[HPFGU-OTChatter] Our tastes in entertainment ( MOVED FROM MAIN)

[P. Alexis Nguyen]

Alla:
> Hmm, when I read this statement by CJ, my first thought was to reply
> in complete disagreement, since for the most part I am not buying the
> idea that our tastes in entertainment tell other people who we are as
> individuals, but then I started to think about it a bit more.
>>>SNIP<<<
> I mean, like my tastes in books are SO diverse. You name it, I
> probably read at least something from this genre. I read contemporary
> fiction, I read fantasy, I read mystery, I read romances, I read
> sci/fi, I read historical fiction, I read poetry, I will read pretty
> much ANYTHING as long as I cannot put the book down.
>>>SNIP<<<

Ali:
I didn't really know where to snip, so I just took a few sections.

I tend to agree with you. What a person reads mostly just indicates
what they read.  If one must form an opinion on someone based on their
readings, then base it on content - did they like the villain or hero?
Wherefore? Using the example given, the hating of Snape may not be
very telling, but the reason for this dislike is marginally more
insightful. There are so many caveats to tack onto this, though. Does
the reason said person doesn't like Snape apply to his "real" world
view or just a fantasy world view? Is the dislike of Snape influenced
by emotional baggage and therefore is mostly a "knee jerk" reaction?
So many caveats.

I would also agree with the "liking HP doesn't necessarily equate with
liking reading/fantasy/etc" idea - I can think of one friend
immediately who this applies to (really, she doesn't even like to
read, much less read fantasy, though she is looking, now, to read more
books). The sentiment is equally applicable regardless of what you
replace HP with - if you like Austen, I wouldn't say that you have a
great love of literature and English; if you like Dan Brown, I
wouldn't dismiss it as you liking poor written fiction (my opinion of
Dan Brown's writing); if you like Star Trek, I wouldn't dismiss you as
socially incompetent.

Of course, this comes from someone whose bookshelves give equal space,
theoretically, to Michio Kaku as Julia Quinn (quantum physicist &
romance novelist, respectively) and who spent a majority of the
college years being snubbed (with a very light hand) by literary folks
[for my love of romance novels].

I guess, really, what I was trying to say, and trying to not make a
one-liner, is I agree.

~Ali