> The source of my irritation had a number of contributing factors. One was that so many people seemed unable to distinguish between objective quality and personal taste, or cast blissful disregard for the former, or, worst of all, were not culturally educated or discerning enough to understand that Mary Poppins has substance and style to it that a gaudy pathetic cheeselog of a movie like Labyrinth wouldn't know if it dined on bone china dinnerware right in the bog of eternal stench. Dislike something all you want -- that's your prerogative, and it shouldn't be any poor reflection on you to like and dislike what you please -- but if you can't at least understand art and craft at its finest, you're shortsighted or culturally uneducated. I was disheartened to hear so many people coming forth dissenting *opinions* without the least little bit of acknowledgement that maybe just maybe this was a great work of art that they just didn't care for.

Ah, okay, I see. I concur. "Mary Poppins" is, indeed, a great work of art; just not one that lies within the realm of my tastes.

> The second reason I replied as harshly as I did was not so much the fact that people don't like it but the reasons why. As I asserted in my original post, which I now completely regret making in the first place, someone who can't appreciate Mary Poppins is either hanging up on a personal, uh...hang-up...or is too cynical, jaded, or grown up to be able to sense that euphoric bit of childlike innonence that we should retain within us all, always, yet which even some children get crushed out of them these days.

Sad but true... and sadder that some children seem to want to rush the crush.

> So you don't like Citizen Kane.

True.

> So what? It's a great movie, but it's a gloomy, deathly serious one that isn't always what people find diverting.

Yes. Even with all the tripe that passes for entertainment in theaters these days, I hate to think what it would be like have CK never been made(released, etc.).

> But if you don't like playing in a grassy lawn, or reading a good book, or receiving a warm hug...

I didn't know there were such people until very recently.

> ...well, that's your prerogative too, but it's pretty depressing for those of us who value the important things in life and think the world would be a better place if other people did, too. (Heck, that theme is what Mary Poppins is all ABOUT.) Disliking Mary Poppins is admittedly not as tragic as disliking grassy lawns, but this is the direction I'm coming from.

This is slightly off topic, but I dislike "my" own grassy lawn inasmuch as I have to mow it. :) But I prefer it to dirt and sand. I would that I had more grass, as it keeps the sand down.

> But, in full compliance with my attitude about facts vs. opinion, if you disagree with me about my stance on this issue, fine. Like I said before, I thought Wes' post was very nicely thought out and composed. That he thought enough about the issue to be able to formulate an intelligent reply to me is the greater good here. And while I *stauchly* disagree with what Wolf has said about musicals in this thread, she, too, has obviously allocated the matter some cerebral investment. If everybody did that for every post, I'd never have to cull anything from any thread, so I'm not about to engage them in too much quibbling over the specifics of their opinions when all was stated before anyway, especially after being so ruthless in this post and the one we're talking about. Discouraging intelligent thinking runs exactly contrary to my goals for this forum.
>
> I guess the bottom line of my frustration is that if you're going to differ with me on something, put at least as much thought into the matter as I have. I don't think that's unreasonable to ask.

I'll remember that. In fact, I plan on bookmarking it when I get home.

Nyperold