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Feb. 26th, 2020 01:43 pmBeen thinking about Stuff & Things as I usually do, and I believe now is the time to air some grievances... Here's what I'd like to see less of from humanity in 2020.
1. Tearing down one thing to praise another. This includes people, too. No more "X was soooo good, so much better than Y!" Especially if those things have certain similarities, for example... old-school Tim Buckley fans who bash Jeff Buckley, claiming that his father had a much more expressive vocal range, or Western fans who claim that the only worthy version of True Grit is the original from the 60's and dismiss any possible merits of the remake. I hate when this attitude extends to hating on fans- there seems to be an attitude that people who are fans of a remake or of a band's newer output, etc., are ignorant for preferring it to the original or to older material. Like "you young folks don't get it." And when this applies to people, it's even worse... like pitting two musicians against each other. It's pointless, manufactured drama and I can't stand it. Just let people LIKE things.
2. Following up on that, all the gratuitous negativity that I constantly see needs to die. It is no longer merely enough to dislike something- it must be called trash, garbage, worthless, disgusting, and everyone who likes it is trash, garbage, worthless, disgusting, etc. This is more of a matter of the language used, I guess- I just think it's unbelievably short-sighted to not acknowledge that something could have merits for other people, just not for you. I listened to a metal album recommended to me, and I didn't care too much for it because I'm not a fan of metal, but I'm glad that the person who recommended it to me enjoys it and I'm not going to say his music taste is garbage, it's just not a thing I enjoy. (And again, this attitude leads to attacking fans, especially when it comes to remakes or sequels. I saw a bit of it with Mad Max: Fury Road and then a ton of it with the Star Wars sequels, where anyone who liked those new movies "isn't a real fan" etc. Actually, let's add that to my list- the concept of being a "real fan" in general. It honestly pisses me off so much when people try to make those kinds of designations and claim that if you're a recent fan of anything, you're not really a fan because you haven't been around from the beginning, or you haven't heard all the band's albums, or you prefer the newer material to the older material, or whatever. Who said there were rules to be followed when it comes to ENJOYING something?)
3. This probably sounds like the opposite of my last point, but I'm going to say it: taking genuine criticism of something as a personal attack. When someone brings up valid criticism of something, like a show lacking in diversity or a book featuring a relationship that is written with toxic undertones (whether intentionally or unintentionally, like Twilight and 50 Shades of Gray), some fans might get defensive and claim that those flaws are not present in the work they enjoy, or they'll try to claim a person they love is flawless and has not done anything problematic. But the point is, people do and make problematic things, and sometimes that's okay, and sometimes it's not, and we need to address the difference. Critics are not saying that you're not allowed to like the thing (well, honestly this depends, but look... for a personal example, I acknowledge that David Bowie had sex with teenage girls and also that he claimed to be bisexual to get attention, and at one point was pro-fascism (although that was arguably the character he played, not himself, but still it's in pretty poor taste even as a character). But that doesn't change the fact that I was obsessed with The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars as a teenager, and I still think it's one of the greatest albums ever made. Same with his last release, Blackstar. I acknowledge that he did these fucked up things and I personally don't think I'm erasing that when I enjoy his music... I think everyone is allowed to have whatever kind of relationship they have with a problematic artist's work. These things might put some off a musician's output forever, but I'm not going to deny that part of myself that loves Bowie's music. I'm not saying that what he did was okay, I just think it's important to be aware of his flaws, but you can still enjoy the music if you want.) But the way most react nowadays, it seems like they're saying everyone who brings up this criticism is delusional, and they ignore any flaws at all. I think a deeper sense of understanding is required.
4. On the other hand, I'd love to see the end of "everything must be entirely unproblematic." Like I said, I enjoy things that I acknowledge have flaws. I think that's okay to a certain extent. And I don't like being called out for liking something that I KNOW has flaws. I'm not a child- I can consume whatever media I want and think critically about it. I don't need to be told to stop reading or watching something because it's problematic. I can make that decision myself. I just think... in some instances, people need to stay out of others' business. So, simultaneously, don't uncritically accept something, but also don't tell others they shouldn't enjoy it.
