It’s Easier To Be A Hater Than A Creator
I capped off 2019 by watching the worst movie I’ve ever seen.
Star Wars: The Rise Of Skywalker
It was so bad I felt like I was watching a parody of the Star Wars franchise — and this is coming from somebody who, unpopularly, enjoyed The Last Jedi.
I felt like I was watching a spin-off of Rick and Morty — the plot holes were big enough to fly the Millennium Falcon through, and everything was so utterly… random.
I disliked it so much I even considered writing an article: “10 Reasons Not To Watch The Rise Of Skywalker.”
However, the more I thought about it, the more I realized that if I vented my frustrations in that manner, I’ll be nothing more than yet another faceless critic spewing hate on the internet. Yet another crab in the shit bucket.
It wouldn’t have taken much time or care to have written that critical article or to leave a hateful comment on Facebook trashing the film. And that’s the point: it’s so much easier to hate than it is to create.
Being A Hater Doesn’t Take Much Time Or Effort
“It is not the critic who counts…
— excerpt from “The Man In The Arena”, Teddy Roosevelt.
If I was younger, I probably would have left that negative comment.
Experience tempers the folly of youth. I have more experience as a creator now, having started up Singapore BJJ Open and freelanced at a variety of jobs — chief among them an actor. I realize now just how much effort is required to build something from scratch.
Back when I was a teenager, I used to act on stage for school plays and youth theatre performances.
I distinctly remember how much work it was.
3 months of ceaseless rehearsals, 3 times a week. This is not counting memorizing your lines, shopping for props, and the hundred and one things that are essential to putting on a good show.
And this is just for a school play!
A blockbuster movie like The Rise Of Skywalker must have taken hundreds of thousands of hours to create. The director, actors, screenwriters, stuntmen, cameramen and more — they all put in a collective 100,000+ man-hours to create that movie.
Time away from family, time risking life and limb (injuries are far more common in productions than people admit), all to put on a show for us.
My article would’ve taken maybe an hour to write. Leaving a nasty comment would’ve taken me mere seconds. Mere seconds to piss on something that took hundreds of thousands of hours to bring to life.
Being A Hater Kills Your Creative Spark
“Do not judge, or you too will be judged. For in the same way you judge others, you will be judged, and with the measure you use it, it will be measured to you.”
— Mathew 7:1–5
I’ll be the first to admit I was a pretty judgy kid.
I used to be a big-time Jiu-Jitsu competitor, so martial arts prowess was my benchmark for success. In Jiu-Jitsu we have a saying — “the mats don’t lie.” It’s a tough sport, and there were times I used that to justify treating people harshly.
It got even worse when Instagram appeared. All of a sudden everyone’s personal lives became public, open to scrutiny. As competitors, we’re naturally competitive (duh), so the Gram became a yardstick of comparison for some.
Why does he have so many sponsors? He’s not even that good!
LOL she’s only signed by [insert famous company name] because she has 20k followers.
Why did they even hire him for commentary? He has a horrible voice!
I’ve found that 99% of the time people hate for one of 2 reasons.
They’re either insecure, or they’re jealous.
The insidious thing is that when you impose judgements on others, you are subconsciously imposing judgement on yourself as well. You’re drawing a line in the sand, saying:
My life may suck, but at least I didn’t post a cringy Tik-Tok video.
I may be poor, but at least I didn’t sell out to get sponsors.
I may only have 200 followers, but at least I’m not an attention seeker like her.
This is an extremely self-limiting mindset.
If you believe that rich people are evil, then you sabotage your chances of being wealthy. If you believe that successful Instagrammers are attention whores, then you lose an extremely powerful way to brand yourself. Such limiting beliefs create cognitive dissonance and wreak havoc on your productivity.
I mean, who wants to see themselves as evil, or be label themselves an attention whore?
When you’re overly critical, the only person you wind up hurting is yourself.
Being A Hater Lets You Pretend You’re Perfect
“The wheel is come full circle, I am here”
— William Shakespeare
This is especially true if your job involves showing your work to others.
I’ve had friends approach me and say:
“Alvin, I’d like to start a podcast, but I don’t want it to be shitty like Joe’s. He’s so lame, and the sound quality of his videos are so bad!”
Or,
I’d love to upload YouTube breakdowns of kickboxing techniques, but I don’t want to wind up like Josh. He’s such a poser! He’s mediocre at best, how dare he pretend he’s an expert!”
Because they have judged Joe and Josh for their work, they are afraid that their own creation will be judged similarly.
The fact of the matter is, no body of work is perfect. They are all a work in progress, as are we. Perfection doesn’t exist — I’ve written about this before. We all start somewhere, and the only object free from criticism is the one that doesn’t exist — the one that still lives in the creator’s imagination.
That’s why so many wannabe writers procrastinate. They’re afraid their work will come out imperfect, not at all how they envisioned to be in their heads.
And so they wait. After all, something that doesn’t yet exist cannot be critiqued. The uncreated will always remain flawless, safe from the prying eyes and harsh tongues of critics.
And thus the fear of judgement is the greatest dream-killer, the harshest silencer of ambitions.
If You Think You Can Do Better — Then Do it! Otherwise, Be Kind
“The best way to complain is to make something.”
— Seth Godin
Seth Godin got it dead to rights.
I created Singapore BJJ Open because there were some things other tournaments were doing that I didn’t agree with.
I thought I could do better, and instead of complaining — I went out and did something about it.
You’ll see this story time and time again with entrepreneurs. Netflix CEO Reed Hastings started the company because Blockbuster charged him $40 for returning a movie late.
He thought he could do better, so he went out and did it.
I have come to respect all creators, no matter how poorly-executed the work. When one creates, he puts a little bit of himself into his creation. In order to reach into the ether and transform his ideas into reality, he first has to thicken his skin and put himself out there to be criticised. It takes bravery to even take that first step — there are a great many brilliant minds who cannot find it in themselves to take this first crucial step, and thus a great many world-changing ideas are lost to the void.
The least we could do is be constructive and kind.
The next time you think of critically panning someone, cast a judgemental look on yourself for a change. Ask yourself — can you do a better job?
If you truly think you can do better — then do it!
Prove it! The world has no more need for armchair critics, but it is in sore need of doers.
Otherwise, be kind, and should there be a need for criticism, let it be constructive.
I’ll end this article off with “The Man In The Arena”, by Teddy Roosevelt.
“It is not the critic who counts; not the man who points out how the strong man stumbles, or where the doer of deeds could have done them better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood; who strives valiantly; who errs, who comes short again and again, because there is no effort without error and shortcoming; but who does actually strive to do the deeds; who knows great enthusiasms, the great devotions; who spends himself in a worthy cause; who at the best knows in the end the triumph of high achievement, and who at the worst, if he fails, at least fails while daring greatly, so that his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who neither know victory nor defeat.”
Remember, the credit always belongs to the creator — not the critic.
Thank you for reading my story :)