Thread likes this will definitely will help in addressing the problem of slow play.
If it is allowed to be about the pace of play, and this one is quickly moving away from that topic.
It serves a purpose if the discussion is on the facets of slow play. "I don't like slow play" does nothing but cite player/viewer preference. That's indicative, but not particularly constructive in framing a problem.
Every player has a rhythm he/she feels most comfortable with. If a known player prefers to play at a very fast place and one forces them to play slower it is no different than forcing slow players to play quicker. Every sport shares this and players have since long ago exploited that aspect to gain an advantage. A sport like basketball is a simple and clear example to most anyone that has watched the game. Tempo is important to proper play.
To be a problem, though, there is generally a logistical concern. Golfers, for instance, often complain of slow play and at times officials have to try to quicken that pace up. That's understandable given the need to get a set number of golfers through a set number of holes before dark. Similarly, something like a straight pool tournament may eventually go to a shot clock if the games are running long, for similiar concerns.
In terms of simple preference, though, the pool/snooker cultural preference brings about another example: american football vs soccer. If one asks an american football fan to comment on soccer (assuming he doesn't particularly care for the sport) and a european soccer fan to comment on american football (same assumption) you get a remarkably similiar answer: It's boring.
It's interesting in that the same argument is used for two vastly different sports. American football is a stop-start sport. An average NFL game only has around 11 minutes of actual action. It's a game played 5 seconds at a time. On the other hand, a soccer match is a 45 minute half of continual action. No timeouts and only occasional stoppages for injuries or resetting the ball. American football could be said to have little to no fluidity whereas soccer is the very definition of such in a sport. Ironically, it is for that reason that the opposing side often cites the other sport as 'boring'.
Anyone that wants to discuss tempo as a primary causal condition to the popularity of pool should think about why it is that pool has never been a popular viewer sport in the United States and why it has in other countries.
