On Being a Critic

Probably not the best singer out there

Everyone has a right to be a critic. We can each form our own judgement - about anything really, from songs to films, food and politics. We are often asked to fill in evaluation or feedback forms for certain events we've attended, or for our colleagues and supervisors in the office or university. I'm not sure about you, but I get stuck every time I arrive at the 'Suggestions for improvement' section. I usually just write 'None'. So what makes a good critic? 

Can Simon Cowell sing? Can any of the Rotten Tomatoes critics make a successful film? Can the opinionated political columnists run the country? Of course not! 

I think it must have occurred to us that the best critics are usually under-performers in the field that they themselves judge. But why?

To be a good critic, one must be able to easily highlight the weaknesses of others specific to their particular field of interest. However, in order to see what's wrong with others, we must first be blind to our own imperfections. That's because the urge to criticise is usually triggered by the feeling of disgust. And like I said before, we feel disgusted only when we see the ignored part of our character and personality in other people. Let me give one example.

During medical ward rounds, as students, we are often encouraged to present the case of patients we have clerked to the consultant. Although it seems like a straightforward process of regurgitating the medical history elicited from the patient, case presentation during ward rounds can be tricky. First, you must make sure you got enough information from the patient, or your history would be incomplete. Then, when you present the case, you must trigger some interest from your consultant, not making it too long that it would bore your audience, or too brief that you lose all the important bits out.

When I listen to my colleagues presenting a case, I find it quite easy to make a mental list of criticisms and how they could have done it better. Of course, I never share these thoughts with them, as not to be impolite. I'd like to think that I can do better than my colleagues, but the truth is I can't. The fact that it's too easy for me to criticise my colleagues' case presentation only highlights my own weaknesses in this particular area. 

Another way to see this is to consider who makes the worst judge - one who praises more easily than criticising. If one is allowed to speak freely and not inhibited by trying to be polite, and yet has nothing bad to say to most people about his field of expertise, that is not because he is simply being too nice. It must be that he does not feel disgusted by the poor performance of others, as he had long realized his own imperfections in that area. 

Indeed the first step to great success is to admit our worst weaknesses.