Post by Crom-Cruach on Nov 2, 2011 17:02:44 GMT -5
As all of you know, I've gotten into a few barbed exchanges with people here as I am want to do. Which of course, while I'm doing inoffensively. It's always a sketchy undertaking even if I'm not being serious and playing for humor and shock value mostly.
In any case Nexus called me a borderline hipster (serious or not is unimportant) for being generally cynical and critical about mainstream entertainment. This got me thinking (hence the thoughtful Gorilla avatar) while I was having supper with my folks and afterward. Why exactly do I have such a hard time actually considering things "good"? Could I really put it into words and hopefully start a discussion about taste and entertainment? My thought process then returned to my experiences. I've always been what can be called a geek and nerd by most. While it could lead to wide debate on how and why I came to be this kind of person. This is not the issue here. At least I don't think so. My point is that I've always been liked this. I started to read novels/comics/watch movies when I was 8 years old and now I'm old enough to have grey hair. Needless to say, this means I've read/viewed/absorbed a lot of stuff. Especially since there was a period of my life when I was essentially without friends to speak off. I have no bitterness over this, I got my real friends later. But being alone, you have a lot of time to think and reflect on what you're witnessing and absorbing. Also a lot of time to make up your mind about something.
So what does this have to do with the title and comics here, ledgerites? Mostly I'm just rambling. But it pertains to this site as to what I like and dislike. You read enough books and you notice the tropes, common narrative devices, etc. You also come to the conclusion that true originality is virtually impossible to produce. Even the best authors more often then not only put an interesting spin or presentation on a topic or narrative device. It's not bad really, human thought and experience is both shared and limited by the world we can experience. Could anyone really understand what it's like to be an insect? Or born from an egg that is left buried in the ground? Of course not, we can only try as a thought exercise and a narrative telling.
The point I'm coming to with this long exposition is that. For my part, I see things from the point of view of my experiences and it's hard for me not to see what is working, where things are going and what an author is appealing too in a story. In this regard praise is a lot harder for me to give then criticism. I read as much to stimulate my thoughts, to escape reality or to relax. In this regard, one thing I do find stimulating is an interesting take on something, a well put spin on a topic etc. One that is well thought out. Unfortunately, this makes it very hard for me to appreciate and actually really like certain products because the direction and constraints these will inevitably suffer will always mean there is a limit where something can be taken and when these products have been running non-stop for 80+ years (like Marvel and DC). It's hard for me to not look back and say "they've already done this before" or "This is just an example of XYZ storytelling". Does that mean what I do like is necessarily better? Or that I'm just bitter about things and don't like then out of a desire to be different? Maybe, maybe not. I do know what I enjoy and am set in my thought process. But it bears mentioning that yes, certain things are not new. And yes I do enjoy barb and confrontation of ideas. Not to annoy people but simply because this part of what I enjoy.
This thread isn't meant as an apology for my positions or as an excuse for any criticism I may make in the future (even ones people will dislike). But simply as perhaps a little food for thought on enjoying things and not enjoying them, Or how and why we can and are entertained.
In any case Nexus called me a borderline hipster (serious or not is unimportant) for being generally cynical and critical about mainstream entertainment. This got me thinking (hence the thoughtful Gorilla avatar) while I was having supper with my folks and afterward. Why exactly do I have such a hard time actually considering things "good"? Could I really put it into words and hopefully start a discussion about taste and entertainment? My thought process then returned to my experiences. I've always been what can be called a geek and nerd by most. While it could lead to wide debate on how and why I came to be this kind of person. This is not the issue here. At least I don't think so. My point is that I've always been liked this. I started to read novels/comics/watch movies when I was 8 years old and now I'm old enough to have grey hair. Needless to say, this means I've read/viewed/absorbed a lot of stuff. Especially since there was a period of my life when I was essentially without friends to speak off. I have no bitterness over this, I got my real friends later. But being alone, you have a lot of time to think and reflect on what you're witnessing and absorbing. Also a lot of time to make up your mind about something.
So what does this have to do with the title and comics here, ledgerites? Mostly I'm just rambling. But it pertains to this site as to what I like and dislike. You read enough books and you notice the tropes, common narrative devices, etc. You also come to the conclusion that true originality is virtually impossible to produce. Even the best authors more often then not only put an interesting spin or presentation on a topic or narrative device. It's not bad really, human thought and experience is both shared and limited by the world we can experience. Could anyone really understand what it's like to be an insect? Or born from an egg that is left buried in the ground? Of course not, we can only try as a thought exercise and a narrative telling.
The point I'm coming to with this long exposition is that. For my part, I see things from the point of view of my experiences and it's hard for me not to see what is working, where things are going and what an author is appealing too in a story. In this regard praise is a lot harder for me to give then criticism. I read as much to stimulate my thoughts, to escape reality or to relax. In this regard, one thing I do find stimulating is an interesting take on something, a well put spin on a topic etc. One that is well thought out. Unfortunately, this makes it very hard for me to appreciate and actually really like certain products because the direction and constraints these will inevitably suffer will always mean there is a limit where something can be taken and when these products have been running non-stop for 80+ years (like Marvel and DC). It's hard for me to not look back and say "they've already done this before" or "This is just an example of XYZ storytelling". Does that mean what I do like is necessarily better? Or that I'm just bitter about things and don't like then out of a desire to be different? Maybe, maybe not. I do know what I enjoy and am set in my thought process. But it bears mentioning that yes, certain things are not new. And yes I do enjoy barb and confrontation of ideas. Not to annoy people but simply because this part of what I enjoy.
This thread isn't meant as an apology for my positions or as an excuse for any criticism I may make in the future (even ones people will dislike). But simply as perhaps a little food for thought on enjoying things and not enjoying them, Or how and why we can and are entertained.
