Critics and Critical Thinking


Wherein Our Heroine Gets Cranky About Popular Wisdom.
I contributed to a discussion thread yesterday on Teresa Neilsen Hayden's blog. Mostly, those posting comments were annoyed by the author of a Salon article who (among other things) complains that she doesn't get paid enough to write her books while hacks writing trash get rich (really? Wow - that's a news flash). The comments ranged from outrage that someone would get paid to whine about how they are ill-paid when so many others are far worse off to the actual quality of the writing itself. But there was the occasional "judge not lest ye be judged" comment by those who were appalled at the number of critical responses. One person noted that he hoped those of us who thought the article was poorly written were world-class writers ourselves.

What on Earth does that have to do with anything? Since when do ability to do the thing and ability to recognize the thing have to coexist in the same package? What would happen if this sort of wooly-headed thinking were extended to its illogical conclusion? It would be amusing to see an Olympic skater throw down with the Russian judge. "A four? Whaddaya mean a four? Let's see you land a triple axel!" In her heyday, chefs all over Washington, DC would have been outside Phyllis Richman's house screaming, "You better be able to make a mean bouillabaisse if you think you can dis mine, lady!"

When I was performing, there was a common corollary to the "judge not" argument that was just as fatuous, and that was that bad behavior could be excused because of talent. Divas of both sexes were allowed to throw bratty hissy-fits because they could sing exquisitely, dance beautifully or act with vision and heartbreaking truth. The rest of us who were merely good had to behave like polite, adult mortals or suffer the consequences (thank god - somebody has to retrieve the reputation of performers).

Nobody as yet has been able to draw a logical connection between talent and tantrums, because it doesn't exist. The closest anyone got was that talent made those people irreplaceable - not true. Talent is far more common than most people realize, and Eve Harringtons wait in every wing. Nor do you have to be a perfect writer to be critical of poor writing, but for some reason "popular wisdom" connects the two.

I'll take unpopular logic over popular wisdom any day.
Posted: Wednesday - March 24, 2004 at 08:42 AM         | |

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