So here I am, wasting time on TvTropes reading about stupid artists whining about fans who criticize their work, when I find this:
http://transmission.blogs.topgear.com/2009/12/20/series-14-where-were-at/It's a blog post from a producer of a tv series I've never heard of. It's awesome because he has the exact attitude every artist of any medium ever should have when it comes to criticism, professional and fan alike. Notable excerpts:
although we understand the complaints, it doesn’t necessarily mean we’re going to do anything about them. Believe me that’s not arrogance on our part, but the fact is we’re not wedding DJs taking requests, and for good reason, because no good telly in the history of man was ever created that way. You have to make the programme you want to make, and people then vote with the on or off button.
[...]
However when we do agree with where the viewers are coming from, then we could be in business.
When we started in 2002, our goal was to make a decent Top Gear, but then, and most important, organically, things took us by surprise. Nobody knew the onscreen chemistry of the trio would be so good, also, none of us saw coming where we could actually go with the films.
[...]
That innocence has gone now, as always happens, because that’s the nature of TV. You all know the main pillars of our editorial, and we do our best to entertain, but none of us are going back to that first flush of discovery.
But although that’s sad, this is not time for glumness because there’s still so much to do. Firstly, please relax if we try this or that and it doesn’t work, because it just means we’re not getting complacent.
It’s fair to say this incarnation of Top Gear is nearer the end than the beginning, and our job is to land this plane with its dignity still intact. But ironically, that does mean trying new things to the last, even if they screw up, because, well, it means you never stopped trying.
This is a dude that gets it. He understands that criticism from fans doesn't always lack merit (you don't need to be a chef to know if the food tastes bad), but won't cave to every whim of the audience either. He also offers a very good argument for why things are changed over time, for better or worse: taking a risk is better than stagnating.
Next time I hear someone get offended because their sacred cow tv show or game or whatever is criticized,
or I hear a fan whine that something is ruined and will forevermore lack any merit, I'll quote this.
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Topic: [MILK] There were 12 eggs here what did you do with them? (Happy thread?!) (Read 15794907 times)