Sans Fig Leaf

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"Running with the Herd"

30 January, 2002

I was listening to some doctors on the radio this morning talking about back pain. One pointed out that when modern medicine is introduced into developing countries, there's always an "epidemic" of disabling back problems. "I think the back pain has always been with us, and people used to live with it, find their own ways to alleviate it, or learn to perform activities in ways that avoid irritating the problem. The problem is that modern western medicine has over-medicalized the problem. We've given people the expectation that any things should be curable through medical science."

That reminded me of a conversation I started to join in on one of the mailing lists I read. Someone posted the following evaluation of a writer who has been published in numerous fannish and small press venues: "He/she is a lousy storyteller. His/her writing consists of long stretches of boredom occasionally punctuated by extreme violence." Several someones immediately jumped on the person, saying that this wasn't a legitimate review, it was a personal slam.

I was stunned. When a writer puts their writing out for the public to read, they become a fair target for criticism of their writing abilities. Fair comment isn't just limited to academic analyses of style, technique, grammar, or syntax. The author's storytelling ability is just as open to criticism as the mechanical aspects of writing. My first thought on reading the post was, "I wish I was a good enough reviewer to come up with such a vivid and concise review." My second thought was, "And damn, that's the first accurate assessment of that writer's work I've ever seen."

And the people objecting weren't just set off by that phrase, "lousy storyteller." The problem was the review had nothing positive to say about the author's work. Lots of people have been exposed to the "compliment sandwich" approach to criticism. If you're going to tell someone something unpleasant about something they do or have done, sandwich it between two positive comments. There's nothing wrong with this technique, but we have to remember what it's purpose is. You use the compliment sandwich when you are trying to change someone's behavior for the better. A person is more likely to take a piece of constructive criticisim to heart if there's a little sugar to go with it. It's an emotional manipulation technique, to be blunt. Nothing more, nothing less.

There is no journalistic rule or expectation that one will use the same technique when writing a review of something that's been published or performed for public consumption. A review is not a constructive critique. It's an evaluation. How good a job did they do, and would it be worth the reader's while to buy the book, go see the movie, what-have-you?

Even outside the world of reviews, people are becoming more sensitive about opinions that ruffle feathers. Many incorrectly attribute this to policital correctness gone wild. The truth is that political correctness can and does go either way on these things, since all it means is that you espouse an opinion because it matches your political ideology, regardless of facts. No, the real culprit is far older and more subtle than the p-c movement.

On a deep, instinctive level, we all want to be liked. It's not just a human thing; pack or herd animals all rely on the individual's desire to be accepted into the family/pack/clan unit. We want to receive positive feedback from those around us. We often give positive feedback in hopes of getting some in return. As the cliche goes, no one wants to be the bad guy. It's a natural impulse that does a lot of good. Sometimes it gets out of whack in an individual or group.

Of late, the dysfunctionality has spread to some inappropriate areas of interaction. More importantly, we have begun to accept the dysfunction as an ordinary way of doing things. So, as some places have developed "epidemics" of disabling back problems, we've developed an epidemic of righteous indignation when someone doesn't say something positive. We're becoming afraid to express dissent or any difference of opinion. More, we're becoming afraid of stating unflattering facts.

Sometimes you have to call a spade a spade--and when an author is a lousy storyteller, somebody needs to say so. Because, as every author, editor, and publisher should know, it is a sin to waste the reader's time.