When Is It O.K. to Complain?

When Is It O.K. to Complain?

 

Lately, a lot of critics have taken some heat from major media outlets for disliking certain works.  Some have criticized recent television shows, and have been singled out in prominent magazines and websites for being too negative, or for having malicious motives in complaining.

 

Some of the venues I write reviews for prefer that I write positive reviews that encourage people to go out and buy good books and DVD’s, though if I want to criticize a work that really deserves censure, that’s totally fine.  Yet I’ve noticed when critics much more famous and influential than I am sharpen their knives, there are increasing numbers of public relations campaigns funded by major entertainment outlets, arguing that the negative feedback is unjustified, and just plain wrong.

 

I’ve noticed that increasingly, it’s hard for a critic to escape the allegation that negative criticism is toxic.  There are Internet memes arguing that if you can’t say something nice, you shouldn’t say anything at all.  The people who support this perspective may believe that they’re making the world a more positive place, but in reality, if we can’t turn a critical eye towards problems with creative works, what might that mean for how we address and confront real-world problems and injustices?  If we can’t say that something is flawed, is our praise for what is good really genuine?

 

I’ll have more to say about this in a later post, but I want to close with this thought.  Writing reviews about works I despise is easy.  Writing reviews about works I love is fun.  It’s writing reviews about works I’m largely indifferent to that’s really difficult.

 

–Chris Chan

 

 

Chris Chan’s first novel, Sherlock’s Secretary, was released on November 3^rd.  His Agatha-nominated book Murder Most Grotesque: The Comedic Crime Fiction of Joyce Porter was published by Level Best Books on September 7^th.  His first non-fiction book, Sherlock & Irene: The Secret Truth Behind “A Scandal in Bohemia” is available for sale at Amazon.com and the MX Publishing website, as well as at Book Depository (with free worldwide shipping there).  It is also available in a Kindle edition.