Beam Pipe
1 day ago
Tuesday, June 30, 2009
Friday, June 12, 2009
Appetite for Creation
I saw this strip from Jeph Jacques' web comic Questionable Content just after I finished a novel that caused my IQ to recede ever so slightly.
Normally web comics don't appear at such apt times (although xkcd occasionally reads my mind--creeeeeepy). I'm not going to say which book I was reading, but the prose was often pretty close to that which Sven wrote in the QC strip. And my reaction was similar to that of Sven's assistant.
I am no stranger to the difficulty of creating something. Especially creating something that will be generally regarded as good (which is such a maddeningly arbitrary term anyway). I am impressed that somebody--anybody--has the cojones to put out anything they wrote, drew, painted, sculpted, filmed, specifically for the purpose of public scrutiny. It's an amazing leap of faith, so I am disinclined to negatively criticize a person's work openly.
[Aside: Maybe I should start a blog dubbed "The Reluctant Critic." Has that been done?]
The internet, specifically blogs, Twitter, and the like--clearly I am a user--give everyone a podium at which to stand and voice their opinions as anonymously as you like. So, often, I see people just let it out--say some really awful things to each other. And it's disheartening to witness. I can only imagine what the creators are feeling.
Not to say it's always like that, but the positive and/or constructively critical stuff can get utterly overwhelmed by the cruelty. My point is not to stop criticizing honestly, but there has to be better ways of expressing distaste than saying "You suck." (P.S. That's not a criticism, that's an attack.)
It's a cliche to talk about how destroying is infinitely easier than creating, but it's simply true. A second well-known expression apparently needs to be rewritten: If you can't say something nice, post it online.
Normally web comics don't appear at such apt times (although xkcd occasionally reads my mind--creeeeeepy). I'm not going to say which book I was reading, but the prose was often pretty close to that which Sven wrote in the QC strip. And my reaction was similar to that of Sven's assistant.
I am no stranger to the difficulty of creating something. Especially creating something that will be generally regarded as good (which is such a maddeningly arbitrary term anyway). I am impressed that somebody--anybody--has the cojones to put out anything they wrote, drew, painted, sculpted, filmed, specifically for the purpose of public scrutiny. It's an amazing leap of faith, so I am disinclined to negatively criticize a person's work openly.
[Aside: Maybe I should start a blog dubbed "The Reluctant Critic." Has that been done?]
The internet, specifically blogs, Twitter, and the like--clearly I am a user--give everyone a podium at which to stand and voice their opinions as anonymously as you like. So, often, I see people just let it out--say some really awful things to each other. And it's disheartening to witness. I can only imagine what the creators are feeling.
Not to say it's always like that, but the positive and/or constructively critical stuff can get utterly overwhelmed by the cruelty. My point is not to stop criticizing honestly, but there has to be better ways of expressing distaste than saying "You suck." (P.S. That's not a criticism, that's an attack.)
It's a cliche to talk about how destroying is infinitely easier than creating, but it's simply true. A second well-known expression apparently needs to be rewritten: If you can't say something nice, post it online.
Tuesday, June 2, 2009
At the Movies
It's a rare occasion that I go to the movies.
I like my home set-up, can talk at the screen, hit pause, not listen to strangers munch their popcorn, whatever. I pretty much save a theater trip for something that I really want to see big and loud. Star Trek, for example, is a perfect theater choice for me. But there are enough Star Trek reviews for all, and I'm only going to add to its praise, so what I'll write about instead was my theater experience.
The theater itself was pretty normal: ticket takers, popcorn makers, lines at the (women's) restroom. Early to the theater, we had the row to ourselves for a few minutes. Then our neighbors sat down. All was fine, until his first raucous, no holds barred, I just downed a Diet Coke with a beer chaser, BELCH. I wish I was exaggerating.
It wasn't the last of its kind, either. And the sarcastic comments flowed just as freely throughout the evening. I couldn't resist--I had to look over once. You understand, right? My eyes beheld not an unruly teenager (as, I admit, I was expecting) but a grown man on either side of 40. Kind of blew my mind.
In case you're wondering, he did bring a date. And she seemed to find him charming. See? There is someone out there for us all.
I like my home set-up, can talk at the screen, hit pause, not listen to strangers munch their popcorn, whatever. I pretty much save a theater trip for something that I really want to see big and loud. Star Trek, for example, is a perfect theater choice for me. But there are enough Star Trek reviews for all, and I'm only going to add to its praise, so what I'll write about instead was my theater experience.
The theater itself was pretty normal: ticket takers, popcorn makers, lines at the (women's) restroom. Early to the theater, we had the row to ourselves for a few minutes. Then our neighbors sat down. All was fine, until his first raucous, no holds barred, I just downed a Diet Coke with a beer chaser, BELCH. I wish I was exaggerating.
It wasn't the last of its kind, either. And the sarcastic comments flowed just as freely throughout the evening. I couldn't resist--I had to look over once. You understand, right? My eyes beheld not an unruly teenager (as, I admit, I was expecting) but a grown man on either side of 40. Kind of blew my mind.
In case you're wondering, he did bring a date. And she seemed to find him charming. See? There is someone out there for us all.
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