And while part of me knows better than to dredge up a topic that everyone is no doubt sick of discussing, I am one of those annoying Internet people who can’t bear to let anything pass without comment. So, in a nutshell, here’s what I think is the difference between genuinely enjoying something you don’t respect and enjoying it ironically:

If you enjoy something genuinely, you enjoy it on its own terms. Despite thinking it’s a bad book, movie, or whatever, you find yourself rooting for the characters, caring about the story, or excited by the action. I recently watched an episode of Bridezillas with my girlfriend, and while I’d classify it as a terrible show (annoying narrator, transparently dishonest editing, problematic in concept) I got caught up in the drama of the couples onscreen. I could refer to it as a guilty pleasure.

If you enjoy something ironically, you’re enjoying the spectacle of its badness. Nobody rents Plan 9 from Outer Space and finds themselves caring whether Jeff and Paula escape Eros’s flying saucer alive. (Thanks, Wikipedia!) They’re enjoying the ridiculousness of the dialogue, the woodenness of the performances, the ineptness of the editing, and the cheesiness of the effects.

Coincidentally, and please don’t feel like I’m picking on you, Pete, but I follow these guys on the tubes of You, and one of them posted this last night:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dsVgk9oMyx8

The Triumvirate, c’mon, that one was rather obvious, Wrather! Oh, and you bring up the Alanis Morissette thing often- are you ever going to just write a piece about it?