[HN Gopher] Critics are getting less cruel. Alas
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       Critics are getting less cruel. Alas
        
       Author : cocacola1
       Score  : 6 points
       Date   : 2023-07-23 19:18 UTC (3 hours ago)
        
 (HTM) web link (www.economist.com)
 (TXT) w3m dump (www.economist.com)
        
       | cafard wrote:
       | It seems to me that I have seen some pretty snotty reviews within
       | the last _n_ years, _n_ < 20. Aren't James Wood and Dale Peck
       | known for harsh reviews? But I tend to read only non-fiction
       | reviews, and those can have their own problems.
        
       | monkeydreams wrote:
       | What function do critics serve? A critical analysis of a book or
       | movie is entirely unlinked to whether or not the piece is enjoyed
       | by its audience. Why should the audience care what a critic says
       | if they enjoyed a film? Indeed, should they feel ashamed that
       | they enjoyed something that some snobby wanker told them they
       | should shun?
       | 
       | So what point do critics serve?
       | 
       | The only critics whose work I enjoy are either a) enjoyers of the
       | same genres and pieces I enjoy, and who compile vicious and
       | humorous snipes at pieces I do not, or b) who don't tell me why I
       | should love or hate a piece, but instead explain the critical
       | elements I may not understand or might have missed without
       | judgement. And, out of these two types, the impact of team b)
       | lasts much longer.
        
       | cocacola1 wrote:
       | Archive link: https://archive.is/dGpHw
        
       | permo-w wrote:
       | perhaps this is my imagining, but it feels like the grip of the
       | corporate elite upon the media is tighter than ever, perhaps this
       | is simply a symptom of this
        
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       (page generated 2023-07-23 23:02 UTC)