Ah, good old lowered expectations...yes Taylor I believe that IS the best way to view ANY performance. And depending if you are an optimist or a pessimist your "objective analysis" will either make you gush with glee at the genius before you, make you yawn from the mediocrity cliche-ing its way across the stage, or knife yourself in the eye to make the pain stop. The choice is yours.
Regarding your anthropologistic (yes I made up a word, sue me) partakings, I can only concur that it is interesting indeed to watch mankind dwindle to the state of tribal chest beating that we often see it achieve through its Caligulistic (another new word for my own special dictionary, hurah!) undertakings of Roman blood and sploodge (yup, did it again) intertwining with every tornadic (somebody stop me!) loop around its perpetual downward spiral.
Clint.