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SUPPORT MUSIC IS NOT A GENRE ON PATREON\n\nWATCH MUSIC is not a GENRE VIDEOS and MORE\n\nNot everything in life can be spun into a positive. There are some things that are as objectively not good as you can get. Most of us want most of life to be great. And for those things that aren\u2019t great to be \u201clife lessons\u201d or to have a \u201csilver lining\u201d. But let\u2019s face it. There\u2019s shitty shit out there and that\u2019s that.\n\nAt the same time, there\u2019s almost nothing that can be deemed 100% bad. Almost everything & everyone has at least one redeemable quality. Society drives us to communicate as simply as possible, to distill our thoughts into memes or sound bites or 280 characters. There\u2019s no place for nuance. No place for the grey. So anything not 100% tends to get lost in the cacophony. What\u2019s worse is we then think the only way to be heard is to shout in kind. But every single time we try, our words get coopted or diminished or misinterpreted. Talking AT is not talking TO, and people will give what they get.\n\nBut despite the inundation of social media, ads, and abject simplicity, there are other ways to communicate that offer opportunities to say more, to be less reductive & more nuanced, to find more connection & common ground. To actually have a conversation.\n\nHow we use those ways depends on how much we\u2019ve been pressured into believing that shouting is the only way. Because it\u2019s still possible to talk a lot and only say one big thing: this is great or this sucks. Agree or disagree. Saying that in 500 or 1000 words is just as reductive as shouting it in two. And I\u2019d argue it\u2019s worse because it fools people into believing that you\u2019re coming from a more informed, authoritative place. Fancy words can easily hide simplistic views.\n\nAnd this is where we need to get into negative reviews. I\u2019ve threatened quite often to explain the difference between a review and a critique. So sit tight, because here it comes.\n\nA critic is a judge. Which implies power. Which, as we all know, can corrupt. And it does. Big time. So many critics think it\u2019s their job to tear down creations & creators, thoughts & thought leaders, or whatever & whomever they\u2019re reviewing. This is, to be as simple as possible, a pathetic power play. It\u2019s someone with little to no actual power or creative force, trying to take down someone whose power comes from the act of putting something into the world that never before existed, and then waiting to be judged for it. It\u2019s a way to siphon that power, to steal it & wield it for destructive purposes.\n\nThat\u2019s a \u201creview\u201d. And while some of these reviews do include other more nuanced & constructive thoughts, their overall impression is the worst kind of negative. Biased. Personal. Condescending. Vindictive. Self-serving. Self-aggrandizing. Seeking to destroy & not enlighten. And deliberately misleading.\n\nThere\u2019s a place for negativity. A place for pointing out flaws, and explaining why something doesn\u2019t work or is just plain bad or false. In a culture that prizes black-and-white on every level, it\u2019s vital that we don\u2019t fall prey to the \u201ceverything is awesome in its own way\u201d reduction. That\u2019s as false as its opposite. We need to be willing to get didactic, boring even. To live in the grey. This is what reviewers who engage in constructive critique know & promote. They create a context and a safe space for discussing the negative AND the positive, for respecting the artist or thought leader whether or not they like what they\u2019re hearing or reading. They don\u2019t proclaim. They invite conversation & connection. They prove that it\u2019s possible to be both critical AND respectful.\n\nFor FULL SCRIPT, visit https://patreon.com/MUSICisnotaGENRE\n\n\n--- \n\nThis episode is sponsored by \n\xb7 Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app\n\nSupport this podcast: https://anchor.fm/musicisnotagenre/support\nLearn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices