False dichotomy

My life's convictions have been shattered, suddenly on a Saturday night while watching Star Trek. I was sitting there, waiting to be bored and instead I was so so surprised that I was enjoying myself, so surprised indeed.

I was raised to believe that things are black and white in a certain way: people are either clever or stupid, not good or bad; books are either artistic or pop, not good or bad and so on and so forth. Now of course I listen to trashy music and watch shitty films and enjoy them, but I thought this was just my guilty pleasure. An old friend once told my that cheesy music is cathartic, and I believed him, but didn't ask why.

Still, I know in my bones that there is a difference between the entire current UK top 40 and "like a prayer". But how can I explain it, if my only tools are: posh vs. pop? And then it hit me that this is a false dichotomy. There is no such thing as deep vs. pop literature, everything in life is either GOOD or plain BAD.

Star trek is a pop movie, but it's a good movie.
The Carnage is not a pop movie, but it's a bad movie.

Madonna is pop but it's good pop (most of the times).
Vivaldi is not pop (well, maybe), but it's good music still.

This is the distinction in life: are you or are you not good in whatever you do? You lay the rules (of your genre), whatever they are and then you can follow them (in a good, inspired, or even profound way) or not.

If you don't follow the rules that you set, no matter how naive or simplistic they might be, then your (artistic or other) artifact will forever and always suck.

Over and out,
an enlightened Lady V