In which the author begs the question nobody wanted to hear. In which the bête noir of America is offered as an alternative to "liking something". In which the phrase "bête noir" is never mentioned again on this website. On how a new continuum presents fifty lovely shades of gray that whip your brain into shape. And how 10 bucks isn't a lot of money.
SHOULD WE DO MORE THAN SIMPLY “LIKE” SOMETHING?
How do we decide what to like and what to dislike? Is it as complicated as psychology or as simple as a reflex? Is it something that should be undermined in order to add texture to life or to honor the labors of another person with something more than a pat on the back and a “job well done?” Is liking Picasso the same as liking chocolate or the scent of freshly mown grass? Is saying that we “like” something good enough, or is there a more valuable attitude to adopt?
“LIKING SOMETHING” AND “THINKING CRITICALLY ABOUT SOMETHING”
If we decide to go beyond liking/disliking, we are doing something with our brains, which is what they were made for. I don’t mean to romanticize the fascinating lumps of gray matter in our skulls, but it’s really quite the marvel. Have you seen the way it can read books or play Angry Birds? Bravo, brain! It falls in love, trips over hate, starts war, starts peace, and lets us know when we need a bandaid. So why not use it for something beyond the gooey, sugary, tasty, candy that is liking/disliking? A mind at work (or a mind at play, take your pick) moves (sometimes accidentally) into critical thought, and we’re all better for it (could you live without the “critical thinking” of movie reviewers or good parents?). Let’s look at a dichotomy, or a continuum, or a finely shaded either/or, if you will. It has “Liking Something” on one side and “Critically Thinking About Something” on the other. It’s a clunky construction, but let’s run with it. It’ll be fun. So much fun!
“Liking Something” strives to collect as many sympathetic objects as possible as a means of reflecting positively back upon the collector. It is less curation and more easy conquest. When you like something, you merely communicate the liking. When you like something, you own it in some way. This is the genius of Facebook. Never before has it been so easy to quickly express a congenial attitude for something and have a permanent record for it. In the past, one had to put out the effort, time, and money to find the liked object, purchase it, and display it. After that, one needed to find another human to show it to, and we all know how hard that is. The internet and Facebook have simplified the process down into something measurable and, on the surface, laudable (by others).
“Critically Thinking about Something”, on the other hand, is the (supposedly) difficult and (occasionally) logical ordering of ideas toward a new understanding of something. It is beset on all sides by subjectivity, misinformation, and not enough information. This is fantastic. It’s not being right or wrong or having the facts down perfect that matters: what matters if the brain working/playing. When one critically thinks about something, the brain’s strength is put to the test, and while there may be some tendency to lean in favor of one’s acquired tastes (or the opposite), generally speaking critical thinking is an act of mercy and good will. It’s very human. And it doesn’t really matter if you end up with a positive or negative opinion about something, since you’ve just acted upon brain material and prepared yourself for doing it again and again.
THE REWARDS OF EACH
“Liking Something” and “Critically Thinking About Something” have something in common that is difficult to ignore: they are their own reward. The pleasure is in the act as much as it is in the object of the action.
We should do both. We can do both.
When something isn’t immediately likable, one begins to move away from the one end of the continuum towards the other. The question becomes, is this worth the effort?
IS IT WORTH IT?
If “What is art?” was the $1,000,000,000 question, “Is it worth critically thinking about?” is the $10 question. I mind spending one billion dollars. I don’t mind spending ten bucks.
NOTE. There are two Value Systems implied in the two ends of the above continuum:
THE TWO IMPLIED VALUE SYSTEMS
1. The Merciless Value System: Liking Something/Disliking Something
2. The Merciful Value System: Critical Thinking About Something
{ 0 comments... read them below or add one }
Post a Comment