[QUOTE=Small British Shop Owner]
Because in an earlier thread someone said that I was sounding trollish through only starting controversial threads. So I’ve tried to diversify.
[/QUOTE]
And your idea of an uncontroversial thread was to pit an entire section of the board? A popular section at that? Clever :dubious:
[QUOTE=ArchiveGuy]
I don’t think it’s lowbrow, but it does gear more towards the popular. I live in a metropolitan area, and I try to see lots of small, arthouse films which a lot of people on the boards haven’t seen (or even heard of ) and never even have access to until the DVD comes out. Some of the best films I saw this year (Away From Her, Paprika, The Lookout, Amazing Grace, Paris Je T’aime, Once) either never had threads or had ones that died quick deaths. I don’t think this is a reflection on taste so much as level of interest and awareness–most of these films have limited runs, minimal publicity, and very marginal word-of-mouth, so it’s understandable why not a whole lot of people participate.
Conversely, for TV, there are some extremely popular shows (based on the Nielsen ratings) that almost never see threads either: 2 1/2 Men, NCIS, and any of the CSIs. These are tremendously popular shows that don’t see nearly the same level of interest on the SDMB as smaller, more interesting cable shows.
I’d also dispute your characterization of some of the threads as “lowbrow”. Essentially, you’re suggesting that any movie thread is lowbrow, despite it being the most important artistic medium of the 20th century.* Presumably, you would only consider something like painting or opera or Shakespeare “highbrow”, which reeks of the worst kind of prejudicial snobbery–not only because Will S. could be incredibly lowbrow when he wanted to, but also because films as varied as Lawrence of Arabia and Playtime and Blade Runner (3 films mentioned in 3 different threads you cite) have genuine artistic value and sophistication despite representing an artform that, for decades, was looked down upon as completely devoid of merit.
However, reviewing the thread now, what seemed like an ignorant/lazy OP does actually look more like someone who’s picking for a fight through blithe name-calling and prickly defensiveness–an awfully “lowbrow” approach for someone who is trying to pretend to be above such things. :rolleyes:
*Obviously debatable, but I’d certainly assert it
[/QUOTE]
Sorry for leaving this post until now, but it was intelligent and well argued, so I needed to treat it with some respect!
I believe I can answer your concerns by pointing out that “high/low brow” is not a value judgement, it is a category judgement. And I may well be a bit elitist about what I would fit into high brow, but no film would ever be in that category. And I used to subscribe to film four!
[QUOTE=Delly]
And your idea of an uncontroversial thread was to pit an entire section of the board? A popular section at that? Clever :dubious:
[/QUOTE]
I didn’t pit it, this thread is only here because it’s discussion about the board.
[QUOTE=woodstockbirdybird]
Ah, those curtains are already covered in kitten vomit anyway.
[/QUOTE]
Ah, but the SDMB Slob Reform Club is busy at a meeting with the SDMB Procrasinator’s Club, learning new and improved ways to put off cleaning the curtains.
…If only the SDMB Weight Loss Club didn’t attract so many bulimic kittens, we’d be on top of it, really!
[QUOTE=Small British Shop Owner]
Trolling is against the rules here AFAIK. Pretending to be British would surely be being a jerk. Submit your evidence to the powers that be. Or put it in this thread. Otherwise why should anyone believe you?
[/QUOTE]
I don’t have any evidence; all I have is my opinion. I’m not really interested in whether anyone else believes it, but I’m right, you know it, and I know it. So enjoy the rest of your 30 days. Don’t pay the 15 bucks unless you’ve got a clean IP address, and then try not to get caught. See you around the Boards, until then.
[QUOTE=Small British Shop Owner]
I believe I can answer your concerns by pointing out that “high/low brow” is not a value judgement, it is a category judgement. And I may well be a bit elitist about what I would fit into high brow, but no film would ever be in that category. And I used to subscribe to film four!
[/QUOTE]
Well, then, you’re using the term “high brow” in a very odd way, if, say, discussions of Citizen Kane or Lawrence of Arabia or film adaptations of Shakespeare can’t count. Why don’t you tell us what you mean by “high brow” and we can go from there?
[QUOTE=Small British Shop Owner]
Here are all the topics in it at the moment, sorted into high and low brow:
High brow:
Well-known or well-respected art you would never hang on your walls
Horace (Horatius)
Low brow:
The Simpsons Movie review thread (Spoilers)
Emotional songs
The Simpsons Movie (the bad edit)
I miss House!
What’s Your Signature Dish? ( 1 2 )
Anyone seen Hairspray?
Nimoy to play Spock in new Star Trek film
Truly funny foreign comedies?
Oooh! Steampunk Stuff! ( 1 2 )
Ninja Warrior/Japanese Language Question
Geico Cavemen = Black Peps?
Huh? Are we supposed to be wearing high-tops again?
What makes a curry/kebab compelling eating after a night out?
Songs they’d NEVER let contestants perform on American Idol ( 1 2 3 )
Watchmen Casting News
Fun to read non-fiction books
Jeff Corwin’s Alaska series…factual errors
Bands you can’t believe are still performing
MLB: How’s your team doing? How about vs. what you expected? ( 1 2 )
Harry Potter #7: (SPOILERS APLENTY): Now that you’ve read it… ( 1 2 3 4 5 6 … Medieval: Total War 2 Cooperative Campaign…The Revenge ( 1 2 )
Scariest moments in funny series
Crappy books turned into decent movies ( 1 2 )
Who wants to be a Superhero Season 2 TONIGHT
Horace (Horatius)
Steroids in different sports. . .
