Are you conflating "lager" with "cheap american faux pilsner swill"? Because as a bartender who's had training in beer, I can tell you that the only difference between "ale" and "lager" is the type of yeast used and the temperature at which it does it's work. There are plenty of both good and bad beers in both categories, and there are even some beers which have characteristics of both, namely the "steam" beer type which uses lager-type yeast at higher temperatures usually used with ale yeasts.
"Ale good, lager bad" is a horrid oversimplification at best and a gross inaccuracy at worst.