In a healthy society, we should be able to respect differing opinions so long as they do not cause harm. I’ll always stand in defense of this right to a diversity of thought when I see people disagreeing, and I encourage more people to do the same. However, you should note that this doesn’t really apply to me because if you like something I don’t like, you are a bad person.
Taste is subjective, but also, no it isn’t. Some people may like things for aesthetic reasons, for experiential reasons – but when I dislike something, that is a moral valuation.
Please don’t be on the wrong side of history here.
Sometimes, I don’t even realize that I dislike something for moral or political reasons at first. I might watch a movie and simply feel that it’s bad, but it’s never too long before I realize my gut instinct was leading me to a deeper truth, and the movie is actually morally wicked. Furthermore, if you like it, you are a fascist and a pervert.
Erotic thrillers that I dislike are misogynistic, but also fascist. Mystery as a genre is fascist in general. Kangaroo Jack is a misrepresentation of what it’s like to be antagonized by a kangaroo (speaking from lived experience). All Nancy Meyers movies are problematic, and not because they’re about rich white people, but because my ex loved them and they cheated on me. They’re also fascist.
Good critique is a generative art form, and I practice that art form by critiquing the people who enjoy things I don’t enjoy. If I ever simply didn’t like something for reasons that were my own problem, I’d be the first to admit it. For example, I happen to not like sushi, but with that said, overfishing really is a problem, and it does raise some cultural appropriation red flags in my opinion? I’m putting a question mark to have plausible deniability if you think that’s offensive or reckless to say, but still, the seed is planted.
It’s true that liking something I don’t like makes you a bad person, but at the end of the day, it’s all fair, because I also think that you disliking something I like means you think I am bad and you are attacking me personally. When you do this I will get extremely defensive, and I love interacting with the world this way.
Here’s to life and art, and death to Kangaroo Jack apologists!
