Bashing: vb, hostile comment directed at a particular individual or group...

[Essex]

just to add fuel to the fire: definition of bashing:

bash (CRITICIZE)

verb {T}

to criticize someone severely:

..........................

[The Only Real Estel]

Yes, that is rather an over-simplification of my view.

Sorry if it was too over-simplified, Sauce, but I had a very limited amount of time in which to create the thread so I didn't have time to look up a lot of threads on the subject. I did, however, remember you recently saying:

Essex is correct that listing things that you hate or dislike about the films is film-bashing.

in a film & so I used that to help me simplify things. Again, sorry if I over-simplified it too badly.

And even when backed up by sensible reasoning, when people make the same criticisms over and over again whenever the opportunity presents itself, I call that bashing. Or repeated knocking, if you like.

As Boromir88 mentioned, I think you have to define 'whenever the opportunity presents sitself.' If a new thread is created that I think has some value to it & it asks an opinion on a scene I've already talked about before, I'll raise the same criticisms again. Now if someone tries to hijack every thread by turning the discussion with a "that reminds me of this totally off-topic [of the thread] beef I have with PJ, let me redirect our conversation," that would certainly qualify as 'repeated knocking.'

just to add fuel to the fire: definition of bashing:
Quote:

bash (CRITICIZE)

verb {T}

to criticize someone severely:

By the way, I hope you know I wasn't trying to push my view with the subject of the thread...it was simply a lame attempt at being creative.

[The Saucepan Man]

I have to say that I am at a loss to see why everyone is getting so defensive about this.

As Essex has pointed out, to bash something, in the sense that we are discussing, means to criticise it heavily. So, if you repeatedly criticise the films, or any aspect of them, you are bashing them.

Nothing wrong in that per se. The important point is that you back up your arguments with reasoned analysis. I don't believe that I have ever bashed anyone here for not doing that.

[Boromir88]

SpM, only thing I can come up with is the connotation to the word "bashing." Definitely has a negative connotation, as in bludgering a person repeatedly over the head kind of connotation.

Where "intellegent criticism" seems to have a much more positve connotation to it.

[Elladan and Elrohir]

I criticize the movies at a lot of points (I guess that makes me a bona fide basher), but I'm also open to some changes.

The more I understand about how movies are made, the more I can come to terms with SOME of the changes PJ made. Some of them I still can't figure out. The important thing for me is that PJ has a reason for each change. I may or may not not agree with that reason, but he'd better have one.

Personally, despite the dictionary definition posted, I don't think repeated criticism of something is bashing. Like Boromir88 said, I think the word bashing has a very negative connotation: Few like to be accused of it. I know I don't.

I definitely think that we can have intelligent discussions about what we like or don't like about the movies without resorting to, quote unquote, "bashing." But, "bashing" does happen from time to time, even on this forum, and that's fine. I guess.

[Azaelia of Willowbottom]

There is definitely a difference between bashing and criticism. I have no problem with people who want to intelligently debate/criticise something, using support from various sources instead of "The movies are so bad, and I hate them" over and over without providing any legitimate reasons why.

Bashing is often personal, in my experience, such as "The movies are so bad, I hate them, and you're an idiot for liking them"...Ok, maybe not quite so in-your-face as that, but something that usually implies that people who don't agree are not worth listening to and/or are less smart. This is often coupled with a refusal to pay decent attention to anything the other person says.

What isn't bashing is using evidence from the books and explaining why you do not like something that PJ did with the movies. This goes along with an understanding that people are probably going to disagree with you, and a willingness to be open-minded when entering into debate.

Criticising the movies in general should not be called bashing. It's criticising the movies/criticising people who like the movies while using a particularly unpleasant, disrespectful attitude and, perhaps, in a more personal "I-don't-like-you" way.

I am a big fan of the movies on many accounts, and enjoy a little friendly debate...but *friendly* is the key word there. Once the discussion moves out of "friendly" territory, bashing starts to happen.

[Tigerlily Gamgee]

Oh, hey... I've been mentioned here! Haha.

In short, bashing to me is this:
Someone who spews negative comments and/or tears apart something without having the educated discussion to back it up. Meaning... if you can support your dislikes with examples, then it's more of a critical argument, but if you do it "just because" then you are bashing. Bashing, to me, is kind of like when I subbed and the little kids would randomly call each other names, just because they could. I don't think that any of the kids could actually back up that the other kid was, indeed, "stupid."