1. Tearing down one thing to praise another. This includes people, too. No more "X was soooo good, so much better than Y!" Especially if those things have certain similarities, for example... old-school Tim Buckley fans who bash Jeff Buckley, claiming that his father had a much more expressive vocal range, or Western fans who claim that the only worthy version of True Grit is the original from the 60's and dismiss any possible merits of the remake. I hate when this attitude extends to hating on fans- there seems to be an attitude that people who are fans of a remake or of a band's newer output, etc., are ignorant for preferring it to the original or to older material. Like "you young folks don't get it." And when this applies to people, it's even worse... like pitting two musicians against each other. It's pointless, manufactured drama and I can't stand it. Just let people LIKE things.
2. Following up on that, all the gratuitous negativity that I constantly see needs to die. It is no longer merely enough to dislike something- it must be called trash, garbage, worthless, disgusting, and everyone who likes it is trash, garbage, worthless, disgusting, etc. This is more of a matter of the language used, I guess- I just think it's unbelievably short-sighted to not acknowledge that something could have merits for other people, just not for you. I listened to a metal album recommended to me, and I didn't care too much for it because I'm not a fan of metal, but I'm glad that the person who recommended it to me enjoys it and I'm not going to say his music taste is garbage, it's just not a thing I enjoy. (And again, this attitude leads to attacking fans, especially when it comes to remakes or sequels. I saw a bit of it with Mad Max: Fury Road and then a ton of it with the Star Wars sequels, where anyone who liked those new movies "isn't a real fan" etc. Actually, let's add that to my list- the concept of being a "real fan" in general. It honestly pisses me off so much when people try to make those kinds of designations and claim that if you're a recent fan of anything, you're not really a fan because you haven't been around from the beginning, or you haven't heard all the band's albums, or you prefer the newer material to the older material, or whatever. Who said there were rules to be followed when it comes to ENJOYING something?)
3. This probably sounds like the opposite of my last point, but I'm going to say it: taking genuine criticism of something as a personal attack. When someone brings up valid criticism of something, like a show lacking in diversity or a book featuring a relationship that is written with toxic undertones (whether intentionally or unintentionally, like Twilight and 50 Shades of Gray), some fans might get defensive and claim that those flaws are not present in the work they enjoy, or they'll try to claim a person they love is flawless and has not done anything problematic. But the point is, people do and make problematic things, and sometimes that's okay, and sometimes it's not, and we need to address the difference. Critics are not saying that you're not allowed to like the thing (well, honestly this depends, but look... for a personal example, I acknowledge that David Bowie had sex with teenage girls and also that he claimed to be bisexual to get attention, and at one point was pro-fascism (although that was arguably the character he played, not himself, but still it's in pretty poor taste even as a character). But that doesn't change the fact that I was obsessed with The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars as a teenager, and I still think it's one of the greatest albums ever made. Same with his last release, Blackstar. I acknowledge that he did these fucked up things and I personally don't think I'm erasing that when I enjoy his music... I think everyone is allowed to have whatever kind of relationship they have with a problematic artist's work. These things might put some off a musician's output forever, but I'm not going to deny that part of myself that loves Bowie's music. I'm not saying that what he did was okay, I just think it's important to be aware of his flaws, but you can still enjoy the music if you want.) But the way most react nowadays, it seems like they're saying everyone who brings up this criticism is delusional, and they ignore any flaws at all. I think a deeper sense of understanding is required.
4. On the other hand, I'd love to see the end of "everything must be entirely unproblematic." Like I said, I enjoy things that I acknowledge have flaws. I think that's okay to a certain extent. And I don't like being called out for liking something that I KNOW has flaws. I'm not a child- I can consume whatever media I want and think critically about it. I don't need to be told to stop reading or watching something because it's problematic. I can make that decision myself. I just think... in some instances, people need to stay out of others' business. So, simultaneously, don't uncritically accept something, but also don't tell others they shouldn't enjoy it.
