Re: Re: Re: Tuba Bashing - A reminder...


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Posted by Rick Denney on January 17, 2002 at 14:56:11:

In Reply to: Re: Re: Tuba Bashing - A reminder... posted by js on January 17, 2002 at 13:08:09:

Study the etymology. "Critic" is defined as one who expresses a reasoned opinion on any matter especially involving a judgment of its value, truth, righteousness, beauty, or technique, and it comes from the Greed kritikos, which means "able to discern, or judge." The notion that criticism must be negative is a result of negative critics, not an original meaning of the word.

The real purpose of a critic is to expose worthy art to a larger audience. There's so much art being offered at all levels that we seem to appreciate that someone with a bit of training (or perhaps some reasoning power that they explain well enough to be useful to us) will go through the mass of what's available and point out those bits that are particularly good or particularly bad. Very few critics care a whit about that calling, though, and prefer instead to promote their own artistic agenda (whatever that happens to be) or to simply promote their own ego.

It is only in recent times that we have had to append the adjective "constructive" to "criticism."

Rick "in defense of good criticism, rare though it is" Denney


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