Unpopular opinion... I don't think Eric Clapton is very great.

John Dyson · March 10, 2021

4 hours ago, Allan F said:

You started and, intentionally or otherwise - I strongly suspect the former - provoked a discussion. Therefore, regardless of the topic being of far less than any great social significance, challenging your opinions is not only fair game, it should be expected.

My comment about "one soulful bend" was about guitar players, in general, not specifically about EC.

Challenging opinions about perception is unproductive. Each person has their own taste -- judging others about their experience is a kind of prejudice. I tend to accept others opinions of taste, whether or not I agree. The more important thing is how people really affect others in life. About the music, we talking subjective. Encouraging mutual real pain -- that is concrete/objective/real-world.

From a cultural standpoint, it isn't wise to judge others, unless, again we are talking about strong negative effects from one person to another. It is SOOO easy to misinterpret or be prejdiced without understanding the entire context.

For example, if someone sung something that suggests to kill other people, that would be judgement worthy. Or, if someones worst aspects -- say, damage their family were ampified by any action, including music -- that would be something I'd feel comfortable to judge.

However, regarding Clapton being a great musician or not -- it is a matter of opinion and how someone experiences the music. There are all kinds of music that are 'just bad sounding' to me, but many others enjoy it. I am sure that there is stuff that I like, and some others really dislike my taste. I don't judge the musician as bad just for dissonant music (IMO), but if they advocate breaking up families, or hurting other people -- that is where my judgement starts kicking in.

I think that it is perfectly okay to say 'Clapton isn't a great musician -- IN MY OPINION'. Someone creating situations or music that hurt others, that is where I start feeling uncomfortable. With the clearly stated 'opinion' statement, then it is easy and polite to ask 'why is that your opinion?' rather than just to judge the opinion.

Kindness wins in my opinion. And even talking about one or the other musician 'not being great' AS AN ABSOLUTE will often create unproductive controversy. In very select instances, when the situation is obvious and very concrete, then the matters or right/wrong, destructive or not -- there can be a conclusion/consensus.

I try to avoid making concrete claims that are wrong, but there is certainly never a personal bias on those matters, even then -- there will ALWAYS be people who disagree and try to create more problems.

John Dyson · March 10, 2021

22 minutes ago, Allan F said:

In your biased opinion. 😊

I am about live and let-live, unless people or families are seriously hurt. That is why, IMO, claims like 'XXX as a musician isn't great' really should be modified by an 'in my opinion'. If XXX really hurt people or destroyed families, then that is a very different story. There IS a right and wrong (sometimes in-between, still based on values) in the real world -- but the age of everything being relative can causes us to weaken our ethics and values. Accepting (but not necessarily agreeing) is NOT the same of relativism, where relativeism can confuse values. This 'acceptance' of alternative music taste is the same kind of values and thinking that I ascribe.

Music taste tends not to have a right or wrong, unless it includes incitement-speech to directly hurt others or direct attempt to damage society. Too often, simple statement of opinion or dissent are answered by very repressive knee-jerk forces. The idea of true acceptance/but disagreeing seems to be falling out of favor, but I sure hope that it comes back. (I am only talking about being open and free about non-inciting music lyrics & speech.)

Music taste is definitely a matter of opinion, because everyone appears to hear things differently and experience music differently. Discussing the original statement in this thread could readlity be interpreted to be divisive, but adding 'in my opinon' can more easily open up a discussion.

I have had to listen to a lot of kinds of music, and really do understand that people can REALLY ENJOY something that I truly do not like -- but I accept the fact

.

John Dyson · March 11, 2021

54 minutes ago, AudioDoctor said:

I assumed that the people who populate this forum are smart enough to figure that out. Additionally, in the very title I stated that "I don't think EC is very great." I did not say that EC sucks, or EC is objectively bad and if you think he's good, you suck too. I merely stated my opinion.

I did NOT mean to be preachy, but sometimes syntactic sugar can alleviate misunderstandings.

My comments were intended to be with respect, and NOT singleing you out. My apologies if you believed that I was 'correcting' you.

Just, sometimes 'IMO' might mitigate problems with people's feelings who are sensitive about the performer (or issue.)

John Dyson · March 12, 2021

1 minute ago, AudioDoctor said:

You know that this forum is for discussion, right? Of topics that you may not even like or agree with.

I agree -- we should not be threatened by opinions that we disagree about (well, unless about life & death or similar critical issue.)

In moments of weakness, each of us has probably misaken an opinion as an assertion, but I think that we are grown-ups and definitely not get hurt feelings different people's intepretation of music & performance.

Listening to music is connected to emotions somehow, and the walls between our feelings and how we act on them are sometimes thin.

Most important, kindness should always be our mantra, because even if we disagree, we can be kind. I think that most people need MORE friends rather than less. Friends can always disagree about very many things, but condemnation, rudeness or unkindness -- what is the benefit to ANYONE AT ALL?!??!

About Clapton -- he isn't high on my listening list, but I do very much enjoy some of his recordings. I guess that makes my opinion that he isn't all that great, but he has gone a long way in his career, and lasted for a long time -- so he must be doing something right.