Social Media: Critics/Criticize

Last week, I had the opportunity to see a new movie. I sat in the dark, with a drink and a bucket of popcorn, and enjoyed the fruits of labor performed by hundreds of people who either wrote, produced, directed, designed, built, supported, or marketed the movie. After the movie, it occurred to me that I now had an opinion about the final results of their labors and could criticize the set design, the length of the movie, the quality of the dialogue, or any one of the million pieces that go into making a movie what it is.

I also realized that there are really just two types of critics: those who critique and those who criticize. I would define a critique as a thorough analysis of an issue, most often containing a suggestion or recommendation at the end. By contrast, criticism is merely expressing disapproval of someone or something based on perceived faults or mistakes.

With the advent of the internet and social media, the ability to criticize, rather than critique, has become easier than ever. Movie goers can point out faults in a film instantly, sometimes before the movie is even finished. And it’s not just the movies. We go to restaurants and criticize the food, we walk into a business and criticize the service, or we read an article and criticize the writer.

Having opinions is part of being human and I obviously don’t exempt myself from that. I offer my critiques, or criticisms, just as much as everyone else does. I am critical of myself and my staff every day when I feel like there is a better way to get our jobs done.

So, what has all of this self-reflection brought me to, you ask? It’s this: When we express those opinions, do we choose to do it with ridicule and contempt, without taking the time to understand the issue at hand, or are we engaged in the issue, studying it to understand its complexities, and then sincerely offering our suggestions for how to do it better?

A quick Google search brought me to this quote from President Theodore Roosevelt taken from a speech he delivered in France in the year 1910. He said, “It is not the critic who counts; not the man who points out how the strong man stumbles, or where the doer of deeds could have done them better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena.”

Now don’t get me wrong. I’m not saying that everyone is required to be involved to have an opinion. Even the grown man, in his mother’s basement, typing away at his computer until 3 o’clock in the morning, gets to have and express his opinion. And admittedly, not everyone feels passionately about every issue. Many people are content with how things are and want to go about their lives. Others don’t feel strongly enough to justify the time necessary to be involved in a meaningful way. But if you choose to be involved, to try to sway others, might I suggest that rather than being a critic for the sake of proving to others how enlightened we are (on Facebook, online forums, at school, in the store, or anywhere else) that we first ask if our ideas might drive positive improvement the next go-round. Do we have a solution to the problem? Have we spent the time understanding the intent and the work done by so others?

Answering those questions isn’t always easy for more difficult subjects beyond movies, but they can improve our interactions and they can help us to build a forward-thinking, healthy community. Offering sincere advice and opinion is always more effective if done in the arena. Commenting from afar is like being one of 100,000 other spectators, whose cheers and boos comments just sound like static to the players on the field. Doing drive-by commentary only proves George Washington right, when he said (from another Google search), “In a free and republican government, you cannot restrain the voice of the multitude. Every man will speak as he thinks, or more properly, without thinking.”

As always, if you ever have any questions, comments, or criticism regarding our work at the City of Tehachapi, I have a small office that’s only a few feet from the front door of City Hall and I will always make time for constructive discuss. If you prefer, you can also call me at (661) 822-2200 or contact me via e-mail at [email protected].