David’s thoughts about how he’s re-evaluating how cynical he may be, has really struck a chord with me. I recently had the realization that my friends consider me the guy ‘who hates everything’ (which isn’t true, its just that the stuff I LOVE they have no interest in, and vice versa). This has made me really think about how I interact with people whose tastes wildly differ from mine, and the level to which I’ll humour them, even if the things they’re talking about sound terrible to me. I’ve started trying to praise individual positive elements (such as “actor ____ is really good in that role”) rather than giving my overall negative opinion. I dunno, I guess I just wanted to mention that David’s not alone, and it really made me think how something which I previously thought of as a pretty unemotional topic, such as discussing films or comics or tv, can have an adverse affect on intra personal relationships.
I think most artistic-minded people will be able to relate to David’s situation, and yours. I certainly know that I’ve been called a snob before, often followed by the question, “Do you like ANYTHING?” Often, I would come back very snidely with a list of all the different types of movies (foreign, b&w, silent) that I watch that this person wouldn’t even touch, topping it off with, “Is it really ME that doesn’t like movies?”
As you mentioned, though, eventually you just need to let people have their opinions, even if they won’t let you have yours.
I was surprised you went straight for The Sopranos as best TV series ever. I thought The Wire was pretty much the untouchable number one, with Arrested Development the untouchable best comedy? No? Just me? I was engrossed in The Sopranos for around 3 seasons. I bought and watched most of the fourth but that’s pretty much when I lost interest.
The Wire was a good show. It was a remarkable achievement even. But when someone tells me it’s the greatest show ever, I come to the conclusion that the person likes movies more than TV. To put it somewhat glibly, The Wire is a television show for people who don’t like television shows. As such, though I admire it, it will never be more than an honorable mention for me. The Sopranos, on the other hand, worked within the parameters of serialized television storytelling and expanded those parameters at the same time. Television is different now because of The Sopranos.
David’s thoughts about how he’s re-evaluating how cynical he may be, has really struck a chord with me. I recently had the realization that my friends consider me the guy ‘who hates everything’ (which isn’t true, its just that the stuff I LOVE they have no interest in, and vice versa). This has made me really think about how I interact with people whose tastes wildly differ from mine, and the level to which I’ll humour them, even if the things they’re talking about sound terrible to me. I’ve started trying to praise individual positive elements (such as “actor ____ is really good in that role”) rather than giving my overall negative opinion. I dunno, I guess I just wanted to mention that David’s not alone, and it really made me think how something which I previously thought of as a pretty unemotional topic, such as discussing films or comics or tv, can have an adverse affect on intra personal relationships.
I think most artistic-minded people will be able to relate to David’s situation, and yours. I certainly know that I’ve been called a snob before, often followed by the question, “Do you like ANYTHING?” Often, I would come back very snidely with a list of all the different types of movies (foreign, b&w, silent) that I watch that this person wouldn’t even touch, topping it off with, “Is it really ME that doesn’t like movies?”
As you mentioned, though, eventually you just need to let people have their opinions, even if they won’t let you have yours.
I was surprised you went straight for The Sopranos as best TV series ever. I thought The Wire was pretty much the untouchable number one, with Arrested Development the untouchable best comedy? No? Just me? I was engrossed in The Sopranos for around 3 seasons. I bought and watched most of the fourth but that’s pretty much when I lost interest.
This is David here.
The Wire was a good show. It was a remarkable achievement even. But when someone tells me it’s the greatest show ever, I come to the conclusion that the person likes movies more than TV. To put it somewhat glibly, The Wire is a television show for people who don’t like television shows. As such, though I admire it, it will never be more than an honorable mention for me. The Sopranos, on the other hand, worked within the parameters of serialized television storytelling and expanded those parameters at the same time. Television is different now because of The Sopranos.