The critics sit comfortably in their armchairs, dispensing judgment on creations they’ve never attempted to build. They wield influence without responsibility, shaping opinions without skin in the game.
These professional opinion-givers have carved out a curious niche in our culture. We’ve granted them extraordinary power to elevate or destroy careers, shape public perception, and influence market success – all without creating anything themselves.
News anchors editorialize rather than inform. Film critics declare movies that audiences love unwatchable. Food critics destroy restaurants based on a single visit. Book reviewers dismiss works that took authors years to craft.
What’s fascinating isn’t their criticism – it’s our willingness to outsource our opinions to them. We’ve created a class of professional judges whose primary qualification is their ability to judge confidently. Critics have made and destroyed others’ lives at the flick of a pen or the carelessness of words, and some even regret it well beyond a point of redemption or salvation.
But creation always trumps criticism. The restaurant owner who serves thousands of happy customers has done more than the critic who writes about one bad meal. The filmmaker who moves millions has achieved more than the reviewer who dismisses their work.
The real power lies not in critiquing what exists but in bringing something new into the world. While critics focus on what’s wrong, creators focus on what’s possible.
The next time you encounter a scathing review, remember who’s creating and doing the talking. One builds the stage, and the other merely comments from the seats.
Your opinion matters most when you’re invested in the outcome.
