Tuesday, April 19, 2011

Why does everyone value the harsh critic's opinion

This is a question i have wondered for along time...

But why does everyone like someone like a Simon Cowell so much?
I am naturally a positive person
and I know there can be a place for brutal honesty, but why do we find so much enjoyment or pleasure in it, even if the person is wrong?

just a thought, i have no answer here.

4 comments:

Lynne Howard said...

Interesting... I think for a lot of people, criticizing others is a way to make themselves look better and feel superior, so we like to point out others' faults and put others down. We like to see others do it, because it's all of those things we want to say to others to make ourselves feel superior, rather than looking for how we can serve others, build others up, and look for the good in them.

B said...

interesting lynne. I had never thought about it as us trying to live vicariously through the person that is being blunt. That maybe it is our way to encourage someone to do something we would never do or possibly agree with or on the opposite never feel the appropriate freedom to say what we should.

Dan Eggenschwiler said...

Lynne is right on the motivation for criticism in a lot of cases. A better option in most situations is to try and encourage. However, I do believe that there is a difference between honesty and criticism. As that person who isn't afraid to be honest, I'll offer my two cents.

Often what we (people who are honest to a fault) say can be out of line, but there is a certain respect that people have for someone who can be honest because honesty doesn't give in to fear. Many people have thoughts that they think or wish they could say but don't have the courage to follow through. They let fear determine their actions in those situations and can perpetually feel limited by it.

I don't know how Simon fits into the picture (I don't watch and haven't watched American Idol), but from what I've heard, he thinks of the most offensive thing he can say and then trumps it. That goes beyond honesty and becomes attacking, which is not a good thing by any means, but again could be a fantasy of someone who hasn't stood up to people for most of their lives. Maybe they are all just daydreaming about saying those things to their bosses, co-workers, or other people in their lives.

B said...

Dan, i appreciate your thoughts here. You are probably right here. For me it seems to be a fine line between fear and love. Whether i am holding back because i don't believe its whats best for them OR whether it will just be hard for them to hear or harder on me in some way.

There is definitely a need for critiques in this world. It is how we know what bad stuff to stay away from and what good stuff to pursue.

This topic just has always left me dumbfounded