Rec | BEING PRETENTIOUS ABOUT ART IS A GOOD THING

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Rec'd on 🚆 What would be your Kareem Rahma subway take?

being pretentious about art is a good thing

i think about this a lot specifically where film is concerned because that's the medium that most resonates with me but i think it could apply to any type of art. consider those "top four favorites" letterboxd videos - every time someone lists a bunch of old or foreign movies, tons of the comments accuse that person of being sooo pretentious, and then whoever picks legally blonde or something gets lauded for being "so real" and "actually honest with their answer". like hello?? you're following letterboxd on social media, watching a video of accomplished filmmakers and artists passionate about their field list their favorite movies, and turn on them when they pick the night of the hunter instead of star wars?? i used to regularly listen to students in film classes with me complain about all the old and "weird" movies we had to watch. i have met tons of people who want nothing more than to make movies or otherwise pursue art yet regularly write things off as too weird, too long, too old, too hard to understand. what is the point of engaging with art then if you refuse to try and understand it when it's hard, don't look back to the older influences of modern art you enjoy, don't want to step outside of what you know and find comfort in? even if someone's watching all these movies with the goal of having big letterboxd numbers or falsely looking knowledgable about film, at least they're thoroughly engaging with the medium instead of watching nothing but american classics and writing off the rest.

@princess

Nov 26, 2024

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@Mint_Octopus

Can one be pretentious yet welcoming? Cuz I agree with your take totally, but want to avoid straight-up gatekeeping. Like I'll scoff at you UNTIL you walk through that gate, then we're on the same page since you began the journey.

Nov 27, 2024

@princess

Mint_Octopus i think so yes! i don’t like gatekeeping either if it wasn’t clear, i think everyone should be consuming all the art they can possibly find!! my only issue is people who close their minds to works outside of their norm entirely.

Nov 27, 2024

@indianjones

So good to see it's time for the lamentations of anti-canon. Next step: all voiced opinion is mainstream/anti-mainstream and thus inauthentic.

Nov 26, 2024

@erikrikrika

100% agree

Nov 26, 2024

@dagny

This is a GOOD ONE

Nov 26, 2024

@steelyfan1998

I think the hokey faux humility that you’re picking up on is animated by the same insecurity as genuine pretentiousness.

Nov 26, 2024

@princess

steelyfan1998 never thought about it this way, makes a ton of sense to me though. all driven by a need for some form of superiority.

Nov 26, 2024

@spencerto

forevercherry I'm glad someone brought this up because I feel like it touches on things that were covered in this essay (sadly not posted in its entirety online, but you can find the book it comes from for free fairly easily, assuming you know where to look…)

Nov 27, 2024

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