>>>> There are some folks in my life that believe that if you don't like something, you are not allowed to express your dislike....<p>I try hard not to be that person.<p>I like a lot of "weird" art, architecture, music, etc. I'm a jazz musician, and my preferences within jazz are somewhat on the experimental / artistic side of jazz.<p>It's amusing but sad to watch people in conversations, including friends and family members, struggle to say something when they find out that I like jazz. Or they're trying to work out a nice way to say that they'd rather not attend one of my performances.<p>Honestly it's OK to tell me that you hate jazz, since I already know it. Most people hate jazz. It's OK to tell me that my lengthy, obnoxious bass solo was a bit much. It's true. My feelings are not hurt. The world needs weird art, someone needs to make it, meaning that some kinds of art won't please everybody, or sometimes even anybody.
I don't get it. People tell you to shut up in many different scenarios, but they are always wrong, for different reasons in each scenario?<p>You jump in fetish porn channels telling them they are gross, but you have moral responsibility to do that. You shittalk Star Wars while watching together, but you are just bonding with the people on the internet that gave bad review. You comment under official channels on twitter, but this doesn't matter, they are rich anyway.<p>You never dislike indie, or even if you do you never comment it, because that would be bad. Except you do because feedback is important, and artists always thank you for your negative feedback.<p>..<p>I kinda think that it is good if groups can create spaces to themselves where random people don't show up, and shit there. (Not taking to the extreme, and also not groups bonding against vulnerable minorities.)<p>While your 5th point is valid, you have every right to talk, even after they told you to shut up (and they have every right to tell you to shut up over and over again), also this is a very important right that is worth preserving in general, you still can be considerate. It's just you hurt people for a moment of satisfaction. (((And they choose to be hurt also for a moment of satisfaction.))) If you have better things where you can feel good, why not do those instead. E.g. where are your arts?<p>..<p>> When you release your work, as an artist, you are tacitly agreeing to those terms.<p>They choose to be vulnerable, not because they want to be hurt, but despite of it. They want to please people even if some assholes will jump in and insult them only because they can. It just hurts people and makes them to create and share less value, for no benefits?
> Reason No. 2: The Work is Morally Abhorrent<p>I disagree. It's better in general not to go around judging people's morality, and if you can't manage that, try to keep your moral judgments to yourself. This situation is exactly what that evidently hated phrase "it's not for me" was invented for.<p>Banal as it sounds, "it's not for me" has been holding society together for hundreds of years, whereas "you are bad for creating or liking this" has never helped anybody.<p>> However, an important caveat here--expressing your distaste for a work on moral grounds is a great way to spark a discussion with friends and family members.<p>Usually it's not a discussion, usually it's a screaming match. Nobody learns anything, nobody changes their mind, everyone becomes their worst self. Our culture is filled with these discussions, I'm tired of them.
Valid reasons for hating on art? This honestly feels like the author is trying to justify being a negative person instead.<p>I don't disagree with providing feedback, but to "hate on" something is very different than providing feedback or constructive criticism. And of all things, more so art than anything else. Art is someone's personal expression. To "hate on" it is implicitly an attempt to invalidate that person's expression, if that were even possible. Are you being a judge of what someone should or shouldn't be expressing?<p>Per the author's "not my cup of tea" comment, I do believe that is actually a better approach. Because you are simply expressing that it's not something that you connect with/enjoy/appreciate/etc. and making your comments about yourself. When you "hate on" someone's art, you're completely missing the fact that your strong feelings are _yours_ and that the artist's expression is completely independent of that (whether others share your sentiment towards the work or not).
This reminds me of a time I went to see a musician friend of mine perform. I showed up before his performance and sat at the bar to watch the others go on before him.<p>A younger gentleman sat down on stage, plugged in a bass guitar and sat with it. He strummed it a couple times and then put it on his lap. He then jammed a butter knife into it. I thought it was a weird weird tool to use to tune a guitar, but whatever.<p>Then he pulled out a bow and began fiddling that butter knife. It was the most wretched sound I've ever heard intentionally amplified.<p>It was horrible, and he wouldn't stop. I finished my drink and looked around the room. Everyone was locked in, some even nodding their heads as though there were some rhythm to nod to. There was not. There was no discernable difference in pitch or tone no matter where on the knife he played. If he could predict the sound being made before he made it, it wasn't obvious.<p>I had a great seat in the middle of the bar and didn't want to lose it for my friend's show, so ordered another drink. But the guy was relentless, and the crowd was relentless in their appreciation. I slammed the drink and gave up the best seat in the house to smoke outside until it was over.<p>My friend's performance was excellent (which I watched later from the back of the room). Later I was with him and a couple other patrons and tried to describe how awful the knife guy was. The others who saw it said I was being closed-minded. I worry they cannot hear well.<p>The only art in that room was watching that crowd accept that wretched noise as performance, simply because the person making it happened to be on stage.
