The man who truly and disinterestedly enjoys any one thing in the world, for its own sake, and without caring two-pence what other people say about it, is by that very fact forearmed against some of our subtlest modes of attack. You should always try to make the patient abandon the people or food or books he really likes in favour of the "best" people, the "right" food, the "important" books.

-- Screwtape

The point isn't that 50 Shades might turn out to be great art that you need to enjoy. The point is to practice trying to see another point of view. That's why I didn't propose "The Finnegan's Wake Book Club".

I think the idea that, if lots of people like it, there's probably something likeable there. Even if it's low-status. (Note there was no suggestion of hunting for obscure failures.)

I thought there was some research that knowing other people like something is a more accurate predictor of whether you'll like it than having other specific information about what it's like.