ah, the power of the pen, and the word....

it must be something to be a critic. y'know, someone who reviews things, whether it's a book, or movie, or mmm, food. it could really make or break an item. if a critic says they don't like a movie, it bombs at the box office. if someone reviews a book, well...it really determines how much people will buy and read it. it amazes me. first it amazes me that people apparently aren't willing to figure it out on their own; gee, is it good, will i like it, i'm curious, and someone better tell me what opinion i should have because just don't know how to think for myself...and secondly, it amazes me, or rather disturbs me, that some joe shmoe off the street who may not be credible at all went all willy nilly on something brandishing a pen and paper and set out to crush someone else's creativity. maybe this person got "lucky" in landing the job and knows nothing about books, for instance. maybe all they did was get a B in Language Arts and decided oh what the hell there's a job for someone to review such-and-such on Monster.com, think i'll go for broke and apply and next thing you know, you're basing your decisions off this yahoo! how do you KNOW? you don't. and furthermore, i don't like shrimp...i've tried a variety of ways, but i just can't seem to get past the texture of it...so, do i convince the world around me that shrimp sucks? i mean, it's my opinion so isn't that what a "review" really is? a person's opinion? what really makes THEIR opinion worth listening to, and why should i decide where i'll go to eat, or what book i should read next, or what movie i should avoid based on their opinion? are you saying i can't think for myself? are you saying i'm too LAZY to think for myself? if they're so used to giving opinions on things, wouldn't it suck to be their friend? could you imagine the opinion they may have of you? do they critique everything always? well, i never! i think i'm insulted...no, really. i am.