I'm dealing with a family member that has decided to become an artist in their retirement. They think they're going to be in a gallery, everyone else is like WTF is this trash. They're using cheap ballpoint pens and dollar store markers. It's basically pattern like scribbles and he's churning out 2-3 of these a day. I want to be supportive of them, they're just living on a different planet it seems when compared to so many actually talented artist.
It's sometimes very lonely hearing everybody say only positive things about something which you not only do not connect with, but which you also think has objectively bad elements with respect to its art form. It makes you feel like maybe instead of being the most important and significant thing in your life, it is instead just another garbage heap of ambition and mendacity.<p>So sometimes when you read that excoriating review you think yes I'm not alone. I'm not mad. That was thoroughly bad. And you remember that it's important.
This is about art. Art is about aesthetics, taste, and emotions evoked. All of those are subjective and personal.<p>Therefore, there are no invalid reasons to hate on art.<p>The only valid question is: which social circle can you share that opinion with?
A wine sommelier once told me that she reads wine reviews from people she disagrees with.<p>It's not about whether the reviewer is right; the sommelier knows where the reviewers tastes lie relative to her own. If something is too nutty for the reviewer, it may be just right for her.<p>I think this also applies to art criticism. The way someone complains about (or praises!) a movie or book can tell me a lot about whether I'll like it, regardless of whether I agree with them.
The article makes good points. One more point is that you have to be tactful, depending on the context. A lot of what separates appropriate criticism from just being a jackass is in how it’s delivered.
IDK a lot of this is just realizing if you post on a public message board, a lot of people might see it, including the artist. So maybe show some decorum even if you are anonymous.
Don't get me wrong, as someone who likes to art as a hobby, I'm _ALL_FOR_ pissing on things for any number of reasons.. Including such irrationality as it simply not suiting your fancy.<p>But I must comment on<p>> Reason No. 2: The Work is Morally Abhorrent<p>Is this ever a sign of our times? On with the morality! All_the_time, must we not ? I think the morally abhorrent should be celebrated in its own right, for it provokes in you emotion, and that's one of the things art should do.
I hosted a talk by A.O. Scott (film critic of the NYT) about his book "Better Living Through Criticism." <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4Kh3-DGU3l4" rel="nofollow">https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4Kh3-DGU3l4</a><p>He makes a spirited defense of the role of the critic, and I say in the intro that I don't GAF about Rotten Tomatoes or MetaCritic; I just read him, and whoever's writing on Roger Ebert's site these days. I want to know what the movie's like and if I should see it, not some stupid average rating from 100 would-be "critics". After I see it, I want to understand it better.<p>A real critic helps you understand what a work is about, and what's good or bad about it. A high school dweeb's opinion or a shill's is worth what you pay for it: nothing.<p>Of course it can hurt your feelings as an artist. I've had a video up on YouTube for over 15 years now, and my expectations on the comments are so low that I'm amazed when someone actually gets it completely. But after you read a few drive-by opinions by someone who completely missed the point, you just say "ok, you didn't like it, that's life."
Taping a banana to a wall? fire away. A building that is "unique" but fails at function? fire away. Literally any municipal or local government purcahsed art? It's probably shit.<p>Someone spent a lot of time doing something you can't do, paying attention to details, honing a skill, reflects years of practice and fine craftsmanship? It's probably "good" art.<p>That being said, people like to piss on other people's work because it's a lot "easier to criticize than create". There's a distinct change you simply don't appreciate how hard these things are either. Do you have the time/energy/dedication to do the thing your criticizing? Consider that first. Artists are a necessary part of society and sometimes they need an attaboy too.
For me, for anyone want to listen my "dislike", they need to pay to hear.<p>So i hope it's not just "valid", but it's a "business".