Why Judgments Matter, gives many examples of why value judgments are important
in our lives. I feel that value judgments are as equally important and it should
be evident why after briefly explaining Frith’s examples and my own as well.
In his first example, Mr. Frith gives insight to David Hare’s comment, “In
the end, Keats was just better than Bob Dylan”. The media, without delay,
misjudged the true meaning of Hare’s statement and transposed it into a debate
of value. Although Mr. Frith did not agree with the media’s tactics, he did
agree with the ‘value’ debate. Mr. Frith Feels that value judgments
“organize social relations” in our life, and he further proves this point
using an example from popular music. Mr. Frith focuses on views in music
studies. Judgments about musicians are generally made in two ways. Firstly, is
the elevation of excitement with ‘community’(joining of performers and their
audience). Secondly, aesthetic and ethical sub-tones during community. This
value placed upon the musicians is very important, this is possibly the deciding
factor in the performer’s career. If more fans come to a concert, then the
performer becomes more popular or valuable. The same goes for the messages sent
out by the performer during a performance. A message that is widely accepted and
adorned will attract more fans. I find that the critical analysis of value
judgments in our lives is of equal importance. I agree with Mr. Frith’s
findings and find them to be true in other life settings as well. As individuals
we use value judgments to prioritize important characteristics in our life,
which shape us into cultural individuals. We place a high judgment on the social
aspect of our culture. Some examples of this include; friendships, personal
appearances, and material items. In friendships, we place value judgment on
moral attributes set by others. It is these attributes that we judge to be
worthy or unworthy of our friendship. Those of similar moral values tend to find
each other in companionship. In personal appearances, we place value on what we
represent ourselves to be. Higher income families tend to pay more attention to
this value for it is a language in which is unspoken. Financial value of one’s
appearance and the personal value (self esteem) of one’s self tend to run
parallel. People place different values on the material items they posses. Two
families may bring the same income into a household, and posses some of the
similar materials. However, it is the value they place on their material items
that make them different. It is this difference that brings out the subjective
individuality. “Evaluation is a key cultural activity”, according to Frith.
Without evaluation we would not be able to set some separation between each
other as individuals, eventually becoming numb to culture as we know it. I feel
it is imperative that we evaluate every aspect of our lives, in turn ensuring
the greatest personal happiness. How does one attain a favorite? Not by
suggestion of a higher authority, but by evaluation. Putting value on things and
making value judgments is what enables us to label what we like and what makes
us happy. Without it, we would not be happy.