*[Some Asshole pulls out his soapbox and swallows, hoping to hide the booze on his breath, then begins to speak]: I don’t like basketball. I mean, I utterly despise the sport. Real men, as far as I’m concerned, play hockey, and basketball just eats up real estate and TV time better spent on the rink. Thus, I opted not to read the article…
*[Some Asshole pulls out his soapbox and swallows, hoping to hide the booze on his breath, then begins to speak]: I don’t like basketball. I mean, I utterly despise the sport. Real men, as far as I’m concerned, play hockey, and basketball just eats up real estate and TV time better spent on the rink. Thus, I opted not to read the article on the Knicks….
Does this mean that article didn’t appeal to other readers, or that the particular interests of Some Asshole on the Internet should garner the full and uncompromising focus of the entire FP staff? Of course not.
Some readers apparently feel the same about pop culture as I do about Urban Tree Hockey, which is cool. What’s odd, however, is the idea that someone knows they won’t be interested in an article because they don’t like the subject matter (it’s not exactly a deceptive headline) but chooses to spend their own time, of their own accord, both reading and responding to that article, complaining that it’s somehow the fault of the author or publisher that their time was wasted.
[Some Asshole stumbles off his soapbox like Joe Biden trying to ride a bike]….*
Unsolicited lecture out of the way….
I, also, don’t much care about pop culture - at least, not since Guns N’ Roses broke up. I’ve never watched Baby Reindeer and, after reading the article, I’m even less interested in it. I am, however, a failing artist and a dutiful student of the human condition. The deeper focus of this article, “[is your story] even about you anymore [once it’s been put on display]? Or is it about a character who just sort of looks like you?” is a compelling one.
There are three general factors that contribute to the value of any piece of art: The concept the artist means to convey, the artist’s ability to convey such, and the audience’s perception of that artwork. When it comes to the legacy of an artist or the endurance of any of his works, that third leg carries an outsized influence despite having no creative agency of its own. They need not and may never know what the artist’s original intent was, the viewer will paint it with their own values, biases, and desires; the artist may consider a piece his greatest failure only to witness it become his most lasting impact on the world.
“Is it even about you, anymore?”
No. The moment you place your work on display, you immediately cede control of it. It is the last step of creation - whether you’re a god, a parent, or an artist - your creation takes on a life of its own, beyond and without you. If it doesn’t turn around and kill you, you’re already doing better than the gods.
“Or is it about a character who just sort of looks like you?”
Not even that, fully. It’s a living facsimile of a snapshot of a self-portrait, with some Frankenstein bits added in by every actor, crew, and audience member involved in the project; hell, I’ve never even watched the show and it’s stolen a bit of my soul, now, too. If you and your self-styled character still look the same, you’re living life wrong.
Thank you. The number of people in the comments section of every article who seem to believe that their particular $5/month entitles them to have their interests and only theirs catered to 100% of the time is…something. Nobody’s got a gun to your head. If you’re not interested in a particular article, go read something else.
*[Some Asshole pulls out his soapbox and swallows, hoping to hide the booze on his breath, then begins to speak]: I don’t like basketball. I mean, I utterly despise the sport. Real men, as far as I’m concerned, play hockey, and basketball just eats up real estate and TV time better spent on the rink. Thus, I opted not to read the article on the Knicks….
Does this mean that article didn’t appeal to other readers, or that the particular interests of Some Asshole on the Internet should garner the full and uncompromising focus of the entire FP staff? Of course not.
Some readers apparently feel the same about pop culture as I do about Urban Tree Hockey, which is cool. What’s odd, however, is the idea that someone knows they won’t be interested in an article because they don’t like the subject matter (it’s not exactly a deceptive headline) but chooses to spend their own time, of their own accord, both reading and responding to that article, complaining that it’s somehow the fault of the author or publisher that their time was wasted.
[Some Asshole stumbles off his soapbox like Joe Biden trying to ride a bike]….*
Unsolicited lecture out of the way….
I, also, don’t much care about pop culture - at least, not since Guns N’ Roses broke up. I’ve never watched Baby Reindeer and, after reading the article, I’m even less interested in it. I am, however, a failing artist and a dutiful student of the human condition. The deeper focus of this article, “[is your story] even about you anymore [once it’s been put on display]? Or is it about a character who just sort of looks like you?” is a compelling one.
There are three general factors that contribute to the value of any piece of art: The concept the artist means to convey, the artist’s ability to convey such, and the audience’s perception of that artwork. When it comes to the legacy of an artist or the endurance of any of his works, that third leg carries an outsized influence despite having no creative agency of its own. They need not and may never know what the artist’s original intent was, the viewer will paint it with their own values, biases, and desires; the artist may consider a piece his greatest failure only to witness it become his most lasting impact on the world.
“Is it even about you, anymore?”
No. The moment you place your work on display, you immediately cede control of it. It is the last step of creation - whether you’re a god, a parent, or an artist - your creation takes on a life of its own, beyond and without you. If it doesn’t turn around and kill you, you’re already doing better than the gods.
“Or is it about a character who just sort of looks like you?”
Not even that, fully. It’s a living facsimile of a snapshot of a self-portrait, with some Frankenstein bits added in by every actor, crew, and audience member involved in the project; hell, I’ve never even watched the show and it’s stolen a bit of my soul, now, too. If you and your self-styled character still look the same, you’re living life wrong.
Thank you. The number of people in the comments section of every article who seem to believe that their particular $5/month entitles them to have their interests and only theirs catered to 100% of the time is…something. Nobody’s got a gun to your head. If you’re not interested in a particular article, go read something else.