What’s the difference between good taste and common taste?

People often compliment others on what good taste they have, but really what does that mean, beyond a knack for picking a crowd-pleaser?

Think about it. If you have “good taste”, it means you’re able to select what most people would appreciate. Wine, shoes, clothes, partners, books, movies, music, furniture—you name it.

Nobody’s going to say you have good taste on picking that jarringly fuchsia couch. Or that crazy music. Or that boyfriend with his eyes just a little too far apart.

But is it bad taste or just…uncommon?

Ironically, telling someone they have “common” taste often carries the opposite, negative connotation, as if it were too pedestrian, too unsophisticated.

But most of all, when people tell you you have good taste, it really just means they have it, because it’s a sneaky affirmation to let you know that your choice matches up to their standards.

Side note: This post marks the upgrade of my blog from Wordpress 1.5 to 2.6.3. I understand most of the Intarweb has upgraded, but my crippling fear of breaking my blog prevented this upgrade til now. But I am very pleased to say it took me all of 20 minutes and my, my, isn’t it prettier on the backend! Oh, not much difference for you readers, though.