Do you like to have your fun ruined? Do you like to be told how to feel about certain things? If your answers are yes, then don’t bother reading the rest of this piece. It’ll just make you feel bad, or potentially mad about what kind of a person you are and what you are doing to those with opposite views. If your answers were no, then I hope you enjoy reading the rest of this writing, and hopefully you’ll agree on some of these points and ideas I address.
No, this is not a review of anything, unless one considers it a vague review of how and what reviews are. Suffice it to say, reviews are too biased and for lack of a better word, brainwash their readers into thinking too critically towards the reviewed things. They should not be completely terminated but rather reincarnated so that they get their job done and not harm or influence the general public. Reviews are for the creators of the reviewed subject, but why should other people have to suffer? Reviews are unnecessary to be read except for those that they are directly about or concern. Public reviews are an unnecessary evil that severely harm those that read them, yet the review in general should remain, but in a more specific and creative expression.
The review is such a powerful form of writing. It influences the one reading it on how they would interpret the reviewed topic. It helps the creator of the subject matter to improve upon that subject and make them a better person in their crafts. And above all, it helps the writer and reader think critically and test their knowledge and beliefs about the subject. Yet, there is a time and place for everything. Why destroy the magic that people see in enjoyment when as mentioned above it may be all that they have left to keep them sane and give them light and relief?
Unfortunately, reviews may just be too powerful a form of writing. These days, a person may rely too much on the reviews to form opinions of things. Anthony Rose, a major film fan, always goes by what reviews say, and usually never goes to see movies unless they get good reviews, even though there were some that did get good reviews that he did not like, and vice versa (Rose, 1). A poll on CBC.ca shows that, out of all who voted on the poll, most state that reviews ‘sometimes’ influence their thinking in going to see movies, with ‘Often’ coming in a very close second (CBC.ca, 1).
Reviews are supposed to give people a sense of what something is supposed to be like, but all in all, they are just way too biased. Not necessarily does a large general sense of negativity in reviews towards something guarantee that it is a failure or is ‘bad.’ Many movies have received very negative reviews and yet have become very successful, such as the Transformers and Twilight film series, while in contrast, some ‘critical darlings’, have become some of the lowest grossing films of all time (TheHurt Locker has been noted as being the first best picture winner to be considered a ‘box office bomb’). (Kirkland, 1).
Some may argue that it is taste in subjects being reviewed, whereas others may only bother with such critically panned things because they like to personally criticize them. The latter’s sense could arguably be due to reviews making them see things in a critical way. For example, most people only listen to the song “Friday” by Rebecca Black after hearing about how ‘bad’ it was panned by Michael J. Nelson on Twitter, among other critics (Nelson, 1), (Parker, 1). On a side note, it is common belief that due to the intense negative reaction of her video, not only did it get taken down from YouTube, but also it forced her to switch schools, due to the teasing and bullying. While she personally says that it was mostly for career reasons, it has been proven that she in fact cried and suffered emotional trauma upon the negative reaction towards her video (Schwartz, 1). On the note of bullying, it is not farfetched to think of reviews as a form of bulling, as they are making fun of what they are reviewing. Not only that, but it also seizes the reader’s mind and makes them part of the bullying, as they are going by the words of the review. While adults discourage bullying and try ever so strongly to reduce bullying in schools, they do not even bother with the bullying of art. While the actual art itself may not have “feelings”, the people that enjoy them do. For some people, it may be the only thing that they have to help them get through life; it could be anything from taking their mind off of things to the only remainder of one’s childhood/a figment of one’s past. For there is not, (as of yet), have not thought of a way to time travel and relive past events of life, and with any luck, (for if one were to time travel, there would be severe foreseeable consequences), these things one enjoys, whether they be books, movies, plays, video games, or music, are the only keys one has to relive those past moments among other long lists of things. Of course, loving something does not mean to get insanely obsessed and too loyal to it, however, reviews and critiques would summon more thought and usual about that something. True, there are things in life that one needs lots of information on, but does one really need to know the information presented in these reviews for such trivial things that one enjoys so much? Everyone wants to think critically and not be ‘brainwashed’ by something that they know is bad, however, why would anyone let someone else think for them? As J.K. Rowling writes in the final Harry Potter book, as quoted by Hermione Granger, “Why let someone else ruin your memories?” (Rowling, 1). In other words, why let someone “rain on your parade”, and take away from the experience? Plays/movies/whatever are for entertainment and enjoyment, and by having one think too critically, it ruins the fun and experience.
