Does a person's movie tastes affect your opinion of them?

[dascoyne]

"No" seems like the politically correct answer but, in truth, I'd have to say, "sometimes."

I like to hang around folks who say they love sci-fi films.
But if they don't like Star Wars I start to distance myself from them regarding the topic of science fiction. For me sci-fi begins with Star Wars.

I worked with a nurse practitioner who I found annoying because I didn't like her medical judgement. As a doctor I had to "clean up" a couple of her cases and it bothered me. One day she mentioned that, for Halloween, her little daughter was dressing up as Kiki from Kiki's Delivery Service. I spent the next 15 min talking to her about Miyazaki. I used to not like her. It was an eye opener that my opinion of this person went 180 degrees from this. How can I hate anyone who loves Miyazaki?

Does a common (or dissimilar) taste in movies affect your opinion of someone's character?

 

[The Mad Professor]

Well, I tend to be automatically dismissive of people who like Twilight and/or are looking forward to Fifty Shades of Grey.

Does that count?

 

[Lunaman]

 

[dascoyne]

"Elitism" is when those differences lead one to believe you are better than the other person.
That's a world of difference from getting the sense of community with someone who has similar tastes.

A person who finds an instant connection with a fellow browncoat isn't an elitist.

 

[The Mad Professor]

"Elitism" is when those differences lead one to believe you are better than the other person.

I wouldn't call it "elitism" to consider myself better than those people who consider Twilight to be a "Great American Novel" (yes, they really do exist... and no, I doubt that they've ever read any Twain or Steinbeck). I would call it being properly educated.

That's a world of difference from getting the sense of community from someone with similar tastes.
A person who finds an instant connection with a fellow browncoat isn't an elitist.

No, but those who claim that Firefly is nothing more than a ripoff of Outlaw Star ARE elitists.

 

[dbuck]

If you like something I don't or vice versa, I don't really care, the world would be a boring place if we all liked the same things.

What does bother me on the RPF is when haters jump into certain threads just to hate. If you don't like a certain movie or character, stay out of the thread.


Exception: I have a friend with a major man-crush on Tom Cruise. For some reason that bothers me a little bit, but I'm not cutting him out of my life.

 

[dascoyne]

Well, I tend to be automatically dismissive of people who like Twilight and/or are looking forward to Fifty Shades of Grey.

Does that count?

Ditto. It doesn't mean you might not appreciate them for other reasons. But it's initially off-putting.

 

[Curmudgeon]

I try not to let people's opinions on things like that affect my opinion on them as a person, although sometimes its hard.. I can be friends with people who don't like the same movies as me I just tend to not watch many movies with them.

What I think does tend to get on my nerves is when people refuse to give things a chance..

 

[scarf man]

Taste in entertainment trumps medical judgement? Wow.

 

[dascoyne]

Taste in entertainment trumps medical judgement? Wow.

You don't have to like someone to work effectively with them.
That's called professionalism.

Not everybody in a hospital are friends. Sorry to burst your bubble.

 

[The Mad Professor]

You don't have to like someone to work effectively with them.
That's called professionalism.

Not everybody in a hospital are friends. I hate to burst your bubble.

Exactly. I can absolutely despise you as a person and still work with you.

Now, if I despise you on a professional level because you aren't competent at your job? Then we have a problem.

 

[scarf man]

Snip-
I worked with a nurse practitioner who I found annoying because I didn't like her medical judgement. As a doctor I had to "clean up" a couple of her cases and it bothered me.
Snip-

You then indicated that you changed your opinion of said nurse because she liked the same show as you did.
How exactly was my initial appraisal of your post inaccurate?

No worries about the non existent burst bubble.

 

[dascoyne]

You then indicated that you changed your opinion of said nurse because she liked the same show as you did.
How exactly was my initial appraisal of your post inaccurate?

No worries about the non existent burst bubble.

I still think her clinical judgement was shy of a physician's.
Knowing nothing else about her I didn't like her.
I was just surprised to find that something as simple as a mutual appreciation of Miyazaki had me enjoying her company as a person.

That doesn't change my opinion of her clinical acumen.

 

[scarf man]

Fair enough. I appreciate the clarification on your initial post. I didn't intend to foster any ill feelings.

As for my answer to your initial question? Generally no, with the obvious exceptions for twilight fans as someone said before.

 

[cayman shen]

If a person has what I consider to be bad taste in movies, books, music, etc. (or if they have good taste but it comes from a place of snobbery or pretentiousness), of course I judge them based on that. The things a person gravitate toward and admire says a lot about who a person is, their intellect, their sensibilities, their goals, their beliefs, and their values.

 

[Bryancd]

I think it's just a natural emotional response. We are wired to try and find commonality with others, that's how we build or tribes, society, ect. In this cace it manifests itself as a preference in entertainment. You can make some generalizations if you are so inclined about how you perceive people who have a certain aesthetic and can have one of three emotional responses: a positive one, a negative one, or ambivalence.

And it's not elitism or snobbery unless you consider what you like or prefer to be superior to the preferences of others. That's a little douchey but we all do it to some extent.

 

[Michael Bergeron]

If there's a person whom I otherwise like who thinks Twilight is the greatest film franchise of all time I think they're an idiot in that one regard and then just avoid that topic. So while my opinion of them may still be high overall it would be low in that one area. No biggie for me. I introduced my wife to Star Wars and Star Trek she's supportive of my interest and supports my kids interest in it as well but personally finds them to be "meh". It's okay, she's allowed to be wrong.

 

[Bryancd]

It should be noted my wife is not a SW or ST fan at all but she loves Armageddon. She has clearly no sense of quality entertainment but I married her anyway.

 

[Philly]

If there's a person whom I otherwise like who thinks Twilight is the greatest film franchise of all time I think they're an idiot in that one regard and then just avoid that topic. So while my opinion of them may still be high overall it would be low in that one area. No biggie for me. I introduced my wife to Star Wars and Star Trek she's supportive of my interest and supports my kids interest in it as well but personally finds them to be "meh". It's okay, she's allowed to be wrong.

The problems start when you tell them they're wrong

 

[dascoyne]

It should be noted my wife is not a SW or ST fan at all but she loves Armageddon. She has clearly no sense of quality entertainment but I married her anyway.

My wife is a sucker for "white savior" movies that I can't stand - most recently: The Help and The Blind Side.
Conversely I've tried to explain how Fight Club is actually a comedy but she's still horrified by it.