Abandoned AmericaThe older I get, the more aware I am that being critical rather than enjoying things is not a sign of intelligence or wisdom. Not loving things - movies, art, music, people, situations - because of their weaknesses doesn't make you better than them, it means you're unable to see past imperfections. Sure, some things absolutely are bad & should be left behind - but being hypercritical denies you joy. I need reminded of this every day. Too many things are legit bad to throw out good ones too.
If you find your response to popular movies, albums, books, etc is "I don't like them because (x, y, and z)" maybe it's not because you're not smarter than everyone else, maybe you're just outsmarting your own ability to enjoy things that aren't perfect
Before replies get too far: criticism has its place. Not liking things is fine. Not everything is meant for everyone, do what works for you. But! If your sole purpose of spending time with most things is to pry apart what makes them bad, you could definitely be doing better things with your life, like finding and spending time with the things you do love.
Fardels Bear@AbandonedAmerica I think there are things which it's important to criticise, such as bad government, misinformation, evil actions. Apart from that, I agree with you. The everyday things that make up our cultural landscape are perhaps horses of a different colour. There are things I wouldn't touch with a barge pole but to spend a lot of time criticising them is a waste of time. That said, I really enjoy scathing reviews about bad books and films. And a proper rant can be a thing of beauty.
@riggbeck oh God, I do love a review of something that really gets someone riled up too. And certainly social issues are an entirely different category. But getting worked up over a movie or video game not being 100% perfect? Waste of energy