Abanda Uket|7 October 2015|6:50am
Criticism is an evaluative or corrective exercise which occurs in any area of our human life. It takes cognizance of the varieties of humanity and walks of life. Hence, it is orchestrated in plethora of forms.
A government, or person(s) who wish(es) not to entertain or be criticised is an about-to-fail one. Criticism is the third eye of the other(s)- government and people. It opens up areas that our cognitive ability may not reach or overlook.
Etymologically, criticism is derived from the French "critique", which dates back to at least the 14th century. The words "critic" and "critical" existed in the English language from the mid-16th century, and the word "criticism" first made its appearance in English in the early 17th century. Nevertheless, the French expression critique has roots in Latin ("criticus " – a judger, decider, or critic), and, even earlier, classical Greek language (" kritos " means judge, and " kritikos " which means able to make judgements, or the critic). Related Greek terms are krinein (separating out, deciding), krei- (to sieve, discriminate, or distinguish) and Krisis (literally, the judgement, the result of a trial, or a selection resulting from a choice or decision).
Crito is also the name of a pupil and friend of the Greek philosopher Socrates , as well as the name of an imaginary dialogue about justice written by the philosopher Plato in the context of the execution of Socrates. Which most intellectuals argue that the emergence of Plato's book the Crito which is supposed was in honour of Socrates' friend but was a judgment by Plato to the Greece city state.
Premised upon the above background, Wikipedia, the Internet Encyclopaedia added thus: "To be critical meant, positively, to have good, informed judgement about matters of culture (to be cultivated, to be a man or woman of distinction), but negatively it could also refer to the (unreasonable) rejection or (unfair) treatment of some outside group ("to be critical of them"). Derivatively, "a criticism" also referred to a nice point or a distinction, a tiny detail, a pedantic nicety, a subtlety, or a quibble (the sense of what today is called a "minor criticism").
Often criticism was governed by very strict cultural rules of politeness, propriety and decency, and there could be immediate penalties if the wrong words were said or written down (in 17th century England, more than half of men and about three-quarters of women could not read or write).
There are various forms of criticisms. These are; point of view, content, purpose, form, method of delivery, type of critic, target, context and recipient. These nine forms captured the essence of criticism. More so, criticism itself must not be incognito to the personality that renders the criticism who will also lucidly state whom the criticism is meant for.
However, criticism must not be made out of familiarity but must be content-heavy (ladden). This implies that, criticism must be objective(balanced), complete(that is to say must not be done in split), it must be persuasive. This implies that, it must be logically convincing to the total bewilderment of the target. To attain this, this sort of humanistic or human oriented criticism when outlined, it must show basic entailment of consistency, honesty, humanness before(in cogitating the criticism), during(in depositing the same) and after(the ableness to hold to it).
Criticism against (a) government's position must not and should not be destructive. Destructive criticism in this right is that which is done with the intent and purposes of annihilation, just to bring down and ridicule the government. Premised upon partisanism. While a constructive criticism is that which points out the debilitating debilities, weaknesses, limitations of such a governmental stance but proceeding to offer and proffer "soluble" suggestions to the perceived and orchestrated limitations for the second reason and purpose of the betterment of the human society.
Done in the light of the foregoing, the duo of the critics and the criticized must and should find common grounds which proceeds from the swallowing of pride of political relevance-cum-undermining the divergent political ideological stance and bearing in mind the incomprehensibility of holistic reality steming from the mental constraints of the human intellect. This holistic reality is only captured in a mutual complementarity.
Hence, those who in their elusive mien would presume that they retain the reservoir of perfection. Demigods among humans. This is always the problem of those who have linguistic mastery, brainy to the admiration of political half-wits thus being hired to protect their policies. Yet, they do this flaunting rules of relationship.
It has become a habit to most individuals to use abusive and foul languages in putting forward and in defense of criticism. This I think is not due to brain exhaustion but depravity of simple morals of politeness and courtesy. It is germane to mention here that in so far as criticism is aimed at truth telling, the criteria for truth conveyance must be employed. Cardinal amongst these criteria is politeness. How you tell the truth. This Abandanian principle frowns at telling the truth so desired in order to hurt the other(s). For there is a way you tell someone the truth only to hurt him/her. Hence, I sternly disagