Manbearcat
Legend
Could you imagine a film critic who went about film criticism simply in terms of its rankings or popularity? "We know that Citizen Kane is the best movie or otherwise it would not be number one on AFI Greatest Movies of All Time list." but without actually engaging the various film processes (e.g., acting, directing, cinematography, editing, pacing, etc.) that went into the making of the film or how it was a watershed moment?
And there is the other side of that which further complicates things.
How many movie buffs and even actors who have never_actually_seen Citizen Kane will reflexively say it’s the best of all time merely for fear of social status loss if they either (a) admit their ignorance or (b) dispute the cultural orthodoxy!
It may well be the greatest film of all time, but they certainly aren’t possessed of the means to bulwark its status (yet they certainly do!)!
Audiophiles do the same thing.
How many “the best” artists are relegated to the dustbin of history because they merely didn’t get “their push?”