So much of our existence is mired in wanting to be accepted and enjoy the finer things in life. In this internet age I write and complain too much about, we have all become so cynical. With our cynical nature, we have attached ourselves to mediocrity. It's a symbiotic circle. We have just come to the conclusion that most things in life suck and we shouldn't expect too much. I have the total opposite viewpoint. I think since we are so technologically advanced and somewhat smarter, we should want nothing but to the best and shouldn't settle for less. However, as with anything, there are always exceptions to the rule.
I am a cinema major. Movies are my life for better or (and for the most part) for worse. I have grown up watching movies and viewing them through the analytical brown eyes I have. So after 21 years of doing this, I hold films to such a high standard. However, like I said above, there are always exceptions to the rule. Little known fact, I adore "Coyote Ugly." So to illustrate the point of this article about liking things that aren't necessarily good, I'll use "Coyote Ugly" as template.
"Coyote Ugly" is a failure on almost every technical aspect. It's hokey, it's badly-acted in a lot of spots. You could describe the plot through cliches. It's a mess. However, to say I love this movie would be an understatement. I recognize its faults and I even cringe at some of them. But golly, is it entertaining. It's the story of a girl going to New York to pursue her song-writing ambitions only to be struck down by the cruel world of New York and get a temp job at a location with personality and eventually fall in love with a charming young scamp while getting her stuff together to break through and achieve her dreams. It's a tale older than time itself, but it's charming.
Why is it okay for me to love "Coyote Ugly," and why is okay for you to love something that objectively isn't good? I guess I could say the cliched answer of "it makes you happy." I'd be following suit of a movie I love. But no, I'll go deeper. I think, in general, we place the thoughts and opinions of others on such a high podium. We obsess over it. If a librarian you deem intelligent claims that book you read is hot garbage, you don't want to be seen as dumb, so you'll throw a line out there like, "Yeah, it's pretty dumb." I ask you, why? Just because that librarian probably has more experience with books doesn't negate your thoughts on the subject. At the end of the day, your thoughts and their thoughts weigh the same.
I'm a cinema major. I know the dirty looks I'd get by claiming "Coyote Ugly" is my favorite movie. My major would have me sleeping on the couch that night. That doesn't matter to me, though. It's all about perspective. I think that something most view as worthless has extreme worth in the world. Despite its glaring flaws, "Coyote Ugly" is a fun time. It's a kind of fun that can't be manufactured; it just happens. Just as long as you see the merit in the thing you love and can argue for it, it's all good in the hood.
Lastly, the quality of something subjective can never be weighed. No right or wrong answers. Like, for instance, I believe there is no such thing as an ugly person. Someone I may not find sexually appealing will most definitely make someone else's motor run wild. We are all people with different interests and tastes. We all see merit in different ways.
So I argue that nothing can truly be deemed bad. It's just easier to say something is bad than say something just isn't our thing. "Coyote Ugly" may have had critics calling suicide hotlines and having the hotline tell them to "do it" after watching "Coyote Ugly," but it made me happy. So can something that made some happy no matter how flawed truly be a bad thing? I say nah, bro; you can't fight the moonlight.