On Being Awesome: A Unified Theory of How Not to Suck

by Nick Riggle

In this lively treatise, pro-skater-turned-philosopher Nick Riggle presents a theory of awesomeness (and its opposite, suckiness) that’s both sharply illuminating and more timely than ever
 
“Nick Riggle’s fun book is ‘awesome’ by its own definition. But don’t miss its profound ambition, which is to show how philosophy unearths the structure of ordinary language, defines the meaning of life in routine business, and poses the question of how best to live.” —Aaron James, author of  Assholes: A Theory
 
We all know people who are awesome and people who suck, but what do we really mean by these terms? Have you ever been chill or game? Do you rock or rule? If so, then you’re tapped into the ethics of awesomeness. Awesome people excel at creating social openings that encourage expressions of individuality and create community. And if you’re a cheapskate, self-promoter, killjoy, or douchebag, you’re the type of person who shuts social openings down. Put more simply: You suck.
 
From street art to folk singers, Proust to the great etiquette writer Emily Post, President Obama to former Los Angeles Dodger Glenn Burke, Riggle draws on pop culture, politics, history, and sports to explore the origins of awesome, and delves into the nuances of what it means to suck and why it’s so important to strive for awesomeness. An accessible and entertaining lens for navigating the ethics of our time,  On Being Awesome  provides a new and inspiring framework for understanding ourselves and creating meaningful connections in our everyday lives.

Genres: Philosophy, Nonfiction, Self Help, Society

224 pages, Hardcover

Published September 19, 2017

Reviews

[Anika · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book was disappointing. I was initially on-board with the exploration of awesomeness (i.e., what makes something awesome, do we have an obligation towards awesomeness, how can we be more awesome, etc) and was expecting a philosophical exploration with commentary on social norms. The book's philosophical argumentation feels cursory and hurriedly assembled. Portions of the book feel like reading a TV guide; it feels like there are too many cited examples of "awesome" (including street art projects and memes), but not much substance in the actual text. In the end, awesomeness seems achievable only for musically or athletically talented, creative, extroverted types and the rest of us "stuck in the mud" (e.g., not actively "participating, talking, dancing, or whatever" in social situations) are categorized as half-assers, preference dictators, and cheapskates under the umbrella of suckiness.

An easy, but disappointing read.

[Ralf · Rating 2 out of 5]

there are interesting philosophical texts on everyday terms (Frankfurt's On Bullshit first and foremost) and I hoped this would be one of them. Riggle has peculiar definitions on what being awesome means and what not to suck means, which would be okay. It is also okay, though only barely, that he essentially borrows his philosophy from Gottman's psychology, though I do not see much added value coming from philosophy. What is not so awesome is the bizarre narcissism that is being promoted: in recommending people to be awesome all the time, the author (a former professional rollerblader) forgets to recommend that people listen.

[Teerabhat Ruensiri · Rating 5 out of 5]

So trailblazingly awesome, it rules. I'm game for more pop philosophy of this quality.

[Caleb Farley · Rating 3 out of 5]

I loved the idea that “being awesome” is when you open social opportunities for other people. Reading this book has made me more aware of ways I show up to social events and present as either open or closed. The biggest thing I didn’t like was the constant, sucky jab at conservative politics and religion. I disagree with the author, I think you can be awesome across the spectrum of religious and political belief. And people can be likewise suck across the spectrum of religious and political belief. It’s not what you believe that’s problematic as much as it is how you behave amidst your belief.

[Buddy · Rating 5 out of 5]

A refreshingly accessible yet surprisingly deep exploration of a practical ethical system based on responding to bids for connection and creating opportunities for others to express their individuality.

[Neal Tognazzini · Rating 5 out of 5]

Assigned this book in my senior seminar this quarter, and I gotta say, for what it is, it is fantastic. Easy to read and light-hearted but built on top of a bunch of interesting philosophical questions that are challenging and fun to explore in detail if you’ve got the inclination. It’s a good question the extent to which the author is doing conceptual analysis vs. stipulating definitions, but the background phenomena that he’s trying to capture are clear, no matter what words we use to describe them. He makes a good case for the claim that awesomeness is worth valuing - and, in fact, that we already do value it and we should just be more consistent about pursuing it.

