Thursday, December 31, 2015
Nix Negativity for New Year's
This time of year is all about looking back at the last 12 months, trying to compile things into nice, neat lists to help us summarize the year that was.
And believe me there is nothing geeks like me like doing more than dissecting and examining their obsessions in minute detail, rating them and then having heated arguments about those ratings with their geeky friends
But I’m not going to do that.
Why?
Because there are plenty of other sites out there on the Internet where you can read that kind of stuff.
Plus, I also find it kind of boring.
Now I like a good esoteric debate about the merits – or lack there of – of fictional worlds, characters, starship design, weapons and tactics as much as the next geek. I’ve even been known to engage in an hours-long discussion of why the TARDIS is a cooler time machine than the DeLorean from “Back to the Future.” (Hey, it’s bigger on the inside than the outside, can travel in both outer space as well as time, and has its own swimming pool!) But I’ve grown kind of tired of the negativity expressed on those Internet forums.
Look, I get it that we geeks are a passionate group, but the amount of vitriol people spew out about things they dislike gets me upset and depressed. Sometimes it seems like these rants are personal attacks on people who dare to have a contrary opinion. Even more upsetting than this growing lack of respect for those with differing points of view is that all some people want to do is tear things down.
Whatever happened to exploring how things could have been made better?
As a writer, I want people to critique my work. But I want them to tell me more than just what I did wrong. Tell me why you think it didn’t work and exactly how you think it could have been made better.
It’s called positive or constructive criticism and shows a person put a lot more thought into their review. It’s easy to point out a work’s flaws, especially when they are glaringly obvious (cough, cough, Jar Jar Binks cough, cough). But it takes more time and effort to examine a work, look at its themes and ideas and figure out ways that they could have been expressed better.
So I’m going to ask everyone who is reading this post to make a New Year’s Resolution to be a lot less negative next year. Try not to solely focus on what made something so bad. Try and figure out what could have been done to make it better, and let others know in a positive, constructive way.
And maybe, just maybe, if we’re lucky, that positive attitude will begin to rub off on others, leading to a brighter, more optimistic future for us all.
Happy New Year!
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