Intellectually Promiscuous

Curious about everything.

The reason a person is critical of a thing is because he is passionate about that thing. In order to have a critical opinion, you have to love something enough to understand it, and then love it so much more that you want it to be better.

— 

Alex Payne is fantastically on-point regarding feedback, criticism and passion.  I do this all the time, but always wonder a bit if I am being weird or inappropriate.

I ask blunt questions about people’s work, projects, companies.  Friends, and new people I meet.  Startups, naturally, lend much to be discussed in this fashion.

Similarly, I never understood why people were willing to accept mediocrity from friends.  They’d usually say something like “well, they are my friends! I can’t criticize it!”

If anything, being a friend means to sternly encourage awesomeness and accept nothing else.  Sometimes that means saying things people don’t like to hear but will hear from you.  You can be tactful with that too, of course.

(Via fascinated. Props to Anthony for writing this up. I couldn’t have said this better myself.)

Notes:

  1. ronenreblogs reblogged this from fascinated and added:
    Or: Reasons why I’m grateful to be friends with Anthony Volodkin.
  2. signsofgrey reblogged this from wellthatsjustgreat and added:
    wellthatsjustgreat)
  3. antonjohansson reblogged this from fascinated
  4. scarydan reblogged this from fascinated
  5. janettetoral reblogged this from pegobry and added:
    I think there are people who are critical because they are genuinely concern. However, there are those who are critical...
  6. caterpillarcowboy reblogged this from tylerhwillis
  7. wellthatsjustgreat reblogged this from roomthily
  8. gouachegalatea reblogged this from notational
  9. pegobry reblogged this from fascinated
  10. five5five reblogged this from tylerhwillis
  11. tylerhwillis reblogged this from fascinated
  12. alexismichelle reblogged this from fascinated and added:
    Anthony (fascinated) wrote:...(my note: Both Anthony and Alex are incredibly on point...
  13. gyaradose reblogged this from notational
  14. heyamberrae reblogged this from fascinated
  15. notational reblogged this from roomthily
  16. roomthily reblogged this from fascinated
  17. intellecutallypromiscuous reblogged this from fascinated
  18. fascinated posted this