Writer's Block: It Is What It Is

[robinskij]

"Everyone has their own taste!"

Well duh, that's like saying everyone has their own asshole.  Yes, they do. But what annoys me about this cliche isn't the literal, obvious meaning. It's the implication that everyone's taste is equally *good*.

It isn't. Nope. No.

Not to say that everyone doesn't have the right to have their own taste. Even if it's

Comments

[these_3_remain]

Well, to be fair, a great many things that one can have a preference for are completely subjective. For instance, a friend once started teasing me because of my taste in music. (At the time, my CD player spun a healthy mix of Tori Amos, Christina Aguilera and Marilyn Manson.) He said something to the effect of, "You have horrible taste in music," to which I retorted, "Whoa, buddy, just because you don't like this music doesn't mean that it's not good. I have lots of good, objective reasons for enjoying it - like the excellence of the vocals and music and the depth of the lyrics - and subjectively, I just like how it sounds." Yes, there are things that one can sit back and objectively say, "Horrible, just horrible," but there are many things that I have to say, "Eh, not my cup of tea, but I suppose someone out there likes it

[robinskij]

Who knew? I taught them everything they know. Heh!

[these_3_remain]

Can you please teach them to be not-so-mean-and-bitchy? I understand they're trying to break through to some really tough customers that NO, it's NOT attractive when you wear something that's three sizes too big or too small, or that drags on the ground, or is worn out and holey. But there's no need to humiliate people, ya know?

[robinskij]

All those shows are like that. Actually I would be hard pressed to decide if 5000 bucks and a trip to New York would be worth the possible humiliation.

You definitely need a thick skin for it.

I guess if they were nice they wouldn't have any ratings.

Do you ever watch Super Nanny? I think she's really tactful and sensitive about explain Whut Ur Doin Wrong to the parents.

[robinskij]

I notice you didn't jump to defend the Keane painting.

[these_3_remain]

That particular painting is not so great. However, when I googled Keane to see some more of her work, I found that I really liked a lot of her paintings. Some of her work is quite dynamic in their explorations of space and scale.

(You have to understand, I suppose, that I like REALLY WEIRD STUFF, especially weird art. So my tastes may not be up to par with yours... but I can defend why I like something, at least! I won't say, "Um, because it's good...." Having been through countless art and writing critiques in my academic past, I have learned that I need to have a reason for saying something is good or bad - something I'm sure you've had to deal with, too, as an artist.)

[robinskij]

Oh yes. Critiques are great. Sad is innocent who tries to get away with "Uh, I just like this". No, you have to pick apart the specifics