Response to: Posted: Mon 03/07/2011 12:18 PM
Hello Amy,
I often try to read a number of reviews of movies and albums to see what the overall feel is. Obviously, if ten critics all slate an album then chances are it is unlikely to be of a very high standard but, may still be worth a listen if you are a particularly strong fan of that band. I refer you to the example I gave in my response: Morning View by Incubus was an album that a lot of their fans dismissed as being “too mainstream” but when viewed as an individual album, away from pre-conceptions, it really stands up.
One person’s opinion is just that: the opinion of ONE person. If we have any hope of making our way in the world as individuals then it is hugely vital that we form our own opinions, consider our own experiences, and exercise our own intelligence to make up our own minds without the need for external influence.
Response to: Posted: Wed 03/09/2011 09:08 PM
Hello Latonya,
I really like your point about our reactions being based on our own passions – this is reflected in our everyday choices. The idea that we all need to be truer to these passions is an extremely valid one: too many people are too quick to adapt their ideas to fit in with a peer or even a social group. It is sad when today; so many young people are unable to express themselves without fear of reprisal. For instance, a teenage boy may be profoundly moved by a piece of music but he is unlikely to discuss this with his peers.
Art, in all forms, is entirely subjective and as we all discussed in the previous question, one person’s opinion does not necessarily have to shape everyone else’s. The interpretation of art and music is a subject that is deeply affected by a person’s own experiences. Most people can associate specific songs with a time in their life when they were either very happy or very sad, and for that individual, those songs will never mean anything else. For someone to come along and tell them that they are wrong and that the songs actually mean something else, is criminal: their opinion is as valid as the next, and surely it is the subjection of art that is why we all love it so much? Whilst I am sorry to say that I may not always have been able to hold such strong views on this matter, I am certain that art is open to interpretation and nobody, not even its original artist, has a right to say whether those interpretations are right or wrong.
