Reference: My View Line

Rick Retro’s Reference Rundown #15: Viewpoint Block, My View Line

Retro Reviews Reference

Following the body of the review, the Footer Block and the Content Block is the Viewpoint Block, where I analyze the viewpoint of the work reviewed.

The first line of the Viewpoint Block is the My View Line.

The My View Line might look like one of these examples:
👀⬆️0️⃣ ➖(😐)
👀⬇️2️⃣ ➖😍🗿👿
👀⬆️1️⃣
👀⬆️🔼 ➖(🥱)
👀⬇️⏬ ➖☢️(Buddhist viewpoint)

The emoji used before the rating (👀) stands for My View and the rating will always be identical to the My View rating found in the center of the Left-Right Line in the Opinion Block just before the body of the review.

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

A rating of 👀⬆️# or 👀⬇️# is how many grade steps my overall grade increases or decreases from the Entertainment Quality rating (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 affect 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. A rating of 👀➡️0️⃣ means I’m completely neutral about the work’s viewpoint. That might be because its viewpoint isn’t clear to me, or because the pros and cons even out in my opinion.

⬆️🔼, ⬆️⏫, ⬇️🔽, 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”.

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.

You are more likely to see a large number after a “down” rating from me, than after I give an “up” rating. That's because, to me, a horrible message can ruin an otherwise entertaining work, while a positive message can only go a little ways to improve a work that isn’t as entertaining as it should be. I’m watching movies and shows, and reading fiction for entertainment purposes, and while I like messaging I agree with, I’m not looking for a sermon on those messages. (Show, don’t tell.) Conversely, I have a bigger issue with works promoting heinous messages I disagree with.

Unlike when My View appears in the Left-Right Line of the Opinion Block, the My View Line gives a little more detail about factors that influence my view about the viewpoint of a work.

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.

Therefore, the next three lines of ratings in the Viewpoint Block are: Christian Values, Biblical Values and (Judeo-Christian) Political Values. They all contribute to the My View rating. Positive ratings on those lines may contribute positively to My View and negative ratings usually contribute negatively to My View. However sometimes low positive and negative Values ratings won’t impact My View very much and you will see 👀⬆️0️⃣ or 👀⬇️0️⃣ on the My View Line.

My View will not be followed by emojis that explain attributes positively impacting the My View rating. Refer to the three Values ratings to see positive factors that impacted those ratings which flow up to the My View rating.

My View can be followed by emojis that indicate viewpoints put forth in the work that negatively impact as many as all three of the Values ratings. The three Values ratings in turn may be followed by additional negative emojis that flow up to impact the My View rating.

An emoji can be used up to three times indicating a light, moderate or heavy negative impact on the ratings. An emoji in parentheses indicates a world view clearly held by the work, but perhaps only referenced in passing, not promoted. In these cases, the work is probably virtue signaling, and just assumes you share this viewpoint, while being more focused on entertaining you than persuading you. (Many works also assume you share their viewpoint while still promoting or even glorifying that viewpoint. In such a case the emoji will not be in parentheses.)

➖Negative Explanatory Emojis

(Can be considered to be contradictory to Christian, Biblical and Judeo-Christian Political Values, and applying to all three of those lines following the My View Line)
😐 Humanist viewpoint (atheistic, anti-supernatural, anti-religion, Anti-Christian, anti-private property, anti-family, anti-nations, pro-socialism, pro-communism)
🦠 Evolutionary viewpoint (a humanist viewpoint about science, denies God’s agency in creation, physical laws and scientific truth)
😍 Romanticist viewpoint (man is basically noble and good, and should follow his heart and feelings, not his intellect and logic, truth is subjective, not objective)
🗿 Pagan viewpoint (a wide range of beliefs in false gods, often nothing is sinful, anything goes, often sensual pleasures and material wealth are life goals, may include New Age beliefs)
👹 Anti-colonial viewpoint (favors pagan, tribal, indigenous values over Western Christian values)
🔮 Occult viewpoint (a more specific pagan viewpoint focusing on supernatural beliefs, including astrology, witchcraft, Satanism)
☢️ Other false religion viewpoints (followed by religion in parentheses)
🏳️‍🌈 Homosexual viewpoint (promotes homosexuality, co-exists with humanist, romanticist and pagan viewpoints)
🏳️‍⚧️ Transgender viewpoint (promotes transgenderism, co-exists with humanist, romanticist and pagan viewpoints)
♻️ Environmentalist viewpoint (worships creation over creator, may tend towards misanthropy, co-exists with humanist, romanticist and pagan viewpoints)
☮️ Pacifist viewpoint (favors appeasement over confronting evil, co-exists with humanist, romanticist and pagan viewpoints)
🥱 Isolationist viewpoint (favors ignoring foreign evils)

The My View Line may be followed by a line of explanation to include or clarify info not easily explained by the emojis. More significant discussion may be included in the body of the review.

Originally posted to text group 2025-01-26
Last updated 2025-02-06

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

⬅️Previous (all sections) | Next (all sections) ➡️