Overrated is Overrated

[echoplex]

Is anyone else tired of people criticizing things/people/whatever by saying it's "overrated"? Oftentimes this seems to substitute an actual opinion and is probably intended to make the person appear wise, as if they're smarter than everyone else who keeps rating things highly. First of all, pretty much anything popular (movies, music, etc.) is overrated. The process of anything exponentially gaining popularity pretty much requires people to overreact a bit, mainly because people need to admire things, so they'll overlook its flaws, etc.. so just saying something popular is overrated is stating the obvious.

Second of all, according to whom? Who is this committee doing all this rating? Who determines the rating of something? Are the overrated-mongers among these ranks, or is their disdain due to their being snubbed? If enough people say something is overrated, eventually it's no longer that, right?

yeah, I know I did it too, but still.

 

[JUN]

 

[Anthile]

To say something is overrated simply means to express the thought that something gains more attention than its actual quality should allow.
Avatar would be the most recent prime example. Without the new and unique special effects, nobody would bother about a Pocahontas remake in space.
Of course this feeling is entirely subjective. There are people who claim the Beatles are overrated and I laugh at them. But this one is tricky though. On the one hand, both influence and quality of their music is very high while I don't think they're some kind of untouchable gods and it bothers me, that bands I see on par with them get far less attention.
Just as I think Citizen Kane is a great movie but certainly not the greatest movie of all time.
It seems when enough people begin to overrate something it reaches a critical mass, it just never stops and people begin to put it on a pedestal.

On top of that, the entertainment industry discovered the power of the hype in the 00's (not that hypes didn't exist before that, mind you). Which means we get hyper-advertisement: bought reviews, tons of TV ads, toys, viral marketing, etc. That means that nowadays products are far more likely to be seen as overrated.

 

[shoeless]

well i think the beatles are overrated, but that's because i (subjectively, of course) don't agree that the quality of their music warrants the hype they received. frankly, i hate a lot of beatles songs. that doesn't mean i don't appreciate what they did, just like i also appreciate that avatar started a new era in the age of animated graphics. still overrated.

as far as i'm concerned, more often than not, "overrated" is just a way to say "i disagree with the mass perception that xxx is mind-blowingly awesome". so i don't see the problem with that. people who use it to assert their superiority over popular culture are already assholes and i don't think there's anything we can do about them.

 

[Pants]

When I was in high school some 6-8 years ago "overrated" was a 'meme' among the sports-playing, party-going kids. If you walked into a store topless it might have been because "Shirts are overrated". No-one ever took it for an actual opinion, or even a substitute. Times have changed? Probably regions, too. Southern Ontario, Canada.

 

[cheese]

I think you've identified a general tendency to apathetic, blase pretension, which I do find annoying.
Appearing bored has long been in fashion though, because of its implications of worldliness (and, in the past, wealth). Personally I find fresh-minded perspective far more interesting and 'cool'. Why let your puny little experiences overshadow your mind and the enjoyment it can bring? Silly.

 

[Niavmai]

Spoiler

Sharks are overrated.

 

[Alexk]

Overrated truly applies to that which even those who cherish it recognize the flaws, but refuse to acknowledge them...

Spoiler

Spoiler

Spoiler

 

[Dunno]

INTP's intelligence is overrated.

Actually, I found out I was INTJ.

 

[Auburn]

"___ is overrated"


Isn't that just a feeble attempt at elevating one's own opinion of a particular things to a quasi-empirical level? It's as if to say one is not stating an opinion any longer but a fact.

 

[Alice?]

INTP's intelligence is overrated.

Actually, I found out I was INTJ.

Your llama is overrated.

 

[Fukyo]

Your llama is overrated.

It's the most awesome thing ever.

Spoiler

 

[Vegard Pompey]

There are people who claim the Beatles are overrated and I laugh at them. But this one is tricky though. On the one hand, both influence and quality of their music is very high while I don't think they're some kind of untouchable gods and it bothers me, that bands I see on par with them get far less attention.

Some guy whose taste in movies I worship to a great extent and whose taste in music I worship to a lesser extent said something along the lines of "Even if the Beatles were actually good, they would still be overrated". That is pretty much exactly how I feel about them, even though I like them.

Anyway, "overrated" is a term I would use when describing something that people are loving unconditionally besides flaws that I find painfully obvious and hard to overlook. For the Beatles, it's the fact that a lot of the time, their songwriting plain sucks. I have no idea why The White Album is as loved as it is. It's outright bad.

 

[echoplex]

To clarify, I don't think there's necessarily anything wrong with saying things are overrated, as I suppose it can be a decent way of describing the apparent lack of fairness and/or rationality involved in people's attachment to things. I think my problem with it is more to do with how it seems to be used too often as a standby criticism, often without any details or reasons given, and seemingly too concerned with the opinions of others rather than one's own opinion. Basically the 'assholes' shoeless described.

Another factor, perhaps, is that I tend to be an optimist when it comes to entertainment. By that I mean I'm typically more concerned with the redeeming qualities of something than constantly being reminded of the negative. I want to know what's good about something, what about it is worth experiencing, if anything. I don't care how it compares to a bunch of fanatics' overreactions (not that there's anything wrong with being a fanatic, it can be fun).

I also think there's often a disrespect of others' experiences at play here. I mean, it's easy to say something's overrated when you didn't have the uniquely mindblowing experience that others did. If it makes people feel good, for whatever reason, then isn't it rated appropriately? Isn't feeling good the idea? I think the gulf is due to the difference between an entity and an experience. For instance, the people who think The Beatles are the greatest thing ever are probably basing that on their experiences, and not some objective analysis of music. But then, isn't creating positive experiences what music (and movies, art, etc.) is all about?

Sharks are overrated.

See, that's what everyone says man, but they just don't get it. I was there way back when sharks first evolved and I can tell you, they were AMAZING. I distinctly remember that small bar where a shark scared the bejeezus out of ALL 12 PEOPLE THERE. Life. Changing. I mean, yeah, I guess there are other scary things. Bears. Heck, even humans, amirite? But if you think they're overrated then you've obviously never seen one eat one of their own fans. That's hardcore.

^ to be fair, these types of people annoy me too.

 

[Words]

Is anyone else tired of people criticizing things/people/whatever by saying it's "overrated"? Oftentimes this seems to substitute an actual opinion and is probably intended to make the person appear wise, as if they're smarter than everyone else who keeps rating things highly. First of all, pretty much anything popular (movies, music, etc.) is overrated. The process of anything exponentially gaining popularity pretty much requires people to overreact a bit, mainly because people need to admire things, so they'll overlook its flaws, etc.. so just saying something popular is overrated is stating the obvious.

Second of all, according to whom? Who is this committee doing all this rating? Who determines the rating of something? Are the overrated-mongers among these ranks, or is their disdain due to their being snubbed? If enough people say something is overrated, eventually it's no longer that, right?

yeah, I know I did it too, but still.

Coincidentally, I've also just started getting irritated by this "trend". I'm thankful you've made the thread and I agree entirely. (for what it's worth).