Diversity in Criticism

The role of the critic is to use their own taste, experiences, and knowledge to evaluate something. Critics should give their honest opinion and findings after fully experiencing whatever it is that they are critiquing. The contemporary critic should provide details, use facts and also include their own opinion in their analysis. Doing this puts the piece they are critiquing into a larger context that deals with real-world issues, allowing readers of the critique to further form their own opinion and notice things they might not have noticed on their own.

Diversity among critiques is essential. It’s like growing up in a small town. If you’re surrounded by the same people your entire life who have the same background, beliefs, experiences, etc., you’re going to all ultimately think the same things. This is so dangerous because you’re not getting out of your comfort zone and seeing things from another persons’ shoes. You’re only seeing what you want to see and not the big picture. Putting yourself in someone else’s shoes is eye opening and allows you to grow and learn. It’s necessary to have different perspectives on things to be able to understand something completely, which is why diversity is slowly being emphasized more and more. People are starting to realize the importance of having different voices amplified.

Critics should hope to expand their horizon and pay attention to the little things when critiquing. Every little thing is intentional and it’s a critic’s job to figure out those intentions in whatever they are critiquing/reviewing.