Anyway, since I spent an hour or so crafting a response, I thought it might be of interest to people if I repeated it here.
At first, I thought this article was a text-book case of straw-manning, but that doesn‘t go far enough. It's a case of a straw-man article written by another straw-man, desperately hoping that if he's dismissive enough of other scarecrows, people will just assume he's made of tin.
The principle fallacy of the argument is right here:
You see, the aim of any TV show, SF or no, is to entertain.Yes, it is. Also, water is wet and Charlie Sheen is unlikely to attend Lilith Fair 2011. No-one would dispute any of that. The issue here is what exactly people enjoy.
If people enjoy a (comparatively) seamless work, if their memory/interest is sufficiently engaged to notice flaws, and would rather they didn't happen, then who the frak is anyone to tell them they're enjoying it wrong? The only, and I do mean the only, thing worth saying over this is "Actually, canon doesn't really bother me”. Well, good luck to you. But tread beyond that, and you end up writing 1740 words on how the people who disagree with you are somehow less than you are. True, if you point out your laissez-faire attitude to canon and your hypothetical pub denizen won't shut up, then they're clearly a prat, but "I Meet Prats In Pubs" (“Give Prats A Prat-Fall”?) isn't really worth an article, is it?
This is to say nothing of the entirely obvious point if the next episode of Lee's favourite show swaps the genders of every character without explanation, and without ever going back, ("Gilmore Boys"? "The G Word"? "Dudes Of Prey"? etc.) he would almost certainly be pissed beyond measure.
Because by his own admission, he cares about canon too, at least to the point that he personally believes "consistency" should be maintained. Everyone does. Which means this rant is nothing more than saying "This is where I draw an arbitrary, subjective line; and anyone who draws it earlier is scum". Hence my "Please believe I'm tin" statement at the top of the post.
I love canon. I can't deny it. I have a certain amount of lee-way for the "rule of cool", but not much. I have an excellent memory, and it isn't easily overruled. I have no patience for an argument that boils down to "Can't you just consciously dampen parts of your brain whilst you watch?" No, I can't - that's just how I roll. And what I do and don't enjoy stems directly from what is going on in my brain.
All of which means that I will probably disagree with Lee on what does and doesn't constitute "entertaining" based on that principle. What I won't do is tell him the method by which he determines "entertaining" is somehow unworthy or even downright contemptible.
Fuck him for not extending me the same courtesy.
5 comments:
Go Squid! As I have a similar mindset to you regarding such things, unsurprisingly I tend to agree with you; I find it hard to switch off my knowledge of a show when mistakes happen, and no matter how I try, such mistakes very often bug me. And that's not really anyone else's business but mine - although if someone is willing to engage me with a discussion/tempered argument regarding such matters, I am quite happy to do so with no rancour if they have another point of view.
"All of which means that I will probably disagree with Lee on what does and doesn't constitute "entertaining" based on that principle. What I won't do is tell him the method by which he determines "entertaining" is somehow unworthy or even downright contemptible."
Indeed you won't, but what you will do is make sweeping generalisations on how I apparently regard everyone as scum because they have an opinion different from my own, whilst writing in my own OPINION column.
After all everyone is entitled to their opinion aren't they? And in a similar response to your own exit line...
Fuck you for not extending me that courtesy
For a start the article seems to highlight elements of canon that aren't critical to a story (like various spefic tech detais) but do get picked apart by elements of fandom.
Which is an annoying trait. I totally see where Lee is coming from and at no point do I get the impression he's really being as agressive as Ric suggests he is.
And if you want straw men I think you're gender changing line is one, since at no point does Lee's article suggest that would be on. He even acknowledges that for shows to work that can't happen. He's talking about the small details not the basics of a show.
He's decrying those obsessives who are out there who call out productions on every little detail.
Sorry, but I do think you've missed the point on this one Ric and if there is any rancour it's coming from you not Lee.
"Indeed you won't, but what you will do is make sweeping generalisations on how I apparently regard everyone as scum because they have an opinion different from my own, whilst writing in my own OPINION column."
Actually, I thought my argument was fairly well backed up, rather than a sweeping anything. Indeed, it seems to me that the only way it can be considered sweeping is if you deliberately flense away my overall point, which is that you tactily recognised the arbitrary nature of your position before pouring scorn on anyone whose (equally arbitray position) doesn't correlate with yours. At best, you can argue the vehemence with which you laid into people in the article was for hyperbolic effect (God knows, that's a trick I love to employ as well), but if you're going to pick an unimportant difference in people's approaches and treat it like an apocalyptic showdown between "Us" and "Those Pricks", you have to own that. You can't get annoyed when people respond as though you're actually saying what you think.
"After all everyone is entitled to their opinion aren't they? ".
Of course they are. But the entitlement to have an opinion is not the same as the entitlement to never have one's opinion challenged. Or indeed, called out for being ludicrous.
Besides which, given how your entire article is based upon your ironclad belief that people who hold different opinions to you on what constitute entertainment are losers/ridiculoulsy pinickity/deliberately trying to keep out outsiders, you have a great deal of nerve complaining that your opinion isn't being respected.
"Fuck you for not extending me that courtesy"
Awesome. I have started a trend!
Gooder, I shall respond over at the Geekplanet thread, to save my poor aching fingers.
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