Hmm. I think one can go further, in this old geezers' thread, and say that the idea of "cool" is the height of stupidity, too.

I think the brakeless fad originated with the fact that at the start of the fixie resurgence, some of the enthusiasts were riding unmodified track bikes. It became a matter of pride to be (supposedly) skilled enough to ride safely on the road without brakes. Naturally it quickly followed that anyone who needed brakes was by definition incompetent.

Funny thing, though, all the really skilful trackies that I know think it is bonkers to ride on the roads with no brakes. And I am certainly very happy to have brakes on my FG.