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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Mercurius" data-source="post: 8812483" data-attributes="member: 59082">Certainly, and I think having knowledge of a given field tends to lend credence to one's opinion of something within that field. But that only goes so far; and "experts" aren't inherently more right than "non-experts" (not to mention the difference between being an art critic and an artist). If I have a Master's degree in American History, it doesn't mean my opinion on a given historical event is inherently more correct than a high school drop-out. They may be self-taught, or maybe they're just more reasonable and/or knowledgeable about the subject. On the other hand, I'm not going to ask someone who hates IPAs about whether an IPA is good or not. And of course the problem with judging one field through the lens of another.But herein lies the larger problem: Both Parmandur and I (in this context) think we're more objective about the artistic merit of Rings of Power. We can devolve into an endless back and forth pissing contest about who is more objective or qualified, but it won't go anywhere good. And as I said above, ultimately qualifications don't determine truth. Recognizing the subjective element--which I would say is the dominant factor with regards to our opinion on a given piece of art, and is always a factor even if one is trying to be, or thinks they are being, objective--at least allows us to recognize that, well, there's no accounting for taste. And more so, that there's nothing wrong with feeling a certain way about (in this case) Rings of Power - that we don't need to write it off as ignorance or a hidden agenda or even poor taste...at least as far as communication is concerned (we can all think what we want, but some things are best left un-spoken!).What I keep trying to point out is that it is interesting how wide a range of opinions exist on Rings of Power -- even among those with deep knowledge of Tolkien, and/or film aficionados. Some say it is great, others crap...that is kind of interesting, no? Both Parmandur and I seem to have a good deal of knowledge about Tolkien, but still fundamentally disagree on Rings of Power and whether it captures the "spirit of Tolkien." We also both seem to have a sense of what makes good art (or at least believe we do!), but have very different views on the artistic merits of Rings of Power.So where does that leave us? I think the best compromise is: "Different strokes for different folks." This is not to say that conversations can't and shouldn't be had on why we think the way we think about it, but we all know where the endless back-and-forths go...at best, unsolved disagreement (which is where we're at now), at worst, insults and arguments (which is where none of us want to go).</blockquote>

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