We are all critics

In response to yesterday's post Tough Work reader doraldj quoted one of my favorite movies, Ratatouille; the story of a rat chef (yes, a rodent) that takes over a declining restaurant, turning its fortunes around. In it there is a critic, Anton Ego, whose closing speech is the payoff for the movie:

“In many ways, the work of a critic is easy. We risk very little, yet enjoy a position over those who offer up their work and their selves to our judgment. We thrive on negative criticism, which is fun to write and to read. But the bitter truth we critics must face, is that in the grand scheme of things, the average piece of junk is probably more meaningful than our criticism designating it so. But there are times when a critic truly risks something, and that is in the discovery and defense of the *new*. The world is often unkind to new talent, new creations. The new needs friends. Last night, I experienced something new: an extraordinary meal from a singularly unexpected source. To say that both the meal and its maker have challenged my preconceptions about fine cooking is a gross understatement. They have rocked me to my core. In the past, I have made no secret of my disdain for Chef Gusteau’s famous motto, “Anyone can cook.” But I realize, only now do I truly understand what he meant. Not everyone can become a great artist; but a great artist *can* come from *anywhere*.”

What a well written piece of literature and from a cartoon no less. I bring this to your attention because we are all critics at heart and, I think, all desirous of discovering the new, the thing that turns our music into miracles. And that is what drives many of us. Tomorrow I will jump in feet first to the often debated, yet never tired subject of the double blind. Hell, why not?