one of the most annoying things anyone can ever say, especially in regards to art (music, film, etc) is:
"it's all subjective".
when I hear this I fucking see red.
ofcourse "it's all subjective" in the bigger scheme of things, perception is reality, etc. but when this universal rule is applied to specific human endeavor, it is lazy, irresponsible, and morally reprehensible.
with everything we do, one can come up with a convincing set of criteria with which to judge it. a plate of pasta can be judged on the freshness of the vegetables, the richness of the sauce, and quality of the cheese. a hiphop track can be judged on the quality of the production, dexterity of flow, innovativeness of the bassline, etc. and perhaps there is one over-arching criteria which superimposes all criteria: fitness to purpose.
so to say "it's all subjective" reduces all ideas to the level of "opinion" and ofcourse all "opinions" are valid. it is what a hostess says when a discussion threatens to become unruly: "you are all entitled to your opion, so everyone, shhhhhhh!"
thanks for listening. had to rant.
"it's all subjective".
when I hear this I fucking see red.
ofcourse "it's all subjective" in the bigger scheme of things, perception is reality, etc. but when this universal rule is applied to specific human endeavor, it is lazy, irresponsible, and morally reprehensible.
with everything we do, one can come up with a convincing set of criteria with which to judge it. a plate of pasta can be judged on the freshness of the vegetables, the richness of the sauce, and quality of the cheese. a hiphop track can be judged on the quality of the production, dexterity of flow, innovativeness of the bassline, etc. and perhaps there is one over-arching criteria which superimposes all criteria: fitness to purpose.
so to say "it's all subjective" reduces all ideas to the level of "opinion" and ofcourse all "opinions" are valid. it is what a hostess says when a discussion threatens to become unruly: "you are all entitled to your opion, so everyone, shhhhhhh!"
thanks for listening. had to rant.