Terthna
Professional Lurker
Recent discussions have reminded me that the one subject on which the post-modernists have it completely right (as I understand their position, at least) is, I believe, that of entertainment. There is no such thing as objectively good entertainment, nor is there such a thing as entertainment that is objectively bad. If you like something, then it's good; if you dislike something, then it's bad. At their core, any expressed opinion on any piece of entertainment can be boiled down to these two responses; save for those that elicit no response at all. Ultimately, it is only your emotional reaction to it that matters; not the entertainment itself.
When analyzing anything, people tend to think that they're being logical; but more often than not, they're just being emotional, especially when it comes to entertainment. All analysis is tied into the same innate instinct that all human being possess; the drive to discern patterns, regardless of whether or not they actually exist, and extrapolate from those patterns. If you like something on an emotion level, you feel the need to justify why you like it, to find a pattern that fits; the same goes for when you don't like something. It's when you try to apply those patterns to other works that you begin to like or dislike things on a "logical" level, which ultimately is nothing more than an illusion brought about by the same mental processes that for thousands of years convinced people bloodletting was a legitimate medical treatment. Your brain, in trying to make sense of the world around you, is lying to you so as to fill in the gaps. Emotions cannot be explained logically, at least not in simple terms, but we all still try to find patterns in how we feel, and we will find them; even if they have to be fabricated wholesale.
Then, when someone has found a pattern, they want to spread it everywhere they can so that the world can begin to make a little more sense; unfortunately for them, that pattern only exists when viewed from a particular perspective, and while there will always be at least some who share (or, for whatever reason, pretend to share) that perspective, it will never become the objective truth they believe it to be. This, unfortunately, leads to a great deal of conflict; because everyone believes that theirs is the one and only truth. Thus, whether you're criticizing or praising a book, or a movie, or anything else; you are treading on someone's soul regardless. My advice is to step softly.
In short? Everyone's opinion about entertainment is, objectively, wrong. Including mine.
When analyzing anything, people tend to think that they're being logical; but more often than not, they're just being emotional, especially when it comes to entertainment. All analysis is tied into the same innate instinct that all human being possess; the drive to discern patterns, regardless of whether or not they actually exist, and extrapolate from those patterns. If you like something on an emotion level, you feel the need to justify why you like it, to find a pattern that fits; the same goes for when you don't like something. It's when you try to apply those patterns to other works that you begin to like or dislike things on a "logical" level, which ultimately is nothing more than an illusion brought about by the same mental processes that for thousands of years convinced people bloodletting was a legitimate medical treatment. Your brain, in trying to make sense of the world around you, is lying to you so as to fill in the gaps. Emotions cannot be explained logically, at least not in simple terms, but we all still try to find patterns in how we feel, and we will find them; even if they have to be fabricated wholesale.
Then, when someone has found a pattern, they want to spread it everywhere they can so that the world can begin to make a little more sense; unfortunately for them, that pattern only exists when viewed from a particular perspective, and while there will always be at least some who share (or, for whatever reason, pretend to share) that perspective, it will never become the objective truth they believe it to be. This, unfortunately, leads to a great deal of conflict; because everyone believes that theirs is the one and only truth. Thus, whether you're criticizing or praising a book, or a movie, or anything else; you are treading on someone's soul regardless. My advice is to step softly.
In short? Everyone's opinion about entertainment is, objectively, wrong. Including mine.