How To: Criticize

[Originally published January 2015, brought to the top & mildly updated June 2019 in conjunction with a relevant debate going on at Brickset.]

You probably don't want to read a bunch of extraneous text, so let's get right to the point.  I think criticism is a good thing -- criticism of people, practices, products, companies, you name it. However, there are good & constructive ways to criticize and there are bad & inexcusable ways to criticize.  Here are some analogous examples from each side of the fence. Backstory for this article is shoved down at the end, if you're interested!

GOOD Criticism:

• I don't like this at all -- to me, the old version was way, way better.  This seems much too simplified & it doesn't have any character anymore. A step in the wrong direction IMO.

BAD Criticism:

• This sucks. It's just unforgivable rubbish compared to the old version. It's like they sucked all of the character out & remade the whole thing just for babies. Everyone can see that this is stupid & lame. These are facts. If you disagree with me you're clearly a brainwashed zombie corporate shill.

The same core relevant sentiment is shared in each case, but one form is respectable and the other is just plain nasty & immature. 

GOOD Criticism:

• Seems seriously overpriced.  It's just too small for what they're charging & lacks any "must have" features.  I'll pass.

BAD Criticism:

• Another cashgrab.  Corporate greed at its finest!  Such a tiny little nothing, does nothing. Total garbage being force-fed down consumers' throats. All this company cares about anymore is money.

For-profit companies exist to make money. It's a concept that's not new since the last cheaper product they made. Part of corporate profits go towards salaries for employees, some of whom are parents, who use that money to pay for young critics' food, home, shelter, Internet access, etc.  Call a spade a spade, but skip the sensationalism, lest it be turned back against you.

GOOD Criticism:

• Hey nice video, but the glare from the sun was really distracting.

BAD Criticism:

• How braindead can you be? Surely I'm not the only person on the planet capable of seeing, oh I don't know, the SUN, blaring straight into the flippin' camera lens.  You are a total failure at life itself.

I don't need to break this one down. Just don't be "that guy." Be somebody people should actually listen to.

GOOD Criticism:

• Gotta tell ya, I have a bunch of problems with this.  First of all, you're using the wrong side -- have a look at the illustration in the manual.  Next, the dogs barking in the background drowned out your voice half the time, so it was really tough to follow.  At 4:35 in the video, you want to use the green switch, not the blue one, then it'll work.  Lastly, I think you overpaid -- retail price is about 30% less. 

BAD Criticism:

• Idiot! You got the whole entire thing backwards! How could you be so stupid?  Have you never heard of a manual?  Read it! Or do you not know how to read? And what, were you filming this at a dog shelter or something?  What on earth were you thinking in that empty shell of a skull of yours?  4:35??? Uh, hello?  Green, not blue, moron.  And guess what?  I got this for 30% less just this morning.  Wanna cry now?

Again, the "that guy" effect.  Same points made each time. A solid paragraph of criticism each time.  The first form might be a little humbling to read, but it's completely valid feedback.  The second form shouldn't ever even exist.

GOOD Criticism:

• I don't like how you shaped the nose.  It looks pretty flat and lacks detail.  I'd suggest using two 1x2x2/3 slatted slopes instead.

BAD Criticism:

• The front is awful, looks like something a 2 year old designed. Take that ugly garbage off right NOW and use two 1x2x2/3 slatted slopes instead. If you don't take this as constructive criticism you're a baby.

Yeah, no. Attempting to defend disrespectful vitriol as "constructive criticism" is as valid as starting a paragraph of personal insults with "No offense, but..."

GOOD Criticism:

• If I had the space, time, & resources to build a diorama this big, I'd have to include an [insert desired feature here] instead of [insert existing feature].

BAD Criticism:

• Take out [insert existing feature here] because it's a total waste of space and should never have been made in the first place. I don't want to see that useless garbage, so obviously absolutely nobody else wants to either. Replace it with an [insert desired feature here] or I will unsubscribe.

Same exact point of view, once conveyed with mature honesty, the other with entitlement topped with extortion.

Backstory:

There's a cardinal rule for maintaining sanity on the Internet:  If you see something that bothers you, just ignore it.  I'm fine with that rule.  I support anyone who chooses to adhere to that rule.  Sometimes, though, I personally choose not to adhere to that rule.  I look at another side of things:  To see something that's wrong and to ignore it is to be complicit.  Well, I see a lot of people criticizing others, which in & of itself isn't wrong at all. In fact, it's often a very healthy thing that can lead to constructive discussion and personal growth for the people involved.  What's wrong is how a lot of people criticize others. Really, really, really wrong.  To avoid complicity, when I see criticism delivered in a toxic, hostile, completely destructive way, I say something about it.  While this intervention is able to cease the direct offense against innocent victims, the perpetrators rarely take it the right way, spinning it around with even more of their own toxic thought processes.

I've written this post up so that I can offer a handy link that explains a lot more of where I'm coming from than any single comment on YouTube can.  I will continue intervening when I see nasty, destructive, vitriolic criticism in comments on my videos, no matter who or what it's directed towards.   I will also continue going out of my way to publicly acknowledge and thank folks who understand and freely and eloquently share mature, constructive, intelligent criticism, also no matter or what it's directed towards!