Reviews can point things out that one wouldn’t have even thought about before, but there is such a thing as too much information, telling people things that they do not even need to know about, which could make them think about and react to them in a certain way. When self-proclaimed “movie master” Patrick J. McKenna first saw Toy Story 3 in the cinemas, he did not originally like it at first. It was a very highly anticipated movie, and owing to the fact that he was much older as opposed to when the first two movies cam out, did not help matters much, but with the addition of negativity towards other films by other people and reviews, plus other personal issues to go through, made the most anticipated movie of his life an unexpected letdown at first. It wasn’t until going through more emotional trauma that he was finally able to appreciate the movie. There are still things that he has to overcome from similar traumas, and having such negativity towards things does not help his case at all (McKenna, 1). There is already such darkness and negativity in the world, why should there be more from such unnecessary sources? While people like Patrick could just avoid the reviews, they cannot be completely 100% avoided. The world is just too small to avoid such unnecessary heartless things, no matter how hard one can try. While it has been stressed for one to try and overcome things themselves, it is no excuse to bring upon more stress and negativity where it is not needed. In other words, “being brave doesn’t mean you go looking for trouble”(The Lion King, 1). Although from a work of fiction, as in all other works, it is work created by a human being and as such reflects their views, no matter how intentionally.
There is a common phrase in life in that most things are often better experienced first hand instead of people telling you; while warnings are encouraged, it is simply impossible to protect one another from all aspects of ‘evil’ in the world. And who knows, maybe that thing one wanted them to be warned of was not such a big deal in the first place. If one goes out and experience things first hand, then one will get so much more out of it; we do not need to know if something is worth our money from someone else’s point of view as we are all very different. As Patricia Campbell, the aunt of Patrick J. McKenna, an avid film fan, and recently retired teacher once said, “it all depends on your mood”, when you are enjoying something, and not necessarily something trivial like a play or a movie (Campbell, 1). For if you are not in the right mindset, and let other things bother you, then you will see more negativity than positively, and vice versa. As well, often times if one keep seeing the movie or play over and over again, or think back and reflect on it, their original opinion could be changed. As previously noted, with regards to “making people think critically”, there is a time and place for everything. Why destroy the magic that people see in enjoyment when as mentioned above it may be all that they have left to keep them sane and give them light and relief? One can never know how attached someone else may be to something, and saying the simplest thing may severely break the person’s heart, or perhaps, to extreme content, make them very depressed, which could lead to drugs, alcohol, or even suicide.
Now, not necessarily everything pointed out in a review is considered complaining or panning something. A review involves thinking about how well something is done in general. But, nothing in life will ever be exactly the same, and many reviews have criticized that some things reviewed are too similar to another. Eragon is a book and movie that has been compared to have many similarities to Star Wars and Lord of the Rings (Rotten Tomatoes, 1). Movies and plays are trying to be original and do their own thing, and cannot be structured by a code of conduct. Yes, there are things that should/shouldn’t be in a movie/play, but it all depends on the story and world presented, as well as the audience. As there is a strong desire to avoid Deadly Theatre, then there is an avoidance to try to be similar to other works and avoid clichés. But, it is simply impossible at times to avoid being unoriginal, as plays, etc. need clichés and thing like that to survive and feel satisfactory to its performers and even the audience. One must also consider that there are audiences who have not seen, let alone heard of these ‘original’ ideas that things are criticized for being ripped off of. Some people such as Patrick J. McKenna and his cousin, Andy Gardham (Gardham, 1), had never seen Pocahontas or Dances With Wolves prior to seeing Avatar, and there are a lot of major comparisons made between them among critics and fans, to a point that some people may not even see Avatar, or think that it is bad due to those comparisons (Burr 1, Heaven, 1).
