Finally.
Matt probably thinks I lashed out at him this morning. Maybe I did. But I have valid reasons: I was telling him that I've recently been addicted to Lost. Then I said that I think he might enjoy it because it's a combination of Robinson Crusoe, Lord of the Flies, and something else. He says something along the lines of a lot of people telling him he would like it. The next thing he says is: I heard the last season was shitty. What? What is that? What a charming comment. So I start telling him, and I probably only had the guts to actually say it because I'm stuck at home with nothing else to do right now, that he should find that out for himself instead of relying on what the critics say. Because he always reiterates what the critics say about movies, books, television shows, and it's soooooo frustrating because many times he hasn't even seen the various works. So I told him it's annoying because a lot of their judgment suddenly becomes his, when he isn't even a witness/viewer/experienced. And this is all even more aggravating because what kind of show doesn't have a weaker season? I've had this conversation with him before, not about his criticism paralleling with the general criticism, but where I've seen a movie/whatever and have to hear what I'd read about it on nytimes.com that morning, too. It's discrediting all over: to him, to me, to whatever the work is, to the fanbase. It's just really annoying because it's so easy to have a pretentious attitude toward anything that becomes mainstream. But what these faux-elitists forget is that sometimes what becomes mainstream might actually have valid quality.