Against Snobs and Hobby Snobbery

Russell Michaels

Russell is inside his own mind, a comfortable yet silly place. He is also on Twitter.

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5 Responses

  1. Jaybird says:

    The problem with aesthetics is the assumption that some things are better than other things and, more than that, it’s possible to tell the difference.

    If you are willing to swallow the camel of “some things are better than other things and it’s possible to tell”, the gnat of “this particular instance of entertainment sucks, actually” should be easy going down.

    Now, sure. There are a bunch of Partisan Idiots who argue that some matters of taste are actually matters of aesthetics. Like, which is better? The XBox One X Controller or the PS4 Controller? Well… I could see how someone would prefer the one and someone else would prefer the other and there’s no right or wrong.

    But there are stories like, say, a melodrama where you’ve got a victim, a villain, and a hero.
    And there are stories that are a bit more mature where you’ve got a victim that is surprisingly strong… a villain with a surprisingly understandable set of motivations, and a hero that is surprisingly cruel.

    Some stories are good the first time only. A second viewing doesn’t give anything that the first viewing didn’t give.
    Some stories that contain enough richness that you find something new with each return to it. “How did I miss this the first time? Or the second time? Or the third time?”

    And people who have spent enough time sorting through the pile to realize that Sturgeon was an optimist are going to have strong opinions about the stuff that isn’t crap.

    And the people who show up saying “This entry-level stuff is awesome!” are going to find themselves inundated by opinions about Naruto.Report

  2. Great article!

    I like to critique things because it’s fun for me and it helps me improve as an artist (I like to think so anyway.) If I sometimes get worked up over it, it’s that I think corporate creativity is an end so dead it’s oppressive to good art, and that needs to be pushed back on. And then sometimes I like to explore the reasons why people like the things they do (or claim to). But yeah I agree the gatekeeping for its own sake is really tiring.Report

  3. dhex says:

    “You’re calling yourself a critic; I know not to take you that seriously”

    that’s a weird stance to take. criticism (literary, music, film, whatever) is an evaluation with historical and contextual analysis. it is not a “review” nor should it be. i get that you’re not interested in this kind of evaluation, and i applaud your self-awareness on that front, but it is a distinct form of engagement with art.

    re: someone from pitchfork and david toop are both engaged in the act of writing about music, but they’re doing it with very different approaches and goals. both are valid, as far as i’m concerned, but i’m very sure people confuse the two on a consistent basis.

    now, i think a more interesting angle here is why the existence of different modes of engagement seems to annoy everyone at some point. i have a straightforward answer: fans are terrible at love and confuse the objects of their affection with themselves to the point of delusion, but this is probably a less-than-compelling analysis for others.Report

    • Oscar Gordon in reply to dhex says:

      I think the point being made is that anyone can call themselves a critic, but that doesn’t mean they are engaging is some manner of honorable criticism, as opposed to just being a snobbish reviewer with opinions.Report

      • dhex in reply to Oscar Gordon says:

        from the text: “There’s a reason I hate film critics. You’re calling yourself a critic; I know not to take you that seriously.”

        i’m hard-pressed to think that criticism could be dishonorable. not impossible, mind you, but definitely difficult – perhaps someone inventing slander?

        more the point, i think the notion of “honorable” (i’m using your term as a jumping off point, rather than trying to be tedious about your word selection) feels like a holdover of the current general expectation of criticism – reviews that reinforce one’s worldview. in the case of modern fandoms, that means reinforcing one’s view of a work/series/etc as a part of oneself and, to a certain extent, identity, group belonging, and so on.

        i don’t doubt that for some criticism (good or bad) feels like slander, dishonor, calumny, an attack on all that is good and pure, etc…it feels like snobbery, because when someone says something critical, what is heard is “you are less than I.” now, is that true? and even if it is true, should it matter? it’s just one opinion.

        i mean, give me enough o’douls and i’d go so far as to say “frick, this is terrible near beer! but more to the point, fandoms are a cancer upon culture and impede our growth as a species.” at that point i hope the fake bartender cuts me off from the fake beer and calls me a fake cab, because i’m taking it a bit too far.

        but on the other hand, the norse gods were created by the humans who venerated them knowing that all things end, and the engine of our destruction often lies in trying to avoid our fates and chaining our weaknesses away to reckon with only when it is far too late.

        in fandom’s hands, ragnarok is just another word for nothing left to lose. or gain, for that matter. i would argue that if one has built an identity that requires a continual watering of the tree of intellectual property with the blood of opportunities for change, then indeed criticism feels deadly.

        it is saying “this could be a part of something larger” rather than a thing in and of itself to be scored, absorbed, and added to our identities. it will feel like snobbery, because when someone takes a piece of your heart and holds it up, examines it, and declares it less than the sum of all greatness, it will feel like a diminishment of who you are rather than simply an opinion.

        i have irrational loves, but know them to be irrational and chain them down in the basement of false gods, which is where they belong. not necessarily the best advice, but it feels like the most true advice.Report