Constructive Criticism vs. Being a Dick
Okay. So the weirdest thing happened to me the other day and I needed time to actually process it before I made a post. I get the feeling Iâm about to open a can of worms but I feel this needs to be addressed. Someone contacted me (they shall remain nameless because I donât want to start anything) asking me to stop posting reader inserts because I was âdevaluing the fandomâ as they put it. They actually had the decency to come off of anon in a private message so I had to admire this personâs bravery. I asked this person why they were being such a jerk (...okay, I actually said âwhy are you being a dickfaceâ but besides the point) they commented that they were just giving me âconstructive criticismâ.Â
And this got me thinking-what actually is constructive criticism?Â
I went ahead and googled it out of curiosity and what I got was:Â Often containing helpful and specific suggestions for positive change, constructive criticism is highly focused on a particular issue or set of issues, as opposed to providing general feedback on the item or organization as a whole.
I want to go back and look at this particular bit of information: positive change.Â
I guess some people making a suggestion to quit reader inserts and/or OCâs would be considered a âpositive changeâ. Because obviously, they believe that reader inserts is a bad thing, though to be honest, Iâm not really sure why. Iâve seen people say itâs because they never portray the reader correctly (uh, there are millions of people in this world, excuse me for not portraying EVERY. SINGLE. ONE. OF. YOU.) Iâve seen people say itâs not true authentic to the fandom...Iâm sorry but what the fuck does that even mean? This person refused to evaluate on what âdevaluing the fandom meantâ but I have to assume this person meant that the fandom was losing value...yet, how is some fanfiction, that the creators, voice actors or anyone who actually participated in the game will most likely never see, devaluing the fandom? Is the game losing sales because someone shipped an OC with Ignis and the OC happened to look similar to the author and therefore, this author is the scum of the earth and we must hate this person because he/she ships themself with Ignis? Are people leaving the fandom because of all the inserts and itâs causing it to lose value that way?Â
First of all, I must address this-to me, a fandom isnât some exclusive club that you have to have specific requirements to join. In my opinion, you donât have to actually finish the FFXV game in order to be apart of the fandom. Telling someone they shouldnât be in the fandom or should quit doing certain things in the fandom is kind of like telling a girl she canât be a gamer because sheâs a girl or she shouldnât buy these certain games because âsheâs a girl and girls donât like those gamesâ.Â
Second of all, I must address this personâs argument. âConstructive Criticismâ. Constructive Criticism is a lot of things, but I like to think the gist is that itâs when someone tells you something negative about your work to help you improve your work. Itâs usually a benefit to you and not to anyone else (though there are those that argue itâs for the benefit of everyone around you, such as suggesting a nursing mother to cover up to benefit peace of mind to those around her-I disagree with that because I feel constructive criticism is mostly for your benefit and no one elseâs). I have regularly scheduled evaluations at my work where I am given constructive criticism, so that I know what areas I need to improve in and I can be better in those areas. Is telling me that I should quit doing something I love improving my work or benefiting myself? Not really, itâs just making you seem like youâre trying to tell me what to do and boss me around and itâs making you look like a jerk. A dickface, even.Â
Confession time: there are some bloggers in this fandom on tumblr that I canât stand and I think are very overrated (and if one of my followers/followees is thinking âoh my god is she talking about me?â rest easy, these bloggers donât even know I exist). I could just tell them that I think theyâre overrated and that they should stop doing what theyâre doing or even change it. Thatâs expressing myself and giving them constructive criticism, correct?Â
Except is it constructive criticism? I will give two examples of constructive criticism towards, for example, a piece of fan art. Tell me which you think is constructive criticism that benefits the artist and tells them where they need to improve in their work.Â
Example 1. I like your art, but I think the nose is kind of wonky looking.Â
Example 2. I donât like this character, you should draw someone else.Â
(but what if the nose is supposed to look like that, you may say? Itâs just an example, calm down)Â
When you give constructive criticism, are you telling this to benefit the work of the person receiving your criticism or are you trying to benefit yourself?Â
I think thatâs the real heart and soul of constructive criticism. Who the criticism benefits tells you if itâs constructive or not. Thatâs just one fanfic authorâs humble opinion.Â
And for those who receive constructive criticism that you donât necessarily agree with: thereâs this tidbit of advice for you that most people donât usually tell you-you donât have to take the personâs advice. If you think the criticism is bullshit, thatâs totally fine. You are a free person and you can do what you want with your work, whether itâs fanfiction, fan art or stocking shelves at a grocery store.Â
Word of advice though, if your jobâs bosses are giving you constructive criticism, it might be best to listen to them. But thatâs just my own constructive criticism-Iâm trying to help you improve your work at whatever job it is youâre at. Whether you take it or not is up to you :)Â
Now that I feel like my inspirational speech at a business college is done, Iâm gonna take the longest, hottest fucking bubble bath.Â