Member-only story
Everyone’s a Critic Now
Our ubiquitous weigh-in culture isn’t good for artists
American’s critique culture is the tail that wags the dog. I’m referring to the nonstop public cascade expressing values, beliefs, and strong emotions. All this noise is the culture. Popular culture, anyway.
Once-private discourse — especially rude discourse — is now routinely shared in public. Seeing your name “in the newspaper” was once considered a moral failing — a sure sign you had done something terribly wrong or embarrassing, or you were a vulgar show-off. Now, you’re a nobody if you don’t show up in print or online on something like a regular basis.
That’s culture at work: Being seen and heard is its own reward.
But even raw exposure is not enough. Your street cred goes up when you don’t simply show up but arrive armed with judgments and opinions on matters large and small, often regardless of your credentials or lived experiences.
I refer you to the endless opinion-porn and snark on Slate, The Free Press, and Dirt, for starters. See, too, the politicized digs from the left and the right, blurring lines between reporting facts and opinion.
Andy Cohen’s Watch What Happens Live thrives on putting people in the wrong and tripping them up. It’s judgey and bitchy. (And yeah, the…