[Roger Shaw · Rating 5 out of 5]

Entertaining

[Riley T]

I hope he got an A on this paper in whatever class he wrote it for

[Evan · Rating 5 out of 5]

It read a little more academically than anticipated, and some of the chapters come across rather dryly, but overall On Being Awesome served as a great reminder for me to do awesome things more regularly, and to engage with the uniqueness and efforts of others.

Too many times have I appreciated something awesome internally, when I could have encouraged and enhanced the situation. This book was a great motivator to share my personal love and mojo with the world more openly and broadly, and to create scenarios where others can do the same.

[Jazz · Rating 5 out of 5]

Thoughtfully well-written and witty.

[Chris Boutté · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a fun book, and I’m glad I took the tiem to read it. If you’re wondering what it means to be awesome and would also like to know how not to suck, this book is for you. Nick Riggle is a former skater turned philosopher, and this book is a great one about just living your best life while also being a pleasure to be around. He also describes what it means to be someone that others don’t like being around. It’s like a philosophical self-help book written by a cool dude who uses pretty chill language, so anyone can enjoy it. So, if you want to be a bit more awesome and don’t want to suck, check this book out.

[Renee · Rating 4 out of 5]

I felt like at times the author was trying a little too hard to make his thoughts approachable to the masses, but overall there were quite a few ideas that stuck with me and have me pondering them further. It's a quick read -- about two hours -- and the detailed definitions of types of sucking and awesome seemed a bit drawn out, but the overall idea that being "awesome" involves showing how you're unique while also creating community, makes a lot of sense. I like the reminder to take advantage of social openings, and moreover to try harder to create them when you can. I agree that those moments in my own life are some of my strongest memories and best connections.

[Shawn · Rating 4 out of 5]

Not the type of book that I would finish because the author seems to be defending the use of words that I discourage. What hooked me was the concept of creating social openings and responding to the social opening created by others. I see more opportunities to respond to social openings created in my family. I’m seeing some feedback that I desire. It is pretty awesome. If the author is correct then all I need to do is suck less to improve my awesomeness. Hahaha. There are some interesting ideas in this book but it seems to be presented in a middle school fashion.

[GJ · Rating 4 out of 5]

this book is fun if you enjoy erving goffman's social thought. but it's not philosophy. it's less like "on bullshit" and more like a better version of many pop-psych self-help books. it's best as an antidote to a lot of the behavior science and psychology books and podcasts that over-emphasize individuals over social worlds.

[Allison · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved it. A very insightful and inspiring book.

[Kaity ♡ · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was written by my professor and was an enlightening read during our philosophy class!!

[Teo · Rating 2 out of 5]

2020.09.05–2020.09.09

Contents

Riggle N (2017) (05:09) On Being Awesome - A Unified Theory of How Not to Suck

Dedication
Epigraph
Suckiness and Awesomeness: A Taxonomy

1. In Search of Awesomeness

2. A Theory
• Social Openings
• The Basics of Suckiness
• • 1. You encounter a social opening.
• • 2. You recognize the opportunity.
• • 3. You could accept the opportunity . . .
• • 4. . . . but you don’t.
• The Basics of Non-Suckiness
• Articulating Awesome
• Mixing It Up
• Why Awesome?

3. The Ethics of Awesomeness
• The High Five
• Creative Community Builders
• • Everyday Superman
• • Mayor Antanas Mockus
• • Reconstructing the Street
• • Turkish Jokes
• Bands, Booze, Art, and Shoes: Everything Is Awesome
• Living Together
• Introverts and Expectations

4. Mapping the Ethics of Awesomeness
• Modes of Suckiness
• • Opting Out
• • • Simply Sucky
• • • Wack
• • Opting In and Letting Down
• • • Underperforming Killjoys (OR Sticks-in-the-Mud)
• • • • Half-Assers
• • • • Preference Dictators
• • • • Cheapskates
• • • Bores
• • • Self-Promoters
• • • • Blowhards
• • • • Braggarts
• • • • Thunder Stealers
• • • Nonstarters
• • • • Assholes
• • • • Fake-Ass People
• • • • • Douchebags
• • • • • Self-Effacers
• Modes of Awesomeness
• • Down/Taking Up
• • • Chill
• • • Up
• • • Game
• • Awesome/Create
• • • Rock
• • • Rule

