I agree but, doesn’t the world need critics?
I think of a company where young inspired engineers want to build new things all the time.
Their heart is in the right place but they need someone(s) to be respectfully critical since their efforts and time spent have very real impacts on the company.
I can't agree with this at all. There's something deeply wrong with the world if any form of opposition is considered problematic.
Some variant of "the customer is always right" applies in the marketplace of ideas as well. People are allowed to have different preferences.
I’ve learned that there isn’t a “magic bullet” policy that we can enact, that always ensures that we do things correctly. Human nature is messy and varied. A word of praise can be weaponized.
I often encounter people that use praise as a domination tool. They praise you in a manner that suggests that, if they did not recognize and note something, you would not have it. They use praise to “declare ownership” of your good traits.
I encounter this, because I have highly valuable skills, that can make others a great deal of money, and have an aspect that predatory people think is “weakness.” They believe I have low self-esteem, because I am not always tubthumping.
Also, we have to be careful of saying things like “Don’t complain, if you don’t have a solution.”[0]
There is a big difference between thoughtful critics, and mindless cynics.
I would argue that the latter accelerate enshitification.
Criticism and Cynicism isnt restricted to change, but is also applied to the current state. Thinking the current state is shit and change is shit leads to decay.
I think the key distinction is between critics and cynics. Critics serve a purpose that provides value, whereas cynics are just all-around bummers who negatively impact the world around them.