My students ask for my opinion on things, especially when Iām covering film and television in class.
Sometimes itās a litmus test to get to know me. Sometimes they want to hear if Iāve got an opinion so they feel free to share theirs. And sometimes itās just pre-class chatting about whateverās trending.
There was a time when I was in their shoes, where I would have lots of insufferably demanding opinions about the things I watched. Since then, Iāve become a little more generous.
Mostly because I just donāt feel like spending energy on being negative.
Itās easier to point to reasons why something works well than to explain exactly whatās wrong with it
You can feel fairly confident in pointing out something thatās working in a narrative and why it works. But if thereās something in a film or show that you bump on; that doesnāt work for you, itās not always easy to tell what caused that disconnect.
For one thing, pointing out what doesnāt work involves making suggestions for what could have worked better. You can offer opinions, but thatās a conversation about some imagined version that isnāt constrained by whatever realities of production shaped the actual finished product.
Without being there in the midst of the process of making a thing, itās easy to cast blame, but hard to be correct in your accusations.
It doesnāt do my students, or me, any favors to offer half-assed opinions on what went wrong with something.
One thing Iāve gotten more confident with as Iāve gotten older (and as Iāve gotten more experience with teaching) is not having an opinion on everything.
My daughter has the right idea
It was a vocal quirk that she developed early on, but sheās stuck with it as sheās gotten older. When Sprout didnāt like something, she was likely to say:
āItās not my favorite.ā
What better way to put it when something doesnāt bowl you over? When you can see the flaws, but donāt feel a need to engage in a lengthy post-mortem examination. You can just move on.
Because Iād rather talk about exciting things I think we should aspire to instead of wasting time in discussions that say more about the people in the conversation than the thing theyāre supposedly talking about.
What good does it do for me to add my voice to a chorus excoriating something for failing to satisfy its audience?
If Iām going to ask students to write with respect and empathy, then I should extend that same kindness to people who made a good faith effort to make something.
Thereās no required response to artistic entertainment.
Iām not required to like it. I canāt be forced to list my disagreements with it. And I shouldnāt point fingers without accurate knowledge of the inner workings of the project.
If given the choice between trying to feel smugly superior to others who have taken on a difficult task, or to admire the work of giants, I know where I stand. Iād rather live in the shadow of the greats, aspiring toward something higher, than spending my time pretending I can trample others under my own feet.
