[monkeyodeath]

What, pray tell, constitutes "necessary" in art?

People act like the only point of narrative work is to tell a story and advance a plot, forgetting that some of the greatest novels, plays, and movies of all time have creaky plots and barely-there stories, and plenty of "unnecessary" stuff.

[Zababa]

I don't think the discussion is around "art", considering the examples given in the article. It's mostly about mass media.

[Brian_K_White]

Ok, so they should have asked "What constitutes 'necessary' in entertainment?"

So what? The new question with the approved honest accurate words, not like that original agenda'd deceptive one, still stands.

[Zababa]

> So what?

I think the difference is that "What constitutes necessary in art?" is pretty much a closed debate, as it's related to the nature of art, while for entertainment it's a bit different, as it's often (at least in that case it is) made for mass consumption. Since it's made for mass consumption, you can more easily argue about their moral responsibilities than with "art".

> The new question with the approved honest accurate words, not like that original agenda'd deceptive one, still stands.

It does, and I don't have a good answer to it.

[monkeyodeath]

True. I guess it's pretty much just product (or should I say "content") that we're discussing, despite all the lip service given to the idea that it's this really creative endeavor.