distressing news

[David Powelstock]

<snip> 
What gives literary critics the right to make value judgments about art?  It
it that we have more education?  That we are just so much smarter than
everyone else?  We are horrified when governments try to impose their vision
of "good"/socially beneficial art onto society, yet what makes what we do
any different when we pass judgment about "good" and "bad" art?  I think it
is fairly arrogant to think that all society should be subjected to the
tyranny of one subset's opinion.   
<snip>

The difference could hardly be greater. Governments do in fact have the
power to "impose" their judgments on us. Critics do not. If a critic's
judgment becomes your own, it is only because you allow it to do so.
Literary critics have the same right to make value judgments about art as
anyone else. And everyone else is free to agree or disagree. That's what it
means to talk about art.  The alternative is for everyone to just shut up
and absorb what they are fed like good little subjects. The real seed of
tyranny in this discussion is planted by those who claim that others'
judgments are invalid, because they are "arrogant" or "snobbish" or
whatever. And, of course, because we are engaged in discussion, rather than
armed conflict, and because we do so in a free speech zone, those who would
censor others' judgments do not have the power to do so, and we are all free
to disagree with such claims.

David Powelstock



> Date: Wed, 30 Aug 2006 21:22:04 -0700> From: ggerhart at COMCAST.NET>
Subject: Re: [SEELANGS] distressing news> To: SEELANGS at LISTSERV.CUNY.EDU> >
Jessica wrote:> > But then I have something of an aversion to passing value
judgements > > on culture, it seems a little snobbish to think that we
(academics) > > can judge what constitutes good vs bad in art.  It feels
limiting and > > restrictive, just my opinion.....> > I have always thought
that "making value judgments on what constitutes good> vs bad in art" is, in
fact, the only thing a literary  critic _could_ do.> What the h. else were
they put on earth to do?> > >  > ggerhart at comcast.net>  >
www.genevragerhart.com> www.russiancommonknowledge.com>  > > -----Original
Message-----> From: Slavic & East European Languages and Literature list>

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