Well, on a more micro level, the snark vs. smarm debate has smoldered here on Eratosphere, and burst into prodigious flame periodically, pretty much as long as there's been an Eratosphere.
Both snark and smarm are more about the critic ("See how clever I am" or "See how nice I am") than they are about the material under critique. They are both, therefore, inherently egotistical.
When I read a review of a book or movie, I'm not interested in admiring the critic's cleverness or niceness. I'm just trying to figure out whether I'm likely to enjoy that book or movie.
Yes, I know that these sorts of judgments are always subjective, so the critic's background and biases are relevant to some extent, but mainly I want the critic to get his or her ego out of the way and present as honest and fair an assessment as possible, please. Is that too much to ask?
|