THE UNCOOL

There was once an enlightened society; a diverse, multicultural society for whom tolerance was the ultimate achievement. Sometimes even tolerance of evil and wrong persisted until these words began to lose their meaning.

Yet, in this enlightened, tolerant society, there remained a class of people so unpopular, so "uncool" that it was actually fashionable to ridicule them, to show intolerance for them. The "Uncool" were the only people whom it was actually politically correct to stereotype, deride and discriminate against.

Entertainment industries portrayed them as evil, ignorant, hypocrites or all of the above. The media called them "religious right," "extremists," "fundamentalists."

Their "dangerous" ideas like traditional family and morality were mocked. "Whose morality?" they'd say. "Everyone's morality is different." The citizens didn't see that having no morality standards was the same as having bad morality standards. And no one denied the incredible decline in standards, increased crime, etc that happened in direct proportion to the unpopularity of the beliefs of the Uncool. The same beliefs that once made them highly esteemed and trusted, now made them the objects of derision and scorn.

The Uncool were now the rebels. Yet what they believed and practised hadn't changed for centuries. It's just that now they lived in an enlightened society.

The Uncool were occasionally able to convince others of the validity of their time-honoured beliefs. But winning them over was difficult because being cool was extremely important in the enlightened society. Being cool was almost as important as being tolerant. But the Uncool would share their strange message of every person's inadequacy (another thing that was very unpopular) and their need for a Saviour. Some of the citizens, for whom being cool was less of a priority, were wise enough to see these inadequacies in themselves, embrace the Saviour and become Uncool.

Sadly, most misunderstood. Many thought the Uncool were saying that all but the Uncool themselves were inadequate and since they were better, they'd be the only ones to spend eternity with their Saviour. The Uncool weren't saying this at all. They were only stressing that no one is cool. No matter how cool they think they are.