The Stupidity of Criticism

James F Welles

Abstract

Fortunately for sensitive egos, people do not have to acknowledge criticism in order to react to it. Corrective reactions may be undertaken without anyone admitting anything was wrong. Demonstrating the power of negative thinking, the accompanying verbal response to war- ranted but unwelcome criticism is usually to the effect that, "We have not done anything wrong and will not do it again". We must also bear in mind the fact that hypersensitivity to criticism can also be debilitat- ing. The process might be thought of as an intensification of the feedback loop, with fantasy perhaps adding some totally unwarranted criticisms. This type of stupidity is more common among individuals than organizations and may tend to shut a person off from participation in life. By way of contrast, when in harmony with their own limitations, people can be happily stupid,1 preferring ignorance to the pain of learning. If people really do not want to know some- thing, it probably is because they sense that learning it might be upsetting. In such instances, stu- pidity has reached its maximum potential for the system, which is as limited as it can be. As usu- al, a balanced appreciation of criticism and compliments is healthiest, with extreme biases either way tending toward stupefaction. As Roman poet Martial noted, “The truth is that you would rather have me lie”