Before starting I want to say that I like Disney movies and the show The Voice.
A couple of days ago I was watching the show and a boy participated who was selected. The boy said that he had already participated years before but had not been chosen but the ugly part was not that, but since then his friends bullied him for this reason. That is, the others, who have never tried, mocked the one who had done it and had not succeeded. Ironic, isn’t it? That reminded me of the lesson I liked most from one of my favorite Disney movies: Ratatouille.
This phrase is said by Anton Ego at the end, when he gives a review of the restaurant and it goes like this:
“In many ways, the work of a critic is easy. We risk very little, yet enjoy a position over those who offer up their work and their selves to our judgment. We thrive on negative criticism, which is fun to write and to read. But the bitter truth we critics must face is that in the grand scheme of things, the average piece of junk is probably more meaningful than our criticism designating it so. But there are times when a critic truly risks something, and that is in the discovery and defense of the new. The world is often unkind to new talent, new creations. The new needs friends. Last night, I experienced something new: an extraordinary meal from a singularly unexpected source. To say that both the meal and its maker have challenged my preconceptions about fine cooking is a gross understatement. They have rocked me to my core. In the past, I have made no secret of my disdain for Chef Gusteau’s famous motto: ‘Anyone can cook.’ But I realize, only now do I truly understand what he meant. Not everyone can become a great artist; but a great artist can come from anywhere. It is difficult to imagine more humble origins than those of the genius now cooking at Gusteau’s, who is, in this critic’s opinion, nothing less than the finest chef in France. I will be returning to Gusteau’s soon, hungry!”
The important part for me is: The average piece of junk is probably more meaningful than our criticism designating it so.
People who normally criticize for having tried something and not having achieved it are those who have never tried something daring. I learned this when undertaking and making my courses; I didn’t know how difficult it was until I tried it and since I did it I think twice before criticizing someone who is trying. The sad thing is that normally the passive ones are the ones who affect the daring ones.
It is very easy to criticize from the sidelines in the audience, from the cell phone or TV in the comfort of home, but as Anton Ego says, any junk, any bad fight by a boxer, any failed venture, any badly sung song or YouTube video, is worth more than all the criticism it can receive.
It is good that there are opinions and advice. When I look for a restaurant I check that other people liked it and it serves me a lot. By criticism, I refer to those that do not contribute anything, only mockery or opinions to discredit the work of others. By the way, I always ignore 1-star reviews that throw hate without giving a clear explanation and 5-star ones that praise too much; usually, the first are the product of a moment of anger and the second are fake.
This opinion is not directed at passive people. Rather it is directed at those who try. I hope to help so that the next time you do it, you see the criticism from another perspective and it affects you less.