN 9781524704681 (ebook) | ISBN
9780143130901
Subjects: LCSH: Success. | Conduct of life.
Classification: LCC BJ1611.2 (ebook) | LCC BJ1611.2 .R5175 2017 (print) | DDC 158.1—dc23
LC record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2017016020
While the author has made every effort to provide accurate telephone numbers, Internet addresses, and other
contact information at the time of publication, neither the publisher nor the author assumes any responsibility
for errors or for changes that occur after publication. Further, the publisher does not have any control over and
does not assume any responsibility for author or third-party Web sites or their content.
Cover design by Paul Buckley
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Contents
About the Author
Title Page
Copyright
Dedication
Epigraph
SUCKINESS and AWESOMENESS: A Taxonomy
Chapter 1 In Search of Awesomeness
Chapter 2 A Theory
Social Openings
The Basics of Suckiness
The Basics of Non-Suckiness
Articulating Awesome
Mixing It Up
Why Awesome?
Chapter 3 The Ethics of Awesomeness
The High Five
Creative Community Builders
Bands, Booze, Art, and Shoes: Everything Is Awesome
Living Together
Introverts and Expectations
Chapter 4 Mapping the Ethics of Awesomeness
Modes of Suckiness
Modes of Awesomeness
Chapter 5 The Origins of Awesome
The New Ideal
Be Cool (or Not)
Lester Young
Individuality and Community: A Tension
Individuality and Community: A Resolution
Awesome Style
Chapter 6 Awesome Culture
Altruism
Athleticism
Civic Life
Art
Watch Out
Chapter 7 Becoming Awesome
Acknowledgments
A person only plays when they are a person in the full sense of
the word, and they are fully a person only when they play.
—Friedrich Schiller There is no conflict between the individual
and the social instincts, any more than there is between the heart
and the lungs: the one the receptacle of a precious life essence,
the other the repository of the element that keeps the essence
pure and strong.
—Emma Goldman
If you obey all the rules, you miss all the fun.
—Katharine Hepburn
SUCKINESS and AWESOMENESS: A
Taxonomy