Bob, I still think judged is the wrong word for what you are talking
about but I won't push it. I can be extremely critical of poems, for
example, and slam them in print - but this particular area of
criticism is, I know, fraught with problems of discourse, ideology,
polemics and the competing voices of intellectual and instinctive
response. Also, I have no real power or context which would make my
'opinion' matter much. And I don't agree with you that we go through
life 'judging' everything - though I still think this is because of
the way you are using the word. For me an opinion is not necessarily a
judgement..... something like that.
All best
Tim A.
On 13 Mar 2010, at 17:17, Bob Grumman wrote:
> Tim Allen wrote:
>> Bob,
>>
>> Judged is just the wrong word
> Tim, I'm sorry, but I'm a fanatic about what I think is definitional
> correctness. It annoys me that because, say, "racial
> discrimination" is something bad (for most people), that
> "discrimination" now means for some people something evil. Same
> with "judge" out of "judgemental."
>
> I would say that all response to any aspect of life is evaluative
> and hierarchal, etc. We judge every step of our lives in some way,
> mostly unconsciously, but we still judge, for instance, exactly how
> vigorous our next step will be when walking, or figuratively.
> Judging is not pronouncing sentences.
> To judge, which we all do and have to do, is simply determining how
> well the judge likes something. I read Sheila Murphy's poem when I
> first joined Poetryetc, and judged it excellent. I judge poems
> whenever I experience them. Others judge my poems. You can't avoid
> giving them numbers. A low number needn't be a sentence, for--if
> explained, and that's crucially important--and can help the poet
> raise ii if he agrees with your judgement, or tell him you don't
> know what you're talking about. if he doesn't. Even if not
> explained, a judgement should help any poet by indicating how the
> poem's message or shape or whatever is getting over.
>
> I guess finally I'm defending criticism. And I could go on about
> the value of that MUCH longer, maybe as long as Robin sometimes is
> on one of his subjects. I'm sure you get the idea, though.
> Note: I'm soon to be traveling and probably not able to get on a
> computer for a while. So if I don't respond to someone pointing out
> that I'm a dingbat or something worse (if there is anything worse),
> it's not 'cause I'm a coward!
>
> --Bob
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