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If you can't do better…

31st August 2009

If you can't say anything nice, don't say anything at all! I'd like to see you do better! — And so on. How can people not see the logical fallacy in this? Just because I don't/can't do something (either at all or better), I have no right to criticize it? Seriously?

Let me show you a blatantly obvious example. So you're given this brand new car for a test ride. You get in with the maker of the car. (How you got to know a person like this I'll leave to your imagination.) But you notice that the headlights are facing away from the car, so that you can't see the middle of the road in front of you. “Well… wouldn't it be better, you know, if the headlights faced the road so I could see?” you say. The car maker immediately jumps and starts shouting at you: “What?! Well I'd like to see you make a better car, if you're such an expert! I gave you a free ride, you don't have to be here if you don't like it!” At that moment, you're probably sitting there staring at him dumbfounded by the ridiculousness of what he just said.

But for some reason, this doesn't strike people when they come across criticism of smaller things like, say, drawings or blog posts. Sure, a lot of people can draw or write. Why don't you go and make your own blog, see if people like it better, huh? Yeah, but have you noticed that most video game reviewers actually don't make games? Or that film critics don't make movies? Or book reviewers?

Sure, negative criticism can make you feel bad, especially if it's ill-intended. But if you can put your feelings aside, you'll notice that feedback from others actually makes you improve. And isn't that usually a good thing? Unless you want to remain a bad artist/writer/whatever… Besides, negative comments can be made hilarious, if done right! (For some reason, you can't usually make positive criticism sound funny, at least not as easily) Sarcasm, ridicule and absurdities come into play, snarky comments appear, hilarity ensues! And humor is good for you!

So there you go! Criticize all you want, feedback is a good thing! Even negative one. (Just don't diss, that's neither funny nor valuable.)

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