When it comes to movies, I am close to being indiscriminate. I'll watch almost anything and put off doing urgent things needing attention when I spot something I haven't seen. In the age of streaming, it's become effortless to indulge myself; my geek cup has runneth over.
It's also been easy sliding into less discernment because, putting aside the "I could be doing something more productive" internal conversation, being a movie geek is a largely benign habit. But I recently stumbled across a downside to my geekdom. And the downside comes wrapped in a little story.The downside: Being indiscriminate has taken away some of my passion. Because I've seen so many, some of the conventions of genre movies (Westerns, romantic comedies, sports films, musicals, etc.) are no longer as fresh for me. I find myself a tad cynical when able to predict how these types of films will turn out. The story: I've begun to give offbeat, unusual, or non-genre films more credit than they sometimes deserve. Yes, this film geek could be morphing into a snob. This type of thing ever happen to you? If not with movies, how about with literature? Music?
Occurred to me it's possible this road I find myself on may be the same road professional critics find themselves on from time to time. Ever notice how there are a few critics who rarely seem to like anything a lot of us "regular" folks like? Perhaps those critics have seen or read or listened to so much of what they're paid to criticize that they've gotten cynical, then told themselves a story, and presto = a snob is born. Your thoughts? Strategies to assist me from descending into reflexive snobbery?
Sometimes, I think, people don't trust their own judgement and they go along with the critics and think they should like certain things. My instinct is to feel it in my gut. If it does nothing, I don't even finish it.
ReplyDeleteRegina; Thanks for the comment. Although I mostly avoid paying a lot of attention to critics, I'm sure that influences me - however subtly - from time to time. So, the notion of going with the gut - and then abandoning whatever doesn't move me - clearly has some merit.
DeleteWhile I don't mind watching predictable tv or movies, I find myself being snobbish about....baked goods! A cake is not a cake unless it is made from scratch, with scratch icing, from excellent ingredients. The main ingredient being, you guessed it, real butter. And don't tell me "I Can't Believe It's Not Butter" because I most certainly CAN believe it.
ReplyDeleteAnonymous; I must admit this is my first exposure to a baked goods snob. Just goes to show snobbishness has few boundaries, I guess. BTW, if you are a reader, a book I raved about here on 2/28 - "Kitchens of the Great Midwest" - might be of interest to a baked goods snob. At minimum, it's safe to say it would whet the appetite (!) of an aspiring or actual foodie.
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