Are You Too Critical?
I think you’re being overly critical, and it’s making you miserable.
In the past, knowledge has been kept in immovable places: universities, research facilities, and libraries. The preeminence of these educational spaces produced a shared trust in what societally counted as informed judgement. Now, thanks to technology, all the knowledge of the human race is widely accessible. Consequently, there has been a world-shifting deinstitutionalization of knowledge, anyone can access, edit, and redistribute information. This change is beneficial because it allows everyone to express themselves more freely, but it can also have significant drawbacks. It has given rise to a massive distrust in scholars and a rise in extremism. As everyone uses the internet to shout their opinions, there is a fight to be heard. And to be heard, you must stand out.
With the rise of internet culture, there has been a massive surge in the validation of exceptionally polarizing opinions. This makes sense. Controversial opinions grab more attention and bring people into a sense of belonging. People enjoy hating the world, and common enemies can be quite bonding, but what becomes incredibly frightening is when these tendencies no longer live solely within a device you can put down. When you constantly hate and criticize aspects of the world which you make contact with every second of your life, you entrap yourself in an inescapable loop of negativity.
Nonetheless, critique can be valuable when it is well-researched and intentionally executed. Critique inherently involves comparison, but must be done so in a surgically careful manner, so as to not create false comparisons. I recently watched The Florida Project, a film that shadows an impoverished 6 year old girl and her struggling mother beneath the piercing Florida sun. I thought it was a stunning piece that illuminated underrepresented aspects of humanity. However, it is important that I take it for what it is, and not critique it for what it isn’t trying to be. The film is very unconventional as it does not have a plot. It should naturally follow that it does not make sense for me to compare it to a plot-driven drama—because it isn’t one. Some pieces of art are simply incomparable. And while it is totally acceptable to dislike a manner of storytelling, it cannot be judged against the backdrop of that which is fundamentally different.
Moreover, there must be a separation between the disliking and discarding of art. Just because a work of art does not fit your preference, you cannot conclude that it is bad. Ultimately, your opinion cannot and should not dictate if something is “good.” It is a crucial media literacy and humanitarian skill to differentiate between an actor's choices, the color grading, word choice, and if it successfully achieves what it set out to do. For instance, I personally do not care for Mariah Carey’s music. But wow, can she sing.
We are on this earth to experience people, places, and differing points of view to build empathy and create bonds of love—not to tear down those with the same goals as us. I am not saying that art shouldn’t be critiqued. It can and should critique itself. But it must not hate, and I believe that we have blurred those lines and lost ourselves in a self-destructive war. To systematically tear apart another’s art is the ultimate offense, and acting with this intent completely misinterprets the purpose of art.
Art is a medium for a person to express themselves. Nothing more, and nothing less. While part of consuming media involves dissecting different components on your palette and providing artists constructive criticism, there is also another element that is far more important: attempting to understand what the art is trying to convey. To take a piece of another’s art and look at their soul. To understand them. To broaden your perspective of what goodness looks like and perceive humanity with a kinder, more generous eye. We become better people because of the art of other people, and to not engage with this truth limits the benefit and ultimate purpose of art. It makes us unhappy.
If you only focus on what is missing, you can never learn to love what’s right in front of you. Looking only at the clouds that litter the sky intercepts any capacity to bask in the sunlight. What a loss.
