Read “Everything Sucks? Really?” over at Nolan’s Pop Culture Review:

There’s been a semi-active dialogue on “Everything Sucks” over at Nolan’s Pop Culture Review that I’ve been both fascinated and annoyed by in the last few weeks. Last week I wrote a small rebuttal and Nolan was kind enough to post it on his site.

It begins like this:

I’m amazed at how pop culture sites and message boards continue to circle this issue, especially one that’s so overwhelmed with subjectivity that there’s no way to properly engage the discussion without becoming what you’re rallying against. The reality is, when people proclaim that “Everything sucks!” what they usually mean is that the mainstream isn’t reflecting their own interests, at least not with the consistency and regularity that would make them happy.

Frankly, considering how wide the entertainment spectrum is and the amount of access we have to engage it, if you insist that everything sucks, then you simply are not taking advantage of what’s available. If you are going to be dismissive of everything, then you are setting yourself up to overlook the good stuff. If you were too busy griping about Twilight, then you probably missed the brilliant Let the Right One In. If you miss how great Stephen King used to be, then you probably didn’t realize how amazing Joe Hill’s writing is today. If you long for the days George Romero’s zombie movies were relevant, then you certainly aren’t reading The Walking Dead, Crossed or World War Z. If you are too busy getting everyone to watch A Boy and His Dog, then you probably didn’t read Cormac McCarthy’s The Road, perhaps the most important book written in the 21st century.

You expect the entertainment to evolve, but somehow your tastes don’t.

Read the rest of the piece here.