Criticism Doesn’t Require A Solution
A Patreon exclusive about the nature of criticism
The following is a preview of an article, the full version of which can be found exclusively on my Patreon. Unlike the rest of my articles on Medium, this preview is not paywalled. The full article can be found here.
This blog criticizes many things, including movies, songs, and even entire political systems. I have long maintained that criticism is a vital part of change because without first recognizing a problem, there is little you can do about it.
Yet, one of the more frequent responses to my critiques I get has nothing to do with their content but instead with my lack of solutions. I will talk about the failings of X or Y, and inevitably, someone will deem my criticisms invalid unless I can spin up a new system from whole cloth. As one person commented on an article I wrote:
“…when I read pieces on the problem of “American Empire” or “American Imperialism,” I’m always left with the same question: what is the alternative to American hegemony?”
While it sounds clever and is sometimes well-intentioned, I want to explain why this is a type of logical fallacy that often undermines the conversation. More specifically, it is a form of whataboutism in which the speaker attempts to move the conversation away from X and toward a new, unrelated subject, B.
