If one has “no taste” in matters such as art or music, how does one go about attaining it?
Furthermore, if it is impossible to acquire said taste, what is the point in telling people they have none of it?
Well, one could merely immerse himself into the art until he figures it out. This seems to work… sometimes.
Because it makes me feel cultured and superior.
Well, I wonder if “taste” might not be like music.
For example,
music**:amusia as taste:**???
I wore this to my great aunt Gretchenmerdle’s funeral:
And would you believe that Granny May had the nerve to tell me I wasn’t dressed very tastefully? 
(I personally think she was just jealous.)
Of course you can acquire taste. Unless, of course, you come from the wrong sort of family.
[Cran: this is not an invitation to tell me what sort of family you come from. Thanks.]
Bloomfield, Darling, stop being so cryptic.
I come from a good, upstanding family, if you overlook some people. That’s the way with all good, upstanding families.
I think you must be my brother, Walden.
Cause you have to overlook me? 
Actually, I meant I think we have some of the same family members. You and I’re the upstanding ones.
Everyone has taste in something. To say something is in poor taste or good taste depends on who’s saying it and where they are at the time.
Cran, I love the curlers.
[quote="Cranberry
I wore this to my great aunt Gretchenmerdle’s funeral:
And would you believe that Granny May had the nerve to tell me I wasn’t dressed very tastefully?
(I personally think she was just jealous.)[/quote]
Well Duh! It was because your left stocking was drooping…
Ever heard of the French Graphic Artist Jean Giraud, who goes by the pen name of Moebius? He did a lovely little story - without any dialogue or words at all - called “Is man good?”
It started off with an armed spaceman in a deserted landscape. Alien figures appear, in quantity, and the spaceman is besiged alone on a not-so-large rock, or standing stone. The aliens are sufficient in number to topple this stone, and the spaceman is captured, stripped of his suit and gear, and brought, naked, to the chief alien.
…who tears off the man’s ear, and pops it in his (the alien’s) mouth.
He chews for a few moments, and then spits it out in obvious disgust.
The aliens then kick the man away and retreat, leaving him naked, bleeding from the ear, and arguably insulted…
I guess it all comes down to “taste”! 
This Alien doesn’t think humas are so bad…
And this guy gets a genuine kick out of the human race…
BTW, Cran…
Good taste (or bad taste for that matter, depending on which trend-set you beling to 
) in anything, music, wine, food, clothing, literature, etc. comes from broad life experiences; if you’re not out there experiencing a broad number of situations and variables you certainly won’t develop any sense good taste, that’s for sure.
You want good taste in music? Sample extensively from all genres, even ones you consider base or crude. If you don’t experience “bad” music, how on earth will you know what “good” music is, you get my drift (using good and bad in quotations, because good and bad, in a musical sense, can get to be a little on the relative side once you eliminate qualifiers like talent, style, etc)? While sampling all these bits from the veritable smorgasborg available (it takes time, a lifetime, for that matter IMHO) you must be honest with yourself in what you consider to be “good” music, because I promise you that there will be at least one example from a genre you propbably really dislike that you will be able to like.
(I know I’m gonna get flamed for this, but what the hell) If all you listen to is ITM or gospel, for example, and don’t sample from other genres there is absolutely no way you’ll develop a good sense of musical taste. You’ll have great taste in ITM or Gospel music, but, IMHO, that’s where it ends. There are people who stick religiously to one genre who feel they have very good musical taste (this is where I’ll probably be nailed); one can see several examples of this here in the forums… (please don’t shoot me)
Broaden your horizons as far as you can, and be honest with yourself about what truly makes up “good” music and you should find yourself with, at the very least, very informed taste in music.
[/soapbox]
Further to Tyler’s post, this place houses a lot of people with a vast amount of knowledge of (collectively) just about every type of music you are ever likely to encounter. Knowledgable people are making suggestions and providing links all the time. Follow them up and, if the music grabs you, check out their suggestions. If you find yourself getting into jazz or gospel or Ethiopian soul music or whatever, and you want a listening guide, start a thread asking those who’ve spent years listening what the best records to start with are and give them a listen.
This community is a wonderfully rich resource. Use it.
Moebius was one of my favorites. Are there still Heavy Metal magazines?
Yep. And they’re loaded.
Dang good point Tyler and I concur. Aren’t you glad? You can sleep well now.
My objection with the popular notion of “taste” is the judgement people pass on others because they don’t like the same thing. One who has less “taste” is inherently inferior as a person. For example the person who likes Travis Tritt has less taste than the person who likes Rossini. The person who likes Stephen King has less taste than one who likes Emerson.
I guess my point is sometimes “taste” is just an excuse for snobbery.
Taste depends on what you’re doing and where you are when you do it. Cran’s outfit may be bad taste for a funeral but perfect for a drag competition.
Playing Chopin at a IRTrad session is in bad taste but busting out with Flogging the Whistler while sitting in the orchestra at a Chopin concert would also be in bad taste.
I, of course, am free of such prejudice.
horseshit!
Horses hit what?
an acquired taste.