Ever since I can remember, I've always hated the term overrated. Everytime I hear someone use the word it instantly tweeks a nerve deep inside me, and I think I know why.
According to dictionary.com, there are two definitions that are essentially the same thing:
to rate or appraise too highly; overestimate
To overestimate the merits of; rate too highly.
I believe that this is the definition most people assume when using the word. To me, the very definition seems unprofessionally authoritarian and unsubstantiated. I fail to understand how anything in this world can be overrated, simply because of the fact that an overestimation or a rating of something is a completely subjective human experience. If you personally rate the merits of something lower than the popular opinion, that simply reflects a dissonance in your opinion with that of others. In no way does this mean that others have rated it too highly, simply because they were higher than your own.
What does it take for something to be overrated? I want to know what you really mean when you say something is overrated. What objective body of ranking are you refering to when you call something overrated by someone or some organization.
If you say Kevin Federline is overrated, what authority are you appealing to in making that statement? If you say that Perfect Dark Zero was overrated by Gamespot, are you saying it just because it gave the game a higher number than most other sites? And who's to say that Gamespot wasn't the actually correct review site and all the others underrated it?
Any arguments or insights are welcome, so tell me, why do you use the term overrated?
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