A much-loved but hopelessly broken toy.

I believe that our culture (and by “our culture” I’m talking about North America, and perhaps also Europe, to some extent) has undergone a fundamental shift. Expertise is no longer much valued in the cultural sphere; rather, it seems that the currently prevailing belief is that any one person’s opinion is as good as any other’s. Furthermore, if critical judgements are acknowledged at all, they are the judgements of the masses, expressed in economic terms: what is best is what sells the most.…

As a profession, classical music criticism emerged in the early 19th century and remained an esteemed aspect of musical culture to the end of the 20th century. It had a good run. But to cling to the idea, in the year 2018, that music criticism remains somehow relevant, and to soldier on with it, is to behave like a child clinging to a much-loved but hopelessly broken toy who refuses to throw it away and get on with life.—Colin Eatock

From "It was fun while it lasted"
Eatock Daily, May 31, 2018

Comments

[Rebecca Davis]

Seriously the saddest thing I've read in awhile. And not just because my work involves interaction with journalists, but because of what that says about the disdain for expertise, intellect, reason and sound judgment across the spectrum of societal endeavors.