The role of the critic is simple: see what others don't and make discussion about it.
Everyone's a critic, but no one likes being called one. In a land where one's name and age are as important as their trade, being a professional critic is not an occupation most would wear on their sleeve. Because a critic, to an outsider, must also be a critical soul, and any job hitting that close to home is unwelcome.
At least that was the feeling I had held throughout the duration of this course. I wondered, does being a critic make me a critical person? It felt that way when I had to inspect the drinking glasses at Clocked or stare at the teenagers in the audience at the "Vanities" play just to catch their reactions. It felt as if I was going out of my way to squint through the narrow viewfinder, purposely putting things under a microscope in order to decide what was wrong or right about it. Normal people don't do this. But any critic that is able to accomplish this without viewing everything in his or her life under the magnifying glass is probably not doing their job.
Granted, normal people may also make the same kinds of observations, but mine was still different. I didn't get to have just any ol' opinion; I had to observe, ponder and think of ways to articulate it into a review that someone out there may or may not read in order to make an informed decision before watching/doing it themselves. What would have been just another event now turned into fodder for a piece of writing that needed MY thoughts and MY take for others to make a decision. It was almost too much of me in something that was not meant to keep for myself. In short, my verdict wielded a certain power and I just wasn't sure if I liked that.
Whether or not professional critics enjoy this power is not the question; they continue to do is because they CAN, either because they were born with the eye to make enlightened observations or because they somehow learned 50 ways to describe a filet mignon. The difference between a good critic and a self-indulgent one is that they take their mighty pens (or these days, keyboards) and apply their observations in order to make it relevant for the reader, be it their next movie night or blowing a paycheck at the new restaurant. The tricky part is hoping these people won't come back and hurt you because you were "wrong" about this place.
Though you can't please everyone, we try. And that is the role of the critic. Diss a place, talk about it. Rave about it, then spread the gushing responses. Either way, it opens conversation and in a shrinking world hiding behind monitors and cars, it's a start to a better world. Who would have though someone with an opinion and an open avenue (such as this blog) could do it? More than politicians, more than authority, critics--the people, the words--are what keep this world sane.
