A little less judgment, please

So last night was the American Music Awards, which I have watched more years than not. I didn't enjoy it much last night but it wasn't because of the winners or the performances. The reason I didn't was the Twitter commentary. Granted, I could have turned off my Tweet Deck. I should have. I would have enjoyed the show more. I may not have agreed with the award winners but the level of judgment I saw is what sucked more than any of the performances. If people hated it so much, why didn't they turn off their TV? I saw so many complaints about the music, about who won. I understand these artists are in the public eye and subject themselves to it. Everyone has a right to see/hear something and say "I don't like that." And that's perfectly fine. But why do people have to be so mean about it? Why do you have to bash that person? I don't care for Nicki Minaj but I didn't insult her. I respect others' opinions who might enjoy her music and weird style. For example, a lot of people don't like Kesha and talked shit about her. I happen to like her, even though she's strange. Her music is fun and at least she expresses herself. Is that what freaks people out? Of course, she's not for everyone. Neither is your favorite artist. Shouldn't we celebrate the diversity? The right of someone else to like that song, that dance? Even if you don't like it, that person is probably doing what they've always dreamed. Who are we to judge that?

It doesn't just happen with entertainers, of course. I see it all the time and it deeply saddens me. "She's ugly. She's an idiot. I wish she would go away." And those are the nicest things. Seriously, I don't like country music so I mute songs I don't like without bashing the artist or person. At least I hope I haven't bashed anyone. If I have, I apologize. Yeah, I bashed 50 Shades of Grey a bit because it's terrible writing but I try to respect the opinion of those who love it. I'll admit it's a bit of jealousy that it got published and my writing hasn't (yet). Maybe that's part of what it is with people who were bashed last night? Jealousy? Maybe you wish your favorite artist was given that much air time? I know I do but I also know my favorite artist(s) are probably not going to appear on an awards show anytime soon and even when they do, they're not going to get the respect they deserve. That's just how it is these days. That doesn't mean Justin Beiber didn't deserve his awards. I've always been indifferent toward him but he impressed me last night. His songs are good, his voice was strong and he's a hell of a performer. Ditto for The Wanted. I tend to not like any boy bands except my beloved New Kids on the Block, but I gave them a chance and they were really good. I did want them to start dancing but I guess that's not their thing. ;)

My point is simple. Treat others how you want to be treated. Say about others what you want someone to say about you. If you were on that stage, would you want someone to point out what you did wrong or what you did right? If it were your favorite artist, what would you want people to focus on? Kinda puts things in perspective, doesn't it? We all just need to be a little kinder to one another, whether the other person is famous or not. More love, less hate. More coming together, less division. Is that possible? Maybe I'm naive and a dreamer, but I like to think it is.