The Critic (Photo credit: A river runs through)
”Do you know the easiest job in the world?” My friend asked nibbling through her popcorn as we watched Mel Gibson‘s acclaim film, ‘The Patriot.’
”No,” I replied absent-mindedly, totally engrossed with Mel Gibson hacking through the body of a British soldier who had taken his son.
”The job of a critic,” she declared self righteously, her eyes spitting fire and I groaned inwardly, knowing exactly where the conversation was heading.
”Huh,” I grunted and she got the message. I was not going to allow her distract my attention from the film.
The film was over before I knew it and I saw her off, we chatted briefly about the story line and the American war of Independence and she left with a promise to keep in touch. On my way back home, I thought about the question she’d asked earlier.
We are all critics one way or the other, watching X factor, I had my favourites contestants, there are some books I would never read, some music I would never listen to and some movies I would never watch and I think I am not alone. That doesn’t make me a critic but I just chose not to like such forms of entertainment.
Granted, it’s easy to criticise but sometimes critics can build us up and make us a better person. Writers hated bad reviews with a passion, I do and I even dread it with every fibre of my being but sometimes you can see through the eyes of a critic and improve yourself.
But some people would never see anything good about anything or anybody, people like that have problems, deep-seated issues about their lives.
Maybe you’ve come across people like that in your neighbourhood, it could be anywhere, my advice… Just ignore them and live your life with no care in the world!
Everyone cannot love you, Barack Obama can testify to that. It is deeply imbedded in our makeup as humans, we are irrevocably fallible and prone to seeking people’s approval, when we don’t even realise it.
And the great news is while some people might hate your gut others may simply kiss the ground you walk on.
Seyi Sandra David 
Hmmm… food for thought indeed 😀
Chew on it!
Cheers-:)
The name of the movie is Patriot I believe . That’s Ok , I knew what you were talking about . People that make the most mistakes are the worst critics sometimes . Just ask me , I’ll tell you . Ha ha 🙂
Oops!!! Thanks for that, you were right! It was The Patriot!! Can you imagine? Well, cheers and thanks for the correction, it simply showed my fallibility, I’m obviously the worst critic eh?
Cheers mate-:)
Get in line behind me . Cheers !
Yay! I’m not alone afterall:)
Thank you for sharing this, Seyi. Many blessings and much love to you. 🙂
Subhan Zein
Thank you Subhan for your comment and for reading the post.
Cheers-:)
If I get unlikely attention, I only invoke the saying “If you don’t want to be criticized, say nothing, do nothing, be nothing”. Then I go on with my life and still do something. No one notices a ‘nobody’ after all. 🙂
Criticism doesn’t have to be bad, there are positive ones June, and I like your opinion about going on with your life and achieving something regardless of what anyone say or think. Thanks for your comment.
Cheers-:)
Often seems critics are just louder than those of us who look for the good in others and then give compliments. Always enjoy your posts, keep up the good work.
Thank you for your kind words, it’s rather sad some enjoyed putting people while some enjoyed lifting people up. I guess it’s the way of the world. Thanks for reading my post!
Cheers-:)
Loved the last sentence!
And yes, we can’t please every one we meet, because there are people who just don’t like to like others and who only try to find faults! IGNORE is indeed a big rule! But it is also right that constructive criticism helps us a lot, but that type of people are either less or their intentions are not conveyed to the targets, so that targets find them only as haters!
Critique/review/comment my flash fiction in the LINK please
http://yourstoryclub.com/short-stories-social-moral/short-story-remembrance-the-fall/
Beautiful comment Mridula and I will go to your link now. Thanks for checking my blog.
Cheers!
Word sister!!! 🙂
Thanks and Cheers-:)
I remember the day when someone I love said they didn’t like a painting. At first, I thought I would be crushed. I did that internal check, I didn’t spontaneously com-bust, I was OK. In fact, I was quite happy to find that people had the courage to tell me the truth. YAY to personal tastes, boo to those perpetually negative people and…I totally lost my train of thought.
