Why Shaft is Cool

Shaft is cool. I wish I could leave my analysis of Shaft at that, but I must delve deeper.

Throughout Shaft, I kept questioning whether or not minorities have some kind of inherent coolness. In comparison to the majority race of white people, do the minority races have some underlying trait that causes their coolness to be multiplied? In the case of John Shaft, coolness is not generated through his race. It is instead generated by his kindness, sense of justice, and his dominance in every situation. Although he is equally harsh to both his associates and his enemies, he shows an incredible sense of kindness to the innocent citizens of Harlem. When traveling the streets, he kindly converses with both white and black people equally, and he openly gives away his money to help people out. For example, when a small child is cold and hungry on a doorstep, Shaft gives him money to buy a hot meal. His sense of justice is intertwined with his sense of kindness. Shaft acts kind only towards people who are innocent. When dealing with his allies in both the police department and the black liberation movement, he treats them nearly the same way that he treats his enemies. He does this because every member of these groups has done some wrong in trying to achieve their goals. This is why Shaft still talks Bumpy with a strong, insulting voice when he sincerely wants his daughter back; Bumpy does not have any innocence, so Shaft treats him harshly regardless of his intentions.
Another component of Shaft's coolness is his dominance. Throughout the entire movie, there is rarely a time when Shaft does not have control of the situation. From the start of the film, Shaft disregards traffic lights as he strolls across busy streets while oncoming cars are forced to stop for him. Additionally, he treats authoritative figures like Bumpy and the police as if they were subordinate to Shaft's will. The coolness that originates from his dominance is tied to the general concept of power being cool. Without power, a person's will is subject to the whims of superiors. It is nearly impossible to be cool while still being subordinated to other people. As long as freedom in personal choice is nonexistent, then all choices, regardless of their intentions, are bound by the rules of superiors. With enough power to have complete control over personal choices, coolness cannot be bounded by rules. Ultimately, this freedom of choice is an almost necessary component of cool, and Shaft, with his complete dominance over every situation, definitely has the power to project his kindness and justice enough to be an incredibly cool jive-talking cat.