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bimoThis entry was originally begun and intended as a reply to a wonderful, read- and squee-worthy Doctor Who post by ![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
astrogirl2, but at one point I realized that my thoughts had run off into a more universal and somewhat off topic direction. Probably , because the following remark by Astrogirl really hit a sensitive spot:
"I'm developing this psychological block against admitting to the fact that I love the show, and I love this season, and I love it all with a deep and joyful love. Because that makes me feel like I must be stupid and politically suspect or something, in the eyes of fans I genuinely respect."
In situations like this I usually opt for a decidedly anti-social approach by trusting my own interpretation of the source material more than I trust the findings of others.
Of course I keep reading the ongoing discussions, apply my own brain to the presented arguments and am certainly not above re-evaluating if I find that somebody else's points are actually more valid than mine.
But that doesn't stop me from being a bloody cultural relativist at core.
Due to my own daily surroundings, age, education, ethnicity, philosophical, literary and aesthetic convictions, I will always read things differently, access and understand things differently than someone who was raised in another cocoon of socio-cultural surroundings and whose individual background and daily experiences do not match my own.
If interpretations of source material and canon do vary, this doesn't necessarily mean that one of us is wrong, ignorant and possibly evil, I think. Quite often it is merely a sign that we are reading stuff through different cultural lenses and with our own respective cognitive bias.
Is it important to not t hide one's head in the sand? To actively inform oneself about other people's findings, to acknowledge, respect and - where necessary – also to adopt or vehemently question, depending on case? Yes. (In fact, one could easily make a point that this is not only important, but rather a self-evident necessity and obligation as a decent, intelligent human being.)
However, I think that the very same degree of curiosity, respect and acceptance we hold for the opinions of others should also apply to our own subjective opinions and findings.
As much as I wish to understand the dynamics at work behind my own judgements (and this wish to understand also includes the detection of any potential blind spots) I refuse to feel guilty about not seeing what I cannot possibly see from my own subjective perspective.
Because the lenses are natural.
If we are being alert and smart enough, we can keep struggling to frequently sharpen and re-focus them. Attempt to paint them in different colours, so they might allow an alternate experience of the whole spectrum.
But one fact always remains. No matter how hard we try, in the end the frelling things are impossible to completely change or remove. This doesn't make anyone of us a better or lesser, more competent or incompetent fan person and reader.
There is no such thing as a privileged, universally true point of view. My own reading is counting as much as that of the person next door.
astrogirl2, but at one point I realized that my thoughts had run off into a more universal and somewhat off topic direction. Probably , because the following remark by Astrogirl really hit a sensitive spot:"I'm developing this psychological block against admitting to the fact that I love the show, and I love this season, and I love it all with a deep and joyful love. Because that makes me feel like I must be stupid and politically suspect or something, in the eyes of fans I genuinely respect."
In situations like this I usually opt for a decidedly anti-social approach by trusting my own interpretation of the source material more than I trust the findings of others.
Of course I keep reading the ongoing discussions, apply my own brain to the presented arguments and am certainly not above re-evaluating if I find that somebody else's points are actually more valid than mine.
But that doesn't stop me from being a bloody cultural relativist at core.
Due to my own daily surroundings, age, education, ethnicity, philosophical, literary and aesthetic convictions, I will always read things differently, access and understand things differently than someone who was raised in another cocoon of socio-cultural surroundings and whose individual background and daily experiences do not match my own.
If interpretations of source material and canon do vary, this doesn't necessarily mean that one of us is wrong, ignorant and possibly evil, I think. Quite often it is merely a sign that we are reading stuff through different cultural lenses and with our own respective cognitive bias.
Is it important to not t hide one's head in the sand? To actively inform oneself about other people's findings, to acknowledge, respect and - where necessary – also to adopt or vehemently question, depending on case? Yes. (In fact, one could easily make a point that this is not only important, but rather a self-evident necessity and obligation as a decent, intelligent human being.)
However, I think that the very same degree of curiosity, respect and acceptance we hold for the opinions of others should also apply to our own subjective opinions and findings.
As much as I wish to understand the dynamics at work behind my own judgements (and this wish to understand also includes the detection of any potential blind spots) I refuse to feel guilty about not seeing what I cannot possibly see from my own subjective perspective.
Because the lenses are natural.
If we are being alert and smart enough, we can keep struggling to frequently sharpen and re-focus them. Attempt to paint them in different colours, so they might allow an alternate experience of the whole spectrum.
But one fact always remains. No matter how hard we try, in the end the frelling things are impossible to completely change or remove. This doesn't make anyone of us a better or lesser, more competent or incompetent fan person and reader.
There is no such thing as a privileged, universally true point of view. My own reading is counting as much as that of the person next door.