The written and spoken word is a powerful thing; even the simplest phrase can have the direst consequences. Yes, one would want a quick and efficient way to know whether or not we deal with certain things, but why should one take the words of others? Instead of reading a review, why shouldn’t one not go out and experience it for themselves? Even if one does end up wasting money, even if one do get heartbroken or disturbed, the memories will eventually fade, and it will prove a test of character to overcome the issue. Either way, regardless of reviews’ existence, one is still letting something over take them. The less a deal one makes of something and the less one brings it up the better. Besides, overcoming the things that one does not like from something will make one a much better and stronger person. Nothing has control over anyone; it’s only a big deal if one makes a big deal out of it.
How then, can reviews be improved so that they will not hurt others, but will still get feedback to the people that need it? Well, since social networks have become quite a standard for getting in touch with people these days, why not set up a social network for people to submit private reviews to the people who make plays, movies, etc., where then upon reading reviews, it will be up to the creators to make decisions based on the feedback and their own judgment; basically its more or less the exact same as reviews are presented today, only without other persons knowing such influenced thoughts. Meanwhile, the general public will decide for themselves whether or not to involve themselves in the subject, based on their values, their interests, and just common knowledge, while also showing respect to others and their opinions. Nevertheless, advertisements will still have to made to help support the art, and of course the makers will have to take care in what content to include/not include in their works, as well as always keeping a sense of audience in mind. With the growing trend of social networks, this should hardly come as a problem; sites like Rotten Tomatoes and IMDB already have public review areas that people can log into the network and present their personal reviews.
Reviews are just too powerful a form of writing and need to be changed in the way that they work. By sending reviews privately, it terminates the potential negative effects that it has on bystanders. One can never be certain how something that they do could affect someone else, and there are things that people do not need to know that are, in other words, none of their business. If people trust in themselves, and not rely on any outside sources, (where applicable, of course), then they will feel stronger and more confident about themselves and things in general, and it will make them better people.
Do you like to have your fun ruined? Do
you like to be told how to feel about certain things? If your answers are yes,
then don’t bother reading the rest of this piece. It’ll just make you feel bad,
or potentially mad about what kind of a person you are and what you are doing
to those with opposite views. If your answers were no, then I hope you enjoy
reading the rest of this writing, and hopefully you’ll agree on some of these
points and ideas I address.
No, this is not a review of anything,
unless one considers it a vague review of how and what reviews are. Suffice it
to say, reviews are too biased and for lack of a better word, brainwash their
readers into thinking too critically towards the reviewed things. They should
not be completely terminated but rather reincarnated so that they get their job
done and not harm or influence the general public. Reviews are for the creators
of the reviewed subject, but why should other people have to suffer? Reviews
are unnecessary to be read except for those that they are directly about or
concern. Public reviews are an unnecessary evil that severely harm those that
read them, yet the review in general should remain, but in a more specific and
creative expression.
The review is such a powerful form of
writing. It influences the one reading it on how they would interpret the
reviewed topic. It helps the creator of the subject matter to improve upon that
subject and make them a better person in their crafts. And above all, it helps
the writer and reader think critically and test their knowledge and beliefs
about the subject. Yet, there is a time and place for everything. Why destroy
the magic that people see in enjoyment when as mentioned above it may be all
that they have left to keep them sane and give them light and relief?
Unfortunately, reviews may just be too
powerful a form of writing. These days, a person may rely too much on the
reviews to form opinions of things. Anthony Rose, a major film fan, always goes
by what reviews say, and usually never goes to see movies unless they get good
reviews, even though there were some that did get good reviews that he did not
like, and vice versa (Rose, 1). A poll on CBC.ca shows that, out of all who
voted on the poll, most state that reviews ‘sometimes’ influence their thinking
in going to see movies, with ‘Often’ coming in a very close second (CBC.ca, 1).
Reviews are supposed to give people a
sense of what something is supposed to be like, but all in all, they are just
way too biased. Not necessarily does a large general sense of negativity in
reviews towards something guarantee that it is a failure or is ‘bad.’ Many
movies have received very negative reviews and yet have become very successful,
such as the Transformers and Twilight film series, while in contrast,
some ‘critical darlings’, have become some of the lowest grossing films of all
time (The Hurt Locker has been noted as being the first best picture winner
to be considered a ‘box office bomb’). (Kirkland, 1).
