Wow. The Fitzgerald quote is amazing. Thanks for sharing.
As a kid growing up in a poor, rural community, I wasn't exposed to much intellectual writing. The exception was the reprint in the local paper of Ebert's movie reviews, and of course seeing him on one of the two channels that came in on the antenna.
When so many around me thought that being dissatisfied with the intellectual equivalent of McDonald's was elitist, Ebert reminded me that it wasn't cynical to look down on thoughtless garbage; rather, it was hopeful to demand that movie studios realize that we weren't as dumb as they think we are.
As a kid growing up in a poor, rural community, I wasn't exposed to much intellectual writing. The exception was the reprint in the local paper of Ebert's movie reviews, and of course seeing him on one of the two channels that came in on the antenna.
When so many around me thought that being dissatisfied with the intellectual equivalent of McDonald's was elitist, Ebert reminded me that it wasn't cynical to look down on thoughtless garbage; rather, it was hopeful to demand that movie studios realize that we weren't as dumb as they think we are.