you are allowed to have opinions, and if you don't like something - as long as it is justified, you can say it
I don't know who you are talking about above, but I feel like the standard for quality has definitely dropped - been diluted.
Part of that is b/c I am old. Part is b/c I am a band director for a living, and am used to critiquing musical quality against certain standards. Part of it is b/c I grew up in the underground punk and metal scenes when I was young, and already had a skewed view of mainstream anything...
OPINION ALERT!!!
I just feel like mainstream anything has always been filler. No substance, purposefully geared for mass consumption. Use and throw away. Not meant to last, or to be beneficial in the long term. Immediate gratification. And to me, that is just boring. It is not worth my investment of time.
I think A LOT of people feel this way too, but are afraid to say it for fear of being persecuted in the modern "Everybody Gets A Trophy" culture we have turned into. People are afraid to criticize because they are afraid of criticism themselves.
CAes in point: my high school drummers finish a rep at the beginning of the season that is just awful. Shoes in a dryer. Popcorn. And all of the parents watching are like "They are so great!!! Why are you yelling at them? That was awesome..."
I am not yelling...I am trying to make them better. Trying to get them to have a higher standard. (I really am not yelling, but sometimes I have to be stern, which is also now an evil thing
...)
OK, no more tangents...
end rant