The Role of a Critic

Critics are, in their own right, very powerful people.  The can make someone feel terrible, or give someone a nice confidence boost.  Critics can help something sell, or discourage people from purchasing it.  As a part of popular culture, critics are, well..., rather critical.  They, in a way, help control what is popular and what is not.

Pop culture is absolutely important to study. It, at least in part, helps to define us as a culture. Depending on what is popular at the time shows where we are as a culture and in what directions we may be heading.  Studying pop culture trends assists businesses with knowing what they need to supply, how much of it, and the things that they can possibly make money off of. 

Good criticism of popular culture should use facts to aid their opinions.  A critic cannot just say that a certain book is terrible, or the most recent action movie is crap.  They must have some sort of back up to support their claims.  It is still an opinion, but an educated one which makes it more relevant.  Good criticism should ask why something is not good. What could make it better?  What was the author or director or other artist thinking?  It should ask questions that could help explain why something was judged a certain way. 

Taking on the role of a critic, I expect to learn how to better criticize any sort of product I come across.  Being a critic is a tricky thing, because you want to make sure that you not only get your opinion across, but that you do it respectfully.  I also hope to learn more about myself as a critic.  I hope to learn more about how I think and how to better understand my opinions and my ways of expressing them.