Subjectivity

A Theory of Subjectivity

                It seems pertinent that we come to an understanding of my thoughts on media such as film, television and books.  I do not believe there is such a thing as objectivity in relation to these items.  While I may enjoy debating the merits of certain things, that doesn’t mean you’re wrong about what you like.  When I say something is good or bad I mean it from a subjective standpoint, and what I have to say doesn’t make it objective all of the sudden.  I’m not trying to tell you what you can or can’t like or can or can’t watch.  I may be curious as to why people like certain things I don’t enjoy, this doesn’t mean they are bad or the Big Bang Theory wouldn’t have had so many seasons, critical acclaim, and a whole bunch of Emmy’s.  From an objective standpoint it has certainly done its job in relation to successful entertainment.  While you may value my opinion on whether or something is good or not, my opinion doesn’t supersede your subjective experience.   If it did, John Wick wouldn’t be one of the most beloved critically acclaimed box office smashes of all time.  Everyone has a John Wick, a series they don’t understand why everyone else is so enamored with.  I’m not angry about what people like just curious.  Conclusion = It’s not possible to be right or wrong about why you enjoy something on a personal level as it’s entirely subjective.

                A quick thought on Metacritic.  MC is a terrific site in which legitimate critics give a subjective score.  Then through a process of what I’ll call collective subjectivity, a number is derived from their scores.  This number is STILL subjective.  I use it because I know that most of the time if I a movie scores highly there are enough people who think like me that have reason to enjoy the film.  I don’t want to watch what I perceive to be crap, unless it’s a horror movie cause I love bad horror movies, if a tool can be created like MC to create a collective subjectivity that allows for me to choose the films I watch.  Is MC always right? Hell no.  Once again the number is subjective, as good as subjective gets as I believe in the power of consensus.  Do awards shows mean anything?  Not really it’s a season long circle jerk for a bunch of self-righteous assholes, once again subjective.   I’m not the normal person when it comes to movies.  I’m very obsessive and opinionated looking for la crème de la crème, not like most who work their asses off with jobs or families and are happy to throw a Marvel flick on and let their brain take a rest, which is totally understandable.  I wish I was one of those people in many ways, but I’m not. 

Hopefully this can end some of the contentious debates around these subjects.  I may not have not have done a great job at making this point clearly in the past.  Hopefully this will explain that I just don’t think it’s possible to be wrong or right about liking something you like.  My opinion is just that, it’s worth very little if you ask me, unless you’re a cinephile like myself.