Gripe of the Day: Antiquated Standards of Judgmet

Something that bothers me, particularly as an author, are people who judge, criticize or otherwise measure, the quality of things by the standards of the past. This is a very common practice in the areas of art and literature. People have a problem appreciating the present. The value of things often aren't appreciated or properly assessed until long after they have been made. Have you ever noticed how people fawn over art that depict things and people they either don't know or can't truly relate to as they are not relative to the present condition of life? I appreciate the past as well as the next guy but I try to see the value in current things. I understand that this retroactive appreciation of things is partly due to the monetary interests of investors as a thing's value automatically appreciates once the creator is deceased and can no longer make more of them. None-the-less, current artists don't get their due. The artist of the past were depicting what was relevant to their lives so why is it that people look down their noses at those who capture the present. It's like hip-hop music. People attend theaters, ballets, museums of antique art, listen to classical music, not only because they appreciate these things, but also because somehow they think these things are superior to their conventional counterparts. We know these things to be held up as superior because they are more costly. Hip-hop music is the voice of the young; shouldn't we be listening? Even if we don't like what they have to say; if the youth are speaking, we should be listening. Everybody's always saying that they don't understand the youth but dismiss them when they speak. Valuing the past will help us move forward but understand and appreciating the present is momentum itself.

I remember when the first urban-brand movies of this generation were first being introduced. The snobs of the world of critics had to bend to see them because they were looking down from that high a horse. Many critics didn't even bother to critique these films...it was just beneath them to participate in evaluating such things. Our culture isn't monolithic it is multifaceted. It's unfortunate that some among us don't understand why it's important to be involved in EVERY facet of our culture.

This whole "Gripe of the Day" was motivated by the critiques I read on line of some urban author's books. I was seeking some reviews from critics on my own work and decided to read how they had reviewed similar works. It was stomach turning, some of the reviews I read. I read critiques that were basically finger-wagging at the grammatical flaws of urban characters. I'm sorry but I don't know anyone in the 'hood who uses perfect English so why should it be written that way if the author intends the work to be accurate and authentic? Many of these critics are hung up on the past. How could we ever have an accurate documentation of history if the flaws are covered up? Why do we have such an issue with seeing the ugly truth as just, the truth? Is the real problem that we are running from the truth - refusing to deal with our real problems - preferring to exalt the past, as though it was perfect?

I was blown away when our president, Barack Obama, admitted that his favorite TV show was "The Wire": an urban, current, raw, authentic television series that didn't polish the unpolished. President Obama also named Jay-Z as his favorite rap artist. For those among us who don't participate in "all" of American culture, the many ways in which this statement by our president was substantial, might just elude you. For those of us who pay attention to the hip-hop culture, we understood that this automatically told us that the president was in touch with the present. There has been an internal war raging within the urban music world between the original hip-hop trend followers and the more recent hard-core artists. Hip-hop was losing the war until mid-ground artists like Jay-Z decided that rather than choosing a side, blazing a new path that co-oped the best of both worlds, was the way to go. One would expect a politician to find a nice family-safe artist and TV show to name as his/her favorite. President Obama demonstrated an appreciation for and understanding of the present. Why can't critics and other people in positions of judgment and authority do the same?

In defense of the snobbish, I must admit that they have unlocked the door to allow other perspectives in. The door still appears to be locked but you can get in if you turn the knob. There have been many Broadway and Off-Broadway theatrical shows that aren't just another celebration of times passed. Hollywood has accepted a more diverse group of writers, actors & directors and have even started evaluating and awarding people and works they once stayed away from. Though I gripe, we are moving forward though there remain those tugging on the world's coat-tails in an effort to stay or go backwards. Anywho, I'm vented.