The Negative Review

Lovely day, much better than expected. Got a ridiculous amount of compliments today on pretty much everything - which for some reason or other, I'm not used to and wasn't quite sure what to do with. Discussed this tendency with a co-worker recently, who agreed, he doesn't take compliments well either. Why is that? Why do we pick apart the negative comment or internalize it, but shrug off the honest compliment? Shouldn't it be the opposite? While I'm admittedly working hard to make it the opposite, I breathed in the compliments today and decided to forget the negative bits, I didn't quite trust them. I prepare myself for the negative review, ready with the snarky come-back.

Tonight, watching The Tony's, it's amongst the two or three awards shows that I bother with, after Hugh Jackman literally hopped on stage, they did a musical bit from Les Miserables, the showstopper - "One Day More". Now Les Miz is one of those musicals, that every time I see it - I feel this overwhelming need to show it to everyone I know. To share the music. The experience. For a brief moment, I'm convinced that if everyone saw this - the world would be a better place, that we'd have a meeting of the minds - we'd realize the world's wrongs, it would be...AMAZING.

Have you ever felt that? That weird need to share this piece of art that you absolutely loved, that spoke to you on some deep level, and believed really believed that everyone who saw it - would see or feel what you did? You'd connect over it, and have a bonding happy dance?

Then, well, it you are like me and decided to "share your love" either by blog or otherwise- you probably have had or experienced this conversation of some variation of it:

M: I just saw the most amazing musical!
F: Oh, what?
M: Les Miserables - it's so moving, and the music -
F: Les Mis? Really? That commercial piece of slag? That just crucifies the original book? You gotta be kidding me.

M: I just read the most amazing book - it's hilarious, not like anything I've read, totally innovative and different, blew me away! You've got to read this book!
F: What?
M: The Fault in Our Stars.
F: Oh, I heard about THAT. It's a pretentious novel about kids dying of cancer, with a too good to be true hero, based most likely on the author himself.

M: I've got to go home and see Buffy The Vampire Slayer tonight, it's this amazing show about a female vampire slayer that breaks all the rules -
F: You realize that's marketed to TWEEN girls, right?
M: But it's really adult and cool -
F: And so CAMPY. About high school, and it's not ever a realistic depiction of high school. With a cliche romance with vampires. Check out Freaks and Geeks, so much better.

Gets to the point that after a bit, you start ending your positive reviews with the following caveat :

"And yes, it's more than possible your mileage will vary on this. Or you'll hate this. Or it won't be your cup of tea. OR to each their own. Just don't frigging tell me! Let me love it. Okay? Okay?"

[And maybe if you are really lucky, I'll refrain from ripping apart the work of art you love. I've actually done that a few times, it never ends well. ]

The risk of sharing the cultural works of art that we love is the negative review.

The slam. The bash. The snip. The cut. Because no matter what you love, someone out there is going to hate it.

Really hate it.

Think it is crap on a stick.

And worse, feel compelled to tell you. They might even go so far as to write a lengthy review, snark about it, or rant on the internet. [Ghod knows, I have, mea culpa, mea maxima culpa.]
( the negative review )