From: Salonen@aol.com
Subject: Opinions
Date: 2/10/2002 6:37:37 PM
To: seance@lists.no-fi.com


You know, I just don't know what the problem is with people and the concept 
of opinions. So much art/music/etc. is subjective sometimes. How can people 
pass off their opinions as absolute truths? How arrogant and frankly, 
ignorant. Do we really need to look up the definition of the word "opinion"? 
So some jerk says the album is mediocre. Ok dude, you're right. I'll throw it 
out right now. All my enjoyment of the album is due to: the shit in my ears, 
my inability to recognise decent music, my need to hang onto the past, my 
parent's divorce, my father's death, my struggles with Doritos addiction. 
Whatever. Let me get into therapy right away! Forgive me for daring to think 
this is a wonderful album. Let's all write a letter to the Church and tell 
them to go away. Let's all write a letter to this moron and tell him to go 
away. He thinks the Church are irrelevant? He seems to have a seriously 
over-inflated view of his own importance on this vast planet.

In grad school, I despised the fact that we were never allowed to question 
the Almighty commandments/pronouncements of the great art historians. We had 
to assume everything they said was correct and sacred. The Mona Lisa is a 
masterpiece, right? I think it's a slightly interesting, moderately 
innovative portrait with a semi-interesting past that's been totally 
commercialized and whored out - from high art to mass marketing Madison 
Avenue schlock. Frankly, I don't really care for it. I encourage my students 
to understand the tenets of the theories of art historians and scholars who 
came before them, but to always respect their own opinions of art as well and 
above all, to feel free to express those opinons without fear of reprisals or 
condemnation. Yes - there are absolute truths to be found in 'art' -Picasso 
changed the entire nature of Western art with Le Demoiselles D'Avignon and 
brought us Cubism. But do I like it? Hell no. I can't stand it. I understand 
the importance of the aesthetic intent behind the break with the past, but 
that doesn't mean I have to like it. If someone else does, good for them. I 
love hearing why my kids like things I can't stand. Sometimes they actually 
enlighten me and make me see things I couldn't see before.

Same goes for music. I pity the idiots that actually believe their opinion is 
somehow more valid than anyone else's. It's a really immature and 
narrow-minded way to be.

Off my soap box,
Denise