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I donāt think itās good to view yourself as superior to others for your taste in things because we all have our own gifts. on the other hand I donāt think itās productive to attempt to view everything through a myopic moralistic lens, morality can in fact be subjective, thereās nothing wrong with liking what you like, and pretension is often in the eyes of the beholder
Apr 25, 2024
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š®and thatās the problem, people sometimes lack the nuance thatās essential to well rounded critical thought and engagement. as an hbo prestige television enjoyer, i love a morally gray or even deplorable character as long as the subject material treats the character with the ādonāt condemn OR condoneā mentality. the same goes for literature imo.
its also largely dependent on the context in which the work is being taught (not so much when it was made bc āit was a different timeā usually ends up adding fodder to frustrating arguments). for example, junior year of high school i found it really odd that my white teacher decided to use of mice and men to chastise the use of the n word, to a class of mainly black students. very weird and also not the point of the book (but she got better after this and instilled a lot of good stuff in my brain).
again, not to link this to the arts as a whole, but i feel the separating the art from the artist narrative exacerbates this as well. nothing is wrong with enjoying work from a morally dubious person but i think separating their art from their morals is a weird way of engaging with work. another example: a musician i really loved who was found out to have very off putting (borderline illegal) behavior towards women but from time to time i will play a song for old times sake. however when i listen, oftentimes i realize, yes these ARE the lyrics of a man who does not take rejection well. the work exists in the contexts of the authors morals but you arenāt and donāt need to be waving a flag saying āI CONDONE EVERYTHING IN THIS WORKā.
all in all, a huge key to engaging with classic lit critically is being comfortable with (not sure comfortable is the best term. familiar, maybe?) with gray area and be ready to navigate accordingly.
again, not to link this to the arts as a whole, but i feel the separating the art from the artist narrative exacerbates this as well. nothing is wrong with enjoying work from a morally dubious person but i think separating their art from their morals is a weird way of engaging with work. another example: a musician i really loved who was found out to have very off putting (borderline illegal) behavior towards women but from time to time i will play a song for old times sake. however when i listen, oftentimes i realize, yes these ARE the lyrics of a man who does not take rejection well. the work exists in the contexts of the authors morals but you arenāt and donāt need to be waving a flag saying āI CONDONE EVERYTHING IN THIS WORKā.
all in all, a huge key to engaging with classic lit critically is being comfortable with (not sure comfortable is the best term. familiar, maybe?) with gray area and be ready to navigate accordingly.
May 9, 2024
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āIām learning that itās important to both know what you like and what you donāt like as well as the reasons why.
Jan 23, 2024
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š¤-depending on which hedonism you mean.
I think the framing of hedonism as merely āpleasure is motivationā is not inherently a bad thing. And self-restraint as a means to achieve pleasure, usually in the long term, is definitely a thing that happens. I think the shift is from ādo what makes you feel goodā (momentary) to ādo what you know is good for youā (substantial, but also can be momentary and overlap with what feels good!) another important differentiation to make, for yourself, is if pleasure is the means to an end or if it is the end.
Personally, I donāt feel guilty for pursuing that which is pleasurable. Iām just a little guy. But I try (and of course sometimes fail) to ensure that the pleasure Iām pursuing is also good, substantial, for me as a human. Even better if itās also good for others.
I think the framing of hedonism as merely āpleasure is motivationā is not inherently a bad thing. And self-restraint as a means to achieve pleasure, usually in the long term, is definitely a thing that happens. I think the shift is from ādo what makes you feel goodā (momentary) to ādo what you know is good for youā (substantial, but also can be momentary and overlap with what feels good!) another important differentiation to make, for yourself, is if pleasure is the means to an end or if it is the end.
Personally, I donāt feel guilty for pursuing that which is pleasurable. Iām just a little guy. But I try (and of course sometimes fail) to ensure that the pleasure Iām pursuing is also good, substantial, for me as a human. Even better if itās also good for others.
Jun 19, 2025
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It lends a reflective and wistful tone to written communications imoā¦
Jul 10, 2025
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My dad teases me about how when I was a little kid, my favorite thing to do when I was on the landline phone with somebodyābe it a relative or one of my best friendsāwas to breathlessly describe the things that were in my bedroom so that they could have a mental picture of everything I loved and chose to surround myself with, and where I sat at that moment in time. Perfectly Imperfect reminds me of that so thanks for always listening and for sharing with me too š
Feb 23, 2025
23h ago