Reference: Left-Right Line

Rick Retro’s Reference Rundown #10: Opinion Block, Left-Right Line

Retro Reviews Reference

As a reminder, the Opinion Block begins with the Grade Line and my overall grade for the work. Next the Entertainment Quality Line reveals my EQ (👍), my grade for the Entertainment Quality of the work divorced from my opinion about the viewpoint of the work. After the Dark Whimsy Line, the POPCAP Line reveals the popular opinion percentile (POP 🍿) of the work.

The fifth line of the Opinion Block is the Left-Right Line. Here, for additional comparison before the review begins, I give you a quick peek at two potentially contrasting viewpoints on the work, with My View in the middle.

The Left-Right Line might look like one of these examples:
L-R 💻⬇️5️⃣ 👀⬆️0️⃣ 🛐⬆️2️⃣
L-R 💻⬆️3️⃣ 👀⬇️2️⃣ 🛐⬇️4️⃣
L-R 💻⬇️0️⃣ 👀⬆️1️⃣ 🛐⬇️1️⃣
L-R 💻⬇️2️⃣ 👀⬆️🔼 🛐⬆️0️⃣
L-R 💻⬇️4️⃣ 👀⬇️⏬ 🛐⬇️1️⃣

The three emojis used before the ratings stand for:
💻 PC View
👀 My View
🛐 “Holy” View

You can translate the ⬆️ emoji to stand for the word “up”, while ⬇️ means “down”.

The number following the ⬆️ or ⬇️ indicates the likely number of grade steps that particular view would reward (⬆️) or penalize (⬇️) the work, based on the values of that view, compared to the base Entertainment Quality of the work.

👀 My View

My View is rated to indicate how it changes the grade I give for Entertainment Quality (EQ 👍) into my overall grade for the work. A favorable My View rating cannot raise a high EQ to an overall grade better than A+, and an unfavorable My View rating cannot decrease a low EQ to an overall grade below D- or F.

My View is shaped more by intent than content. If there is content that makes a work less appropriate for younger viewers, or acceptable only for adults, I am concerned with whether or not the work disapproves and condemns the behavior or promotes and glorifies the behavior. In the same way, if the work comes from a viewpoint I don’t agree with, I’m not too concerned, unless it promotes or glorifies that viewpoint.

My View originates from my agreement with Christian values, Biblical values, and Judeo-Christian conservative political values. These viewpoints and values are examined in greater detail in the Viewpoint Block.

A rating of 👀⬆️# or 👀⬇️# is how many grade steps my overall grade increases or decreases from EQ due to my opinion about the work’s viewpoint. For example, 👀⬆️1️⃣ means a work with an EQ graded “B+” receives an overall grade of “A-”. 👀⬇️2️⃣ might be an EQ graded “B-” dropping to an overall grade of “C”.

A rating of 👀⬆️0️⃣ or 👀⬇️0️⃣ indicates that My View about the work’s viewpoint does not effect my overall grade for the work. It is the same as the EQ rating, but 👀⬆️0️⃣ would indicate a slightly positive opinion about the work’s viewpoint, with 👀⬇️0️⃣ being slightly negative.

⬆️🔼, ⬆️⏫, ⬇️🔽, and ⬇️⏬ mean no full grade steps have increased or decreased, but the overall grade is slightly higher or lower than it otherwise would be. For example, what would have been an “A v” overall grade goes up to an “A >” or an “A ^”. Or a “B+^” goes down to a “B+>” or a “B+v”. This level of detail is only used on My View, not the PC or “Holy” Views.

💻 PC View

Let’s take a quick look at the PC View 💻. This represents how holding a typical politically correct modern left-wing viewpoint would probably influence a reader or viewer to feel about the work. So, for example, a 💻⬆️3️⃣ means that a work with an Entertainment Quality (EQ 👍) of “B-” is viewed as an “A-” work to someone with a PC View. 💻⬇️2️⃣ means a work with an EQ of “A” is viewed as a “B+” to someone with a PC View.

The modern PC View typically originates from a humanist and/or romanticist perspective. It places a high priority on Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) values. It seeks to minimize, or even denies biological differences between genders, or that there are just two genders. It typically agrees with some Christian values, while disagreeing with others, and often disapproves of many Biblical values and conservative political values. This is just a brief summary. There’s more.

In many cases, My View will be at odds with the PC View, but there will be a few cases where I might agree on some points. In the future, I plan to link a Rick Retro’s Rationale here, which will go into more detail about the PC View and how it compares to My View.

🛐 “Holy” View

Now let's take a quick look at the “Holy” View 🛐. While My View is a viewpoint that comes from having Christian conservative values, My View will not necessarily conform to the typical left-wing stereotype of Christian conservatives as judgmental right-wing bigots. The “Holy” View might fit that stereotype better.

I want to be careful here. From work to work, My View will be closer to the “Holy” View, or even agree with it, more often than it will be closer to, or agree with, the PC View. I don't like to criticize Christians with whom I mostly agree on important issues.

Unfortunately, there are many Christians who take a moralistic view of entertainment, in which they believe that any content inappropriate for children and teens is also automatically inappropriate for adults. In addition, they may often question whether Christians should consume any entertainment that contradicts Christian values or promotes non-Christian values.

I put quotation marks around “Holy” to describe the “Holy” View, because I don't agree that this viewpoint is the correct viewpoint for Christians to hold, or that it confers any extra virtue to someone who does hold it. I trust mature Christian adults to use their own judgment about entertainment and discern the truths and falsehoods in artistic works. I think that it is valuable for Christians to be informed about popular cultural works and able to engage with non-Christians about them in conversation. In the future, I will link a Rick Retro’s Rationale here, which will go into more detail about the “Holy” View and how it compares to My View.

So anyways, the rating for the “Holy” View represents how holding that viewpoint would probably influence a reader or viewer to feel about the work. So, for example, a 🛐⬆️3️⃣ means that a work with an Entertainment Quality (EQ 👍) of “B-” is viewed as an “A-” work to someone with a “Holy” View. 🛐⬇️2️⃣ means a work with an EQ of “A” is viewed as a “B+” to someone with a “Holy” View.

Originally posted to text group in three parts, 2025-01-12, 2025-01-13 and 2025-01-14
Last updated 2025-02-03

Retro Reviews Reference Pages:

Reference Overview
Header Block:
Primary Information Line
Version Line
Secondary Information Line
Franchise/Series Lines
Opinion Block:
Grade Line
Entertainment Quality Line
Dark Whimsy Line
POPCAP Line
Left-Right Line
Footer Block:
Review Lines
Genre Line
Content Block:
Overall Content Line
Content Detail Line
Viewpoint Block:
My View Line
Christian Values Line
Biblical Values Line
Political Values Line

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