April 15, 2026
Cool points vs. warm hearts
It's cool to care (2025)
Fans fly to a spy musical, commenters brawl over whether “cool” means not caring
TLDR: A writer celebrates flying with friends to see a beloved WWII spy musical, arguing joy needs no excuse. Comments split: skeptics call it self-indulgent, purists say caring isn’t “cool,” and others cite “Virtue Hoarders”—turning a feel-good fan trip into a showdown over sincerity vs. aloof detachment.
A heart-on-sleeve essay about flying to New York with friends to see Operation Mincemeat—the WWII spy musical about fooling Hitler with a fake corpse—turned into a comment-section street fight over whether it’s actually “cool” to care. The author’s message: friendship, fandom, and joy don’t need permission. The commentariat’s message: define “cool,” now.
One camp went full skeptic. User Geste called the piece a conversation with oneself and couldn’t fathom how caring equals seeing the same show dozens of times. Another faction—led by sharkjacobs—dropped the dictionary: it’s good to care, sure, but cool means detached and aloof, so stop trying to make “excited and dorky” happen. Meanwhile, yesbut swerved into homework mode, linking Catherine Liu’s Virtue Hoarders to frame the whole thing as class performance vs. sincerity.
The thread’s vibes? Earnest fans vs. vibe purists, with a sprinkle of academia. Jokes flew about “frequent cryer miles,” “bring a jacket, cool’s back in,” and a running gag about collecting playbills like Pokémon. Love it or roll your eyes, the drama was delicious: a musical about an audacious plan sparked a fresh war over whether feeling things out loud is cringe… or the new rebellion.
Key Points
- •The author traveled to New York to attend the Broadway opening preview of Operation Mincemeat after a dress rehearsal.
- •Operation Mincemeat portrays a true WWII deception involving a corpse, forged documents, and a plan to mislead Adolf Hitler.
- •The show’s creators developed the musical in a small London theatre and, after multiple transfers, brought it to Broadway.
- •The author formed friendships through repeated attendance and stage door interactions, which evolved into online communities on Twitter, Discord, and WhatsApp.
- •The piece argues that sincere enthusiasm and joy do not require justification, countering cultural pressure to appear detached.