Some may argue that it is taste in
subjects being reviewed, whereas others may only bother with such critically
panned things because they like to personally criticize them. The latter’s
sense could arguably be due to reviews making them see things in a critical
way. For example, most people only
listen to the song “Friday” by Rebecca Black after hearing about how ‘bad’ it
was panned by Michael J. Nelson on Twitter, among other critics (Nelson, 1), (Parker,
1). On a side note, it is common belief that due to the intense negative
reaction of her video, not only did it get taken down from YouTube, but also it
forced her to switch schools, due to the teasing and bullying. While she
personally says that it was mostly for career reasons, it has been proven that
she in fact cried and suffered emotional trauma upon the negative reaction
towards her video (Schwartz, 1). On the note of bullying, it is not farfetched
to think of reviews as a form of bulling, as they are making fun of what they
are reviewing. Not only that, but it also seizes the reader’s mind and makes
them part of the bullying, as they are going by the words of the review. While
adults discourage bullying and try ever so strongly to reduce bullying in schools,
they do not even bother with the bullying of art. While the actual art itself
may not have “feelings”, the people that enjoy them do. For some people, it may
be the only thing that they have to help them get through life; it could be
anything from taking their mind off of things to the only remainder of one’s
childhood/a figment of one’s past. For there is not, (as of yet), have not
thought of a way to time travel and relive past events of life, and with any
luck, (for if one were to time travel, there would be severe foreseeable
consequences), these things one enjoys, whether they be books, movies, plays,
video games, or music, are the only keys one has to relive those past moments
among other long lists of things. Of course, loving something does not mean to
get insanely obsessed and too loyal to it, however, reviews and critiques would
summon more thought and usual about that something. True, there are things in
life that one needs lots of information on, but does one really need to know the information presented in these reviews for
such trivial things that one enjoys so much? Everyone wants to think critically
and not be ‘brainwashed’ by something that they know is bad, however, why would
anyone let someone else think for them? As J.K. Rowling writes in the final Harry Potter book, as quoted by Hermione
Granger, “Why let someone else ruin your memories?” (Rowling, 1). In other
words, why let someone “rain on your parade”, and take away from the
experience? Plays/movies/whatever are for entertainment and enjoyment, and by
having one think too critically, it
ruins the fun and experience.
Reviews can point things out that one
wouldn’t have even thought about before, but there is such a thing as too much
information, telling people things that they do not even need to know about,
which could make them think about and react to them in a certain way. When self-proclaimed
“movie master” Patrick J. McKenna first saw Toy
Story 3 in the cinemas, he did not originally like it at first. It was a
very highly anticipated movie, and owing to the fact that he was much older as
opposed to when the first two movies cam out, did not help matters much, but
with the addition of negativity towards other films by other people and
reviews, plus other personal issues to go through, made the most anticipated
movie of his life an unexpected letdown at first. It wasn’t until going through
more emotional trauma that he was finally able to appreciate the movie. There
are still things that he has to overcome from similar traumas, and having such
negativity towards things does not help his case at all (McKenna, 1). There is
already such darkness and negativity in the world, why should there be more
from such unnecessary sources? While people like Patrick could just avoid the
reviews, they cannot be completely 100% avoided. The world is just too small to
avoid such unnecessary heartless things, no matter how hard one can try. While
it has been stressed for one to try and overcome things themselves, it is no
excuse to bring upon more stress and negativity where it is not needed. In
other words, “being brave doesn’t mean you go looking for trouble”(The Lion King, 1). Although from
a work of fiction, as in all other works, it is work created by a human being
and as such reflects their views, no matter how intentionally.
