Objectivity, Subjectivity and Everything in Between

Recently, the Sarah Brightman Brigade decided to tear their teeth into a reviewer who doesn't care for the operatic wonder.

I'm not a super fan - I know who she is and that she seems competent when she sings and that I like a few things I've heard - but that's about it.

Shocked was I when fans of the singer tried to virtually lynch the reviewer, who gave the DVD she starred in 4.5 out of 5 stars. Their silly comments turned into a philosophical debate on hate. (Not sure how someone turned that around, but you have to give them credit for trying.)

Then, one commenter hit my hot button area: Journalism. They criticized the reviewer for not being objective. Anyone with half a brain and an ounce of common sense knows that objectivity is for hard news and subjectivity for reviews.

It made me mad enough to respond. Believe it or not, I toned it down before posting.

Take a look:

http://www.popsyndicate.com/site/story/repo_the_genetic_opera/

One thing that really came out of this for me is how people, under the cloak of Internet anonymity, will be spiteful, hateful and rude in a way that they never would in person. It's like cursing at the driver in front of you for doing something stupid, then realizing they are a friend of yours, or someone you go to church with.