Downstream

One cannot deny that it is the trend of radical thinkers to reject things simply because. By rejecting those things which society deems popular, these “rebels” seek to show themselves as elites, a cut above the rest, and thus remain at the forefront of radical thinking. It is important, however, to avoid such thinking, as it only limits the potential of all that the “over appreciated” has to offer.

Many people will avoid seeing a particular movie or enjoying a particular band simply because other people do. By doing so, they are shutting themselves off to the possibility of a truly great experience. The same is true of theater, but a bit more dangerously so. Theater, with its often profound theatrical insights, often is victim to the same unwarranted indifference. Incendiary theatrical messages are often despised by the general public, so these are usually the pieces that these “rogues” flock to. This is, however, not always the case. Often, very popular plays or musicals contain truly deep messages, and are accepted as such by the populace at large. The “indie theatergoer,” however, will have none of this, and turns away to some more underground theater. This is just as grave an oversight as it would be to look over the more incendiary piece, in my opinion.

My case-in-point, for lack of a better term, would be “Rent.” I find some of the political and artistic messages in Rent to be quite profound, despite the cheery appearance. Due to the incredible popularity of “Rent,” however, a formidable tide of disbelief and scorn has risen in its wake. Many people with whom I’ve spoken to about “Rent” dislike it, without knowing why. While the reasons may be entirely different, I believe that they’re simply being vain. I do not buy into the concept that a piece of theater should be despised simply because of its popularity, and I believe that such grounds of thinking defeat the purpose of art.

It is a very tempting idea to simply reject that which others enjoy with no real grounds to do so. The gains of such a gambit are purely selfish, I believe, and should be avoided at all costs. Being “different” doesn’t always equate to being “better.” In some cases, it can just mean “closed-minded.” Some things are respected and like, with the reason being that they simply deserve such treatment. So, please, think twice about why you dislike something: Is it really your opinion, or someone else’s?