There is a common phrase in life in
that most things are often better experienced first hand instead of people
telling you; while warnings are encouraged, it is simply impossible to protect
one another from all aspects of ‘evil’ in the world. And who knows, maybe that
thing one wanted them to be warned of was not such a big deal in the first
place. If one goes out and experience things first hand, then one will get so
much more out of it; we do not need to know if something is worth our money
from someone else’s point of view as we
are all very different. As Patricia Campbell, the aunt of Patrick J. McKenna,
an avid film fan, and recently retired teacher once said, “it all depends on
your mood”, when you are enjoying something, and not necessarily something
trivial like a play or a movie (Campbell, 1). For if you are not in the right
mindset, and let other things bother you, then you will see more negativity
than positively, and vice versa. As well, often times if one keep seeing the
movie or play over and over again, or think back and reflect on it, their original
opinion could be changed. As previously noted, with regards to “making people
think critically”, there is a time and place for everything. Why destroy the
magic that people see in enjoyment when as mentioned above it may be all that
they have left to keep them sane and give them light and relief? One can never
know how attached someone else may be to something, and saying the simplest
thing may severely break the person’s heart, or perhaps, to extreme content,
make them very depressed, which could lead to drugs, alcohol, or even suicide.
Now, not necessarily everything pointed
out in a review is considered complaining or panning something. A review
involves thinking about how well something is done in general. But, nothing in life will ever be exactly the
same, and many reviews have criticized that some things reviewed are too
similar to another. Eragon is a book
and movie that has been compared to have many similarities to Star Wars and Lord of the Rings (Rotten Tomatoes, 1). Movies and plays are
trying to be original and do their own thing, and cannot be structured by a
code of conduct. Yes, there are things that should/shouldn’t be in a
movie/play, but it all depends on the story and world presented, as well as the
audience. As there is a strong desire to avoid Deadly Theatre, then there is an
avoidance to try to be similar to other works and avoid clichés. But, it is
simply impossible at times to avoid being unoriginal, as plays, etc. need
clichés and thing like that to survive and feel satisfactory to its performers
and even the audience. One must also consider that there are audiences who have
not seen, let alone heard of these ‘original’ ideas that things are criticized
for being ripped off of. Some people such as Patrick J. McKenna and his cousin,
Andy Gardham (Gardham, 1), had never seen Pocahontas or Dances With Wolves prior to seeing Avatar, and there are a lot of major comparisons made between them
among critics and fans, to a point that some people may not even see Avatar, or think that it is bad due to
those comparisons (Burr 1, Heaven, 1).
The written and spoken word is a
powerful thing; even the simplest phrase can have the direst consequences. Yes,
one would want a quick and efficient way to know whether or not we deal with
certain things, but why should one take the words of others? Instead of reading
a review, why shouldn’t one not go out and experience it for themselves? Even
if one does end up wasting money, even if one do get heartbroken or disturbed,
the memories will eventually fade, and it will prove a test of character to
overcome the issue. Either way, regardless of reviews’ existence, one is still
letting something over take them. The
less a deal one makes of something and the less one brings it up the better. Besides, overcoming the things that one does
not like from something will make one a much better and stronger person.
Nothing has control over anyone; it’s only a big deal if one makes a big deal
out of it.
How then, can reviews be improved so
that they will not hurt others, but will still get feedback to the people that
need it? Well, since social networks have become quite a standard for getting
in touch with people these days, why not set up a social network for people to
submit private reviews to the people who make plays, movies, etc., where then
upon reading reviews, it will be up to the creators to make decisions based on
the feedback and their own judgment; basically its more or less the exact same
as reviews are presented today, only without other persons knowing such
influenced thoughts. Meanwhile, the general public will decide for themselves
whether or not to involve themselves in the subject, based on their values,
their interests, and just common knowledge, while also showing respect to
others and their opinions. Nevertheless, advertisements will still have to made
to help support the art, and of course the makers will have to take care in
what content to include/not include in their works, as well as always keeping a
sense of audience in mind. With the growing trend of social networks, this should
hardly come as a problem; sites like Rotten Tomatoes and IMDB already have
public review areas that people can log into the network and present their personal
reviews.
Reviews are just too powerful a form of
writing and need to be changed in the way that they work. By sending reviews
privately, it terminates the potential negative effects that it has on
bystanders. One can never be certain how something that they do could affect
someone else, and there are things that people do not need to know that are, in
other words, none of their business. If people trust in themselves, and not
rely on any outside sources, (where applicable, of course), then they will feel
stronger and more confident about themselves and things in general, and it will
make them better people.