by Chris Bodenner
A reader sends a classic NSFW video and explains, "Chris Rock beautifully illustrates a guilty pleasure when he says he loves rap but he's tired of defending it." Another writes:
I like this discussion of guilty pleasures. My take: a guilty pleasure is one of two things. One, it's something you enjoy but that you know is bad for you (fatty foods, for example), or two, it's something you would be embarrassed to be seen indulging in (pornography, for example). Of course, like everything else, this is all subjective: one person's guilty pleasure may be another person's shameless pleasure – obviously not everybody is embarrassed to be known indulging in porn. But I think the historical societal norm is that consuming porn is something to be embarrassed about. As societal norms change, obviously guilty pleasures do too – premarital sex, for example, would once have been considered a very guilty pleasure, but hardly anyone blinks at it nowadays.
Another:
Nowhere in the discussion did I see anyone acknowledge the possibility that art can be appreciated in two different ways, for its craftsmanship and its enjoyability.
I consider guilty pleasures to be the ones that have the latter but not the former (and I don't take "guilty" literally). I can appreciate a movie that is incredibly well-directed and acted even if the story and characters don't appeal to my particular tastes. I can also enjoy a movie with a story and characters that appeal to me even if it is sloppily directed with poor acting. Of course, movies that have both are preferable and it is always a question of degree with each.
For example, I can appreciate the exquisite craftsmanship of a painstakingly hand-made wooden chair but prefer the comfort of a cheap old futon.
In a video chat with Ta-Nehisi a few summers ago, Andrew discussed some of his guilty pleasures in Ptown.
The Dish 