Let me address some points here.
While I do think that individual taste has a bearing on the discussion, I don't think resorting to 'well that's just like, your opinion, man' is conducive to good discussion. What I take issue with on people not liking pop isn't that I think they just have bad opinions, it's that I think they're wrong about the quality, value, and artistry of pop music.
So I'm not going to engage with a person critically who takes the view that ultimately we might as well just be talking about whether red or blue is a better colour or whether apples or bananas are the best fruits. Why would I? That person doesn't see any value to what I'm saying beyond an expression of what I merely happen to prefer. I might as well be doing interpretive dance or writing poetry.
Maybe what you might want to say is that Applause is your favourite Gaga video. That's a different matter and I'd never drag anybody for having a favourite video because of what it means to you, or you particularly like the themes, or whatever. But I think there's a big distinction between something that's your favourite and the best and worst. And I've said this before but I think that stans are probably the least qualified people in the world to accurately judge and differentiate between their favourite and the best works of their faves.
That's why I think it's delusional to claim that Applause is her best music video rather than your favourite. Because it's not just you sharing your opinions, like you telling us your favourite flavour ice cream, it's you making somewhat absurd claims about the level of artistry of the videos. And I take it that any casual observer can see that the quality of the Applause video lags well behind something like Bad Romance or Poker Face; which is at least part of the reason why Bad Romance and Poker Face are touchstone of 21st century pop culture whereas Applause is already forgotten by virtually everybody.
What's stupid here is that I don't even strongly dislike the Applause video. It's not Marry The Night quality trash, and it's better than anything she's done since. But comparing it to a cultural icon like her earlier works is frankly ridiculous, and demeans the quality of those works by comparison.
