Objection

It annoys me when something (particularly something I like, although not exclusively) is deemed “bad” by someone who then hides behind the claim of objectivity. They point out the flaws, true or not, and insist they are correct and because they are being “objective”, opinions to the contrary are tolerated but not considered. The book/television show/movie was bad and those who disagree are either not being objective like them or are simply wrong. But, they continue, it’s okay to like bad things! They can still be fun. They’re still bad, though.

I think that’s pretty dang unfair. Not that there’s not things that are bad by any standard—those are the shows that get cancelled, the movies that are panned, the books that are ignored, all of which drop into nothingness. But then there’s those that inexplicably don’t and become bestsellers against all reason. Well, all your reason anyway.

TWILIGHT, for example, is not something I like. I marvel at its popularity, its appeal, when so many deserving books languish as fallbacks when the book club forgot to pick this month’s selection. Part of me wants to tear out my hair and yell “This is awful and you have to agree or you’re an idiot!”

And that part is dead wrong. I don’t like it, I don’t see anything redeemable in it, but that’s because I don’t understand the attraction. Although are quite a few flaws I could point out to bolster my argument, people who like it might ignore them or just not care, as is their right. My cousin certainly swoons over it (hey, she’s a teenager), but I think I’d be a pretty big jerkass if I told her her favorite book series was bad and it doesn’t matter what she thinks because objectivity. It dismisses her feelings. Worse, it invalidates them, like only I can be right, and as life has showed me repeatedly, I’m wrong all the time. Maybe even about TWILIGHT.

You have no idea how hard it was to type that.

Damn it. There I go again…

Arguing Effectively Requires Passion, Not Bias

What do I mean? you ask. What brought this on?

Letters to the editor. Not entirely—I’ve read blog posts that have irked me and seen stuff on television. They try so hard to convince me of something and fail completely because of faulty sources, loaded wording, and obvious bias. Unfortunately, appealing to someone’s emotions (especially fear) can overwhelm their judgment enough to convince them, which is why He-Who-Shall-Not-Be-Named-At-Least-Not-On-This-Blog has legions of followers. 

But it’s not effective arguing.

Effective arguing—where you actually prove a point—requires sources (real sources), restraint and—what’s it called?—objectivity. If someone acts disdainful of the medical community and then lists a hundred papers confirming vaccines cause autism, I’m going to think they chose an answer they liked and found the sources to back it up. Even more so if they disparage anything that contradicts what they claim. In all fairness, I’d like to say that there are plenty of people saying vaccines don’t cause autism who do the same thing. Guess what? If they can’t do it, neither can you. Use facts to back up your claim, not dismissing others. If you’re really right, it shouldn’t be that hard.

Now for restraint. This is just because I’ve found people are less likely to listen to you if you start yelling at how they are ruining the country/killing millions through ignorance/I don’t know what. I know. It’s crazy. People don’t like being insulted.

My culminating thought is this: be careful what you take as truth and don’t believe anything because you like the way it sounds. And if you want to argue effectively (i.e. so your argument isn’t full of more holes than a sieve), do it calmly, listen to others, and cite you’re sources.

Still editing...

I don't know if I'm just being careful or if I'm merely worried about sending out queries, but I'm still editing my book. I really like my book, but I always really like my books, even the one that will never, ever be shown in public. I may be humiliated about how bad it is, but I can't bring myself to hit delete.

But that's beside the point. I need to be concerned about the book I'm currently working on. I really want it to be good, but as several previous attempts have shown me, I am not a good judge of my own work. About others, I can't say other than I'm objective.

Eventually, I will get to the point where I realize I really am just stalling. Until then, I have plenty to do. And self: don't go dragging it out!

Everyone else: good luck with your own trials.