The Conquest of Cool

The Conquest of Cool

I just finished reading The Conquest of Cool: Business Culture, Counterculture, and the Rise of Hip Consumerism. This book addresses the common mythos of how out of touch corporate america was during the cultural changes of the 1960s. The common belief is that the counter culture rebelled against corporate America while it tried to co-opt counter cultural themes. Thomas Frank argues that corporate America created as much of the cultural change as it co-opted, and he backs it up with plenty of research and examples. He lucidly explains how corporate America rebelled against itself, co-opted the images and slogans of the cultural revolution, and then pushed these themes forward through their own change. Corporate America was not a passive beast manipulated and changed by the cultural revolution but an active participant in the transformation. Overall, an entertaining, in depth, and enlightening read.