Sometimes things that are eulogised become annoying. That annoyance is generally based on two things; the fact that you don’t get what all the fuss is about and the realisation that the item of zeitgeist is a huge steaming pile of excrement. Obviously readers of this Blog can empathise with my complete contempt towards Top Gear; the worst Television show of all time based on its target audience and the audience it systematically excludes.
Aside from Top Gear there is a cinematic and literally case in point, The Harry Potter franchise; adequate children’s books, average special effects laden movies, and paint by numbers content. Yet the amount of adults happily amercing themselves, nay ingratiating themselves into the world of Rowling, is a classic example of the Naked Emperor syndrome. Yet Potter pales into insignificance compared to the hypnotic pseudo spiritual world of the Lord of the rings movies.
Never has a series of movies been lauded, without respect of content, merit and cinematic values as this trilogy of trite tripe. Peter Jackson seems to be good at one thing only as a director; the genre of running away from things, stopping for a tussle with things, then running away from things again,. It’s like some sort of directorial Groundhog Day.
But these franchises say a lot. What they tell us is that you can fool most of the people most of the time. Top Gear, LOTR, Potter etc are all a part of the conglomerated and perceived view of what appeals to the arbiters of cultural taste. Those arbiters of course being ironic; as they love to be.
Those movies/books/TV shows that I am referring to are, of course, the latest in a line of side show geeks pitching Snake oil, only this time the architects of taste are informing the audience by dint of a belief that we all need cultural guidance.
I say, don’t buy into it. Recognise these products for what they are. It’s okay to be in the minority. It’s okay to not be that interested in cars. It’s okay to feel apathetic about reading children’s books. It’s fine to not engage with Elves and protracted scenes of overblown battle. Choose to not engage with the definers of taste.
All being said and done I don’t like Top Gear; it annoys me. I don’t like Lord of the Rings; the movies are mind numbing and effects driven. I don’t like Harry Potter books; they are storytelling by number, For kids. I don’t like the Harry Potter movies; they are basically Simpson/Bruckheimer movies with sheen of culture. And that's all it is; a sheen.