Thanks for your comment, I like your attitude, ‘boo to those negative people!’ And you’ve said it all. Cheers-:)
My most cherished quote about critics comes from the movie Ratatouille. (Yes, I know I’m a dork.)
Anton Ego: “In many ways, the work of a critic is easy. We risk very little, yet enjoy a position over those who offer up their work and their selves to our judgment. We thrive on negative criticism, which is fun to write and to read. But the bitter truth we critics must face, is that in the grand scheme of things, the average piece of junk is probably more meaningful than our criticism designating it so.
But there are times when a critic truly risks something, and that is in the discovery and defense of the *new*. The world is often unkind to new talent, new creations. The new needs friends. Last night, I experienced something new: an extraordinary meal from a singularly unexpected source. To say that both the meal and its maker have challenged my preconceptions about fine cooking is a gross understatement. They have rocked me to my core. In the past, I have made no secret of my disdain for Chef Gusteau’s famous motto, ‘Anyone can cook.’ But I realize, only now do I truly understand what he meant. Not everyone can become a great artist; but a great artist *can* come from *anywhere*.”
I love Ratatoile! My son has watched it more than twenty times! And I love what Anton Ego said,’The world is often unkind to new talents, new creations!’ How very true. Thanks for your insightful comments, love it-:)
I’m confused by one of the comments which said the name of the film was Patriot which it isn’t, it’s The Patriot. So far so good. As far as I can see, your post did indeed call it The Patriot so I’m not sure how he corrected your error when there wasn’t one? (Unless I’m missing something which is perfectly possible!).
My real comment is without criticism, you can never know what impact you’re having especially if you’re trying to challenge perceived wisdom.
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Feedback is the Breakfast of Champions.
.. and as my Cognitive Hypnotherapy trainer told me about my blog, “if you’re not pissing someone off, you’re not trying hard enough!”
Thank you for your comment and for reading my post. The reader who made a comment about the title of the film was right. Initially when I published my post, I wrote ‘Braveheart’ instead of ‘Patriot’ but when he pointed it out, I had to edit it, I hope you understand now. And your comment based on this post is voila! You are so right!
Thanks for visiting my site, I appreciate it!
Cheers-:)
Very well explained….”we are critics after all”….when I was trying to put some thought on it. I realised that we already have a defined set of constraints in our mind, which when distured will strike the critic within us. Very well explained 🙂 Cheers!
You are right Naresh and I really appreciate your comments-:)
BETRAYAL
I diminish anything
I fall into the error of evaluating
With the tumbling from appreciation
That inevitably entails
So I suppose a job as a professional critic
Is pretty much out of the question
Another classic poem, have you given it a thought to publish your poems Ben?
You mean, as a commercial undertaking? (I would count posting at WordPress as a form of publishing,) Any commercial publishing seems ever more fraught with difficult, expense, frustration and disappointment, especially where poetry is concerned. It is not even as though I had any one identifiable style.
Of course Ben, You’ve got an identifiable style and publishing on wordpress is not the same as having a collection of your poems on paperback and I know it’s hard for any literary works (not only poetry) to be recognised but you never know. Inspirations might flow like a river once you’ve decided on it, just a thought Ben. You never know what’s waiting for you at the end of the tunnel…
NO MATCH FOR THE POET I’M AFRAID
Struck by the moon, the stars, the night
Their cryptic messages, their laden secrets
Stricken by their fathomless mysteries
Assay some ham-fisted interpretation, then
Slink away, disheartened, hoping no one saw
Some misstep shatters even that lame illusion
Wiser to tread more carefully … or never venture
Beyond the closed windows of a silent room
That’s what I’m talking about Ben! way to go!! Love it…
Learning to not be offended by constructive criticism shows maturity. Learning to discern between constructive criticism and someone’s critical nature takes wisdom.
Aptly put and straight to the point. Thanks for your comment!