"it was ok i suppose" : a non reaction to "polarazing" things

woops

is not like other people
i'm still dissapointed that it took this far to get to the meat of what i wanted out of this instead of just...what happened earlier on
yeah stop whingeing man people on here aren't thick, maybe you could have made a more precise introduction or something
 

version

Well-known member
The culture war stuff seems a product of the art itself not really having much value these days, what with the whole "poptimism" thing having happened and the resistance to "gatekeeping" making it unacceptable to disagree on aesthetic grounds and suggest something like Marvel is in a different tier to something like First Reformed.

Given the above, it makes sense that the fiercest debates are rooted in the perceived politics of a film and its effect on one's personal brand. It's just a film and one film's as good as any other now, so the focus shifts to its utility as an extension of personal identity. It's not "Is this a good film?", it's "Is this a good look?".

Someone watches and enjoys American Psycho, but they're conflicted because it's a "red flag film" or it makes them a "film bro" or it's too "Reddit". Their opinion of the film gets buried under all this cultural baggage and becomes more or less irrelevant.
 

version

Well-known member
That 'Art Bollocks' piece Craner shared a while back had a bit about how Duchamp's stuff was art designed to generate text. There was nothing to really take in about the thing itself, the point was the discussion and criticism it produced.

That seems to have become the model for engaging with all art now, whether it's made with that intention or not.
 

yyaldrin

in je ogen waait de wind
That 'Art Bollocks' piece Craner shared a while back had a bit about how Duchamp's stuff was art designed to generate text. There was nothing to really take in about the thing itself, the point was the discussion and criticism it produced.

That seems to have become the model for engaging with all art now, whether it's made with that intention or not.
what article are you referring to?
 

version

Well-known member
That 'Art Bollocks' piece Craner shared a while back had a bit about how Duchamp's stuff was art designed to generate text. There was nothing to really take in about the thing itself, the point was the discussion and criticism it produced.

That seems to have become the model for engaging with all art now, whether it's made with that intention or not.
You can apply this to pretty much everything now, not just art. See: "West Elm Caleb".
 

wild greens

Well-known member
You can apply this to pretty much everything now, not just art. See: "West Elm Caleb".

The sub-culture of the always online and the weird fiscal generation cycle of social media commentary (see the West Elm Caleb accounts doing sex toy promos almost immediately) is one of the worst things about the internet these days

I purposely try to avoid it all but save for removing yourself from all socials and effectively living the life of a luddite it is quite difficult

The commentary machine is just so boring
 

version

Well-known member
It's a bottomless pit as people will always respond to things and the way people respond to a given thing becomes part of the commentary and receives its own commentary.
 

version

Well-known member
I've wondered whether my going on about ironic Letterboxd reviews and whatnot in here is in fact the next stage of the impulse I'm railing against. That sort of thing's become pretty standard now and doesn't take a lot of thought, it's just how a lot of people instinctively respond to things these days and seems to be how they genuinely feel, so maybe they are actually being sincere in a roundabout way and I'm the one doing the horrible, distant deconstructive thing by pulling it apart.
 

wild greens

Well-known member
I think i am almost replying to this point and the one about nihilism in the other thread simultaneously but is this realm really any different than e.g. The Daily Mail commentary pieces

Everyone is part of the same machine just that others feel more superior to others as their delivery routes are more "credible"
 
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