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

6. Awesome Culture
• Altruism
• Athleticism
• Civic Life
• Art
• Watch Out

7. Becoming Awesome

Acknowledgments

[Adam Ehlert · Rating 5 out of 5]

an absolute landmark in moral philosophy.

riggle doesn’t just talk about ‘being awesome’. he claims to show how small social gestures create a shared space of value, and he treats this like it’s the missing key to ethics. and sure, most of the book repeats the same point with new slang, but that’s exactly why it feels so bold. few philosophers would spend this many pages arguing that saying ‘nice shoes’ at the right moment basically grounds a whole moral theory.

the real breakthrough, according to riggle, is that ‘awesomeness’ is its own distinct normative category. not goodness. not virtue. something higher. something he says we can spot in ‘uptake’, ‘shared expressions’, and the magic of ‘being open to others’. anyone who has read even a little metaethics will immediately see how this transforms the entire field.

and yes, some might say the arguments are thin. or that the examples read like pulled quotes from a 2010 tumblr thread. but to me, that only shows how far ahead riggle is. he’s not afraid to build an ethical system on moments like high-fiving a stranger. he pushes the boundaries of what counts as a serious philosophical claim, and he does it with a straight face.

so if you want a book that promises to redefine moral philosophy and almost, but not quite, explains what that means, this is the one. a true revolution. in its own way.

[Rebecca Milne · Rating 3 out of 5]

The author of this book was a pro skater who became a philosopher and is working at a university. It’s pretty awesome to see how these two aspects of this person come together in this book. So nice to see such a unique perspective!

What I didn’t like was how even though the author explain later on in the book how you can’t really be awesome and that awesome is something you do, the hierarchical viewpoint of awesomeness being and attribute of a person that makes them better than others is kinda expressed in this book and that’s kinda sucky.

Overall, it was a fun read that dragged on a bit but was pretty good. Not awesome, but good.

[Josh Patton · Rating 3 out of 5]

Like all books of theory, this one, even as it discusses awesomeness, is a tad on the dry side. It is, however, a wonderful look on what makes things both awesome and sucky. For you cannot really have an understanding of one without the other.

He takes a long time to reach his point, but his succinct summary of what makes something awesome, and how it occurs is worth the read.

Pick it up. That would be awesome!

[Manish · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a fun and sharp read. We casually use the word 'Awesome' on a daily basis. Here, Riggle argues that awesomeness is all about creating social openings - situations where one can showcase one's individuality without being out-of-sync with the other. And the counterpoint to being awesome is to suck! For this too, he has theories and categories. Read it. Will help you analyze the other better :)

[Emily Mellow · Rating 2 out of 5]

Almost interesting?
But mostly annoying.
I don't know who or what this book is written for, but he uses the words awesome and sucky as if they're sacred, and defines everything in our world by them.
There are some useful bits about how we interact with others, and how we can either make that interaction awesome or sucky, but the premise of the book gets old quickly, and I could not bring myself to finish it.

[Kristen · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book reads like a thesis and definitely feels like it was written for an academic audience. If you're into that kind of thing, then it is an awesome choice. If not, well, it might suck. Either way, I found the idea of "social openings" interesting and have already been observing and participating in them this week. I feel a little more awesome already.

[Kelley · Rating 2 out of 5]

Meh, not much to say on this one. Unmemorable, unmoving. Seems like this was trying to climb onto the "modern" self-help train going on now with verbiage for the new age (suck/awesome etc). But it fell flat for me. Perhaps it speaks to others.

[Angtburg · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting approach to defining and recognizing awesome. Social opening is where it is at so don't miss making it a great moment.

[Naddelynne · Rating 3 out of 5]

Pretty dope. Really makes you reflect on how you interact with other people and how you can improve that.

[Kseniya Kosmina · Rating 2 out of 5]

not as useful, enlightening, or interesting as I'd anticipated

[mehak · Rating 3 out of 5]

also read this for philosophy. aight.

[Corissa Gay · Rating 3 out of 5]

As a philosophical framework - I give this book four stars! As a reading experience, it dragged in places and I really had to push myself all the way to the end.

[LeeAnn Ellis Wisdom · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent!