I was away for most of the rest of the week so I only just caught up with the comments that landed on my blog.
Holy smokes people! I didn't think anyone payed that much attention to me!
Let me first say that I find this tiny little firestorm amusing. Let me also say that the most reasonable and good humored response actually came Liz Laribee a writer for Jersey Circus. She took my comments for what they were, questioned a couple of assumptions and phrase choices and on the whole gave me a whole boatload of things to think about. You can check out her comments HERE They are well worth reading.
I would note that I am prone to hyperbole to make a point. Thus "pantheon of literature" was not meant literally. Neither Jersey Circus nor this blog aim to attain whatever might be meant by that phrase. I use (or was attempting to use) polar opposites to make a point. Jersey Shore and literature are polar opposites. At the same time "anti-intellectual thuggery", a phrase which it pleases me that Liz found amusing, was probably over the top. I just really don't like the final product of what Liz and her colleagues produced.
The Kanye/New Yorker memes I just don't find amusing. Every one I look at falls flat. 'Nuff said.
So what bothers me about Jersey Circus? (Check it out yourself HERE and decide for yourself. YMMV). To start with I don't like Jersey Shore or the people on it. Everything I have seen and heard about them is repulsive (to me). I've never found vulgarity as a lifestyle particularly appealing. And that's what I see and hear from those folks. I grew up reading Family Circus and have a soft spot for it in my heart. Not a must read but if its there I check it out. It is simple and naive (in the best sense of that word) and innocent and a reminder of a different time and place. The concept of bringing the two together has a valid basis. As a former Theater major I was taught Goethe's three rules of Criticism - what was the artist trying to do, did they succeed and was it worth doing?
What were they trying to do - I can hazard a guess that they were going for social commentary.
Did they succeed - In the end I'd have to say they did. Look at the discussion that's popped up about it!
Was it worth doing - Here is where we part company. The Jersey Circus mission statement ends with this:
We think you'll agree that something important is being done here.And I'm afraid I don't. My impression is one of...sigh, this makes me feel bad because it sounds like I'm upset or angry or whatever with Liz and Co., which I'm not really. So I will attempt to disagree without being disagreeable. OK? This smacks of pre-teens giggling when they get their four year old cousin to saying dirty words. That's what I hear every time I read one of the cartoons. For me that is a violation of innocence. And as a youth minister in the Episcopal church that's not going to sit well with me. It is from that impression that my claims of smugness arise. It is that that I find perverse. And yes, I find people getting amusement from that kind of thing perverse. Again, YMMV. I tend to be hyper-protective of the younger brothers and sisters. Makes me a pretty good youth minister, maybe it makes me a less good media critic. I'm not so sure.
But Liz can clearly state what she and her friends are trying to do and I understand that and appreciate it. To the point where I'm willing to go back and look again.
Now as to some of the commenters. I thought I'd try and respond to some of them. My blog first.
Anonymous #1 - claims I missed the point. Could be. You think it's funny. I don't. Humor is subjective. How is your world view better than mine? I put my name on mine.
MP - ever heard of satire? Yep. Big fan. Didn't seem to make it for me. Satire is the most difficult and subjective of all forms of humor/commentary. Lots of people try and fail.
Anonymous #2 - oooh sarcasm. I'm cut to the quick. Care to actually offer something intelligent to the conversation or is snark the best you've got? I know which I'll bet on.
Liz - no hard feelings at all, :)
boojum - Had to go back several times to figure out what you're talking about. I think you're counting my intro as the first paragraph, yes? In that case go back and read the "second" paragraph again yourself. I "get" mash ups, I even acknowledge that I like some of them. I just don't "get" these. As a fellow father, writer, brother in Christ, et cetera I find very little in the way of "loving correction" here. Sorry that I make you feel bad but I think that says more about you than me. Apparently your view of how a father, writer, brother in Christ etc should think gets disgruntled when you find that it's not universally held.
Anonymous #3 - I actually like this simple comment. Could be taken a variety of ways and as being directed at a variety of people in the conversation. Even if aimed at me, bravo!
Young Structural - yes, you probably are too serious. I can also tend that way. I've explained above why I reacted the way I did. For the record I do this commentary show because I think people take all of the media too damn seriously. I'm also not sure that the Jersey Circus folks will take kindly to your assertion that their work is of so little consequence to be unworthy of any level of analysis. And if you think my comment rises to the level of either a doctoral thesis or a novel (it's only around 400 words for pete's sake!) then you've precious little experience with either.
Anonymous #4 - Yep, it's getting toasty in here! (I have a hunch I know who this person is. Just a hunch)
From the Jersey Circus comments
Someone named "ninjapirateben" would look down his nose at me because I have a soft spot for Family Circus. Really? Not up to your intellectual standards I presume?
Fan and Rob (two separate comments) - both make interesting points.
smokeyprimrose and thingsonthewestcoast (two comments) - fans of Liz's. Must be good people.
alphabet - "stuck up" and "prudey"? Really? Given that you know nothing about me that's a rather amazing comment on my person. Obviously I'm rather taken with my own opinions otherwise why would I do a public commentary? By the way I think you've missed the mark widely on your assessment of my personality.
heydave - oops seems dave doesn't like the description I offer of myself. Dave - two words. Too bad. In attempting to help people understand who I am I offer a very short listing of some of the roles I've fulfilled in my life. The ways that I interact with the other human beings in my sphere. Let me add to my list - person who isn't impressed by folks who spew pointless obscenity and name call as if they were still stuck in the 7th grade. My experience of people like you is that you wouldn't have the stones to say any of that to my face. So STFU yourself.
Dream Thiever - good advice. I shall try and follow it.
Joe in Philly - not sure why my title bothers you. Sure it's a pun. A play on an old school record term (the side of the single record that didn't have the hit tune on it was called a B side or the flipside) and a play on my last name. Folks in my family have been called Flip for a couple generations. I tweaked it for the name of my radio program almost 30 years ago. I left radio a decade ago then returned a couple years later in a different venue and form (public radio and commentary) but kept the name in slightly altered form for the recognition factor and marketability. And given that the 8 comments I got on the original post is one of my all time highs I'm not so sure we're not in the same ball park.
Phew! In the end I will simply remind you that commentary is just a form of opinion. My opinions are based on my education both formal and informal, my years of being a media consumer and a student of the media and my experience in the media. That makes me better qualified than some, less than others. Feel free to agree or disagree. But it's opinion, whether mine or yours. We are each entitled to our own.
Now if you'll excuse me I have a new weeks worth of scripts to write.
Peace
No comments:
Post a Comment