it's been awhile since i've posted. but i don't want to write a post just to write a post because what if it end up being me apologizing for not posting in awhile over and over. just been busy, i guess? i've noticed that the older i get, the less i have to say online. eh, maybe that's not so true but my peers are 'less online' so my audience is smaller and there's not as big of an incentive to start saying shit...

that being said, i've been wrapping my mind around the 'bodies, bodies, bodies' drama between actor amandla stenberg and nyt critic lena wilson. what strikes me about this interaction is the public's initial reaction - that it is cringey/embarassing/bad form for amandla to comment on a negative review. i'm not sure if people think it's better or worse that the message was a private DM, but it seems like the act of responding in itself was negatively received. and i'm personally not sure why? i mean, i know why - our culture runs on in passive aggressiveness and politeness/respectability. it's always 'when they go low, you go high' and 'going high' refers to quietly and calming walking away from the situation. defending yourself is seen as immature, unless you win, then you are strong and courageous, but if you lose... i think that was the expectation from the start.

but what happens to critique when we respond to one another? when reviews and opinions are of one person, and anyone, even those directly involved, can feel inclined to pick apart a critique or ask for a greater explanation? i've talked about the desire in the theatre realm to refrain from mean words and i do think an overall lack of public, critical conversation is related to maintaining the hierarchical order of the arts world. the actors will act and the professional critics will rate and review. simplicity :) and i'd like to reflect on why we think an actor addressing a critique of themselves is viewed as un-chic and cringe. it is the very potential for an actor to embarrass themselves with a delusional take on the film that gives us pause. but there's also the potential for an actor or creative to shed light on the work, or call out unnecessarily rude comments on their body. the journey to get to the finished product was most likely not simple (probably harrowing tbh) so isn't it a disservice to the creators, to the audiences' intellect, to the performers' talent to widely accept a rating of good, bad, or okay and then move on? i actually think it would be really cool to engage in greater dialogue with professional reviewers. of course i'm aware of online analysis and forums where we can pick apart pieces of work, but those are frankly amateur spaces (though some of those posters should really be given actual platforms). i'm also really curious why it seems to be a common attitude for critics (the bad ones) to walk away from their review once it's published - to not respond to reviews of the review. isn't it funny? artists are told not to read reviews of their art, and i guess reviewers follow suit and do not read reviews of their reviews.

imagine if it were more acceptable to respond to critics without them reacting like lena or just ignoring your request completely because it is beneath them. this is not to say i think reviewers must now reply to every commentor, every person who did not do their homework, and every hater who is engaging with bad faith intentions. but some of us do have valid rebuttals to your claims! and none of us are immune to having our perspective be the very thing that clouds our judgement! shouldn't we all like to know what our cultural blindspots are so we can move through the world with greater caution and sympathy?

anyway. we are in a time where the individual, more than ever, has the tools to go head to head with famous industry people. sure, irl social capital can help but we can also easily generate our own online capital by simply saying words or cultivating a persona which can be cashed in to receive clout or attention or notoriety. it does feel like the average person has the ability to alter our culture's taste with enough luck and virality. tbh existing in an online arena can lead to some of our greatest personal performances.