FINAL POST

Media criticism has kind of always been something I’ve thought about, not to the point that this course required, but I’ve always been aware of the parts that made the whole. Its hard to not know about the critique that accompanies the shows you like, whether it be the people around you or the people who are paid for their opinions. Because most of my experience was in passing, things I’ve seen on the internet, I had this very pessimistic view of critics. From what I had seen, they were all very down on the things I loved and praised shows that I wasn’t jazzed about. When you see what you love constantly getting bashed or not given the praise you feel it deserves, it gets a little infuriating and I just gave up on the “authority” of critics altogether. Became my own judge.

BUT when I had to deliberately look for opinions I was pleasantly surprised. First, I had no idea that people actually sat down and reviewed a show on an episode by episode basis like they do. When I had to look up a review for the specific episodes of Community and 30 Rock that I’d seen, I was bewildered at the amount I found. Made me curious as to what other shows I watch that have the same kind of following. Anyway, these types of reviews were awesome because it helped to open my eyes to things I may have missed. Recently, I’ve noticed that its really cool how many different things two minds can get out of the same subject. Reading someone’s play by play of an episode is insightful in a way I would have never guessed.

I also realized that there are different types of critics. There are the paid ones, the people who write big fancy articles that are read by millions, and then there are the smaller blogger types that write for smaller groups. Typically, the larger critics focus on bigger topics, for example, Daniel Foster and the subject of “Game of Thrones” being racist. The smaller reviewers tend to simply summarize the episode and offer some insights into what is to come. I like both, but I tend to shy away from the larger topics.

I guess you could call me a simpler person…not that I’m stupid or unaware of underlying symbolism or issues in show….but I don’t dwell on them. You can make arguments about racism and sexism and many other topics until you’re blue in the face and you could find “supporting” examples in pretty much any kind of media. I just can’t stand that. If you stare at something long enough, its gonna move. In my opinion, certain nitpicking is just a pain. Yes, there are shows that are DEFINITELY in need of harsh criticism and scrutiny, I would like to nominate the parade of teen pregnancy shows that have invaded our culture, but there are several shows that have been critiqued for the wrong things. In summary, with some critiques I just shake my head and say, “Making a mountain out of a molehill.”

While this class forced me to confront some of these inner workings, I actually enjoyed it. I especially liked the analysis that was done on Arnold and his progression in his roles/fame. That is just something I would have never put together because when I was old enough to understand who he was, he had achieved a lot and had quite a bit of success. In fact, I think he was pretty much done in his “transformation” in the public eye. So much so that he was seen as another American celeb. I remember growing up and my father was getting into bodybuilding, leaving books with Arnold on the cover scattered around our house. My dad was a huge fan when I was younger, quoting the Terminator in his goofy fake Austrian accent and pulling lines from thin air with my mother from Last Action Hero. ANYWHO. I really enjoyed the observations of his earlier career. It was an unbiased view, unlike my own, and it was very cool to read. I was sitting there, nodding my head and going “dude, this is genius.”

In summary, this class didn’t really change my attitude to criticism, per say, but it did expose me to another side of it. A side that I don’t really mind. I might actually start checking in on the little guys, seeing what they have to say about episodes of my favorite shows. If people are as passionate about them as I am, I can only assume I would like what they have to say.