American Supermarkets
Movie to Play to Movie
Chitlins
How can I watch “The Star Wars Holiday Special?”
How great they are, these British films
So You Think You Can Dance 7/25-26
What songs have three or more “Superstars” singing in them?
Are there epic foreign movies?
What Makes A Movie An “Epic”?
Pirate Master: The rest of season one ( 1 2 3 )
Finish the Hardboiled Detective story: “A Beautiful Corpse”
Kevin James illusion on America’s Got Talent
Free Original Music for your project
Hell’s Kitchen 7/23/07
yankees in playoffs
$50 to the Potter Predictions winner
Keeping balls hit into the stands at sports events.
Schilling’s latest comments on Bonds & Big Mac.
Universe on The History Channel
Need downloadable games for MIL
Manga for Adults
Fantasy for people who don’t like Fantasy ( 1 2 )
Phantom Dennis
VERY low brow
Why did the risotto taste and smell like vagina? ( 1 2 )
You might feel that this unrepresentative, but I disagree.
[/QUOTE]
Why didn’t I notice this before? My monocle won’t stop popping out!
[QUOTE=Small British Shop Owner]
I believe I can answer your concerns by pointing out that “high/low brow” is not a value judgement, it is a category judgement.
[/QUOTE]
I will…tentatively…agree with this. There are definitions for lowbrow that are not demonstrably pejorative. But if you don’t tell us what you are working with we can’t know what you mean. All joking aside, Shakespeare and Tchaikovsky are undeniably low brow by any definition that isn’t meant as an insult. It is why I brought them up.
So how are you defining low brow?
[QUOTE=Jodi]
I don’t have any evidence; all I have is my opinion. I’m not really interested in whether anyone else believes it, but I’m right, you know it, and I know it. So enjoy the rest of your 30 days. Don’t pay the 15 bucks unless you’ve got a clean IP address, and then try not to get caught. See you around the Boards, until then.
[/QUOTE]
I have reported this post.
[QUOTE=Small British Shop Owner]
I didn’t pit it, this thread is only here because it’s discussion about the board.
[/QUOTE]
If it’s a discussion about the board, go ahead. Discuss.
Enlighten us as to what makes these threads low brow?
Or at least enlighten us as to why you are the arbiter of such things.
You come in, make a blanket assertion (emphasis on the “ass”), receive some good faith questions trying to get some sort of clarification, and then start melting down without addressing what the people who have responded to the OP have been asking.
Try responding to people other than the ones calling you a troll, and their claims will have less merit.
FWIW, I don’t think you’re a troll. Just an asshole. No offense intended, of course.
ETA:
and
Did anyone else laugh about this?
[QUOTE=NAF1138]
So how are you defining low brow?
[/QUOTE]
I apologise in advance here - I haven’t had the benefit of a proper arts education.
In the words of Justice Stewart (whose phrase I believe this is):
“I know it when I see it”
[QUOTE=Small British Shop Owner]
FUCK OFF.
[/QUOTE]
Thank goodness we have a highbrow around here!
Like ArchiveGuy said, CS tends toward the popular. Why? Well, consider the meaning of the word “popular.”
Dopers are very smart, but we’re not all snobs all the time. And your classification of all movies as lowbrow is silly.
Jesus H. Christ. This is the most ridiculous thread I’ve ever read.
[QUOTE=Small British Shop Owner]
In the words of Justice Stewart (whose phrase I believe this is):
“I know it when I see it”
[/QUOTE]
You know, Jesse Helms said something like that once, didn’t he?
[QUOTE=Argent Towers]
Jesus H. Christ. This is the most ridiculous thread I’ve ever read.
[/QUOTE]
Don’t be in such a hurry. This might get good.
Well it applied when you were talking the B word.
[QUOTE=Argent Towers]
Jesus H. Christ. This is the most ridiculous thread I’ve ever read.
[/QUOTE]
I agree. I think maybe I put it in the wrong forum.
I think I will raise the tone of the forum by starting a thread about rape videos.
[QUOTE=Small British Shop Owner]
I apologise in advance here - I haven’t had the benefit of a proper arts education.
In the words of Justice Stewart (whose phrase I believe this is):
“I know it when I see it”
[/QUOTE]
This isn’t unreasonable in itself; there are many concepts I grasp without being able to precisely formally define their boundaries. However, given that many of us apparently have a markedly different conception of the highbrow from yours, you may want to at least attempt to give some more clarification of your own conception. For example, going back to before, what is it that makes Lawrence of Arabia lowbrow?
[QUOTE=Miss Purl McKnittington]
Because Tchaikovsky used folk melodies in his work and Shakespeare has enough vagina jokes to satisfy a dirty old man?
[/QUOTE]
First of all, there’s no such thing as “enough vagina jokes to satisfy a dirty old man”. Or, for that matter, “enough vagina jokes”. Or, for that matter, “enough vagina”.
Also, using folk melodies/motifs in classical music is quite common. Beethoven’s 9th has an oom-pa-pa town band section. Mahler’s 1st symphony has something that’s almost precisely “Frere Jacques”. And Dvorak’s New World Symphony has several folk melodies.
[QUOTE=Indistinguishable]
For example, going back to before, what is it that makes Lawrence of Arabia lowbrow?
[/QUOTE]
I am seriously impaired in describing clearly what I mean by lowbrow, but in general anything vaguely modern is lowbrow almost by definition. No films have yet matured enough to be highbrow (in that film as an art is still developing so quickly, although I’m sure this will hault shortly now that people are studying it!). Probably highbrow literature stops with 1984, if not before, for a similar reason (and there’s no great literature in that book, it’s good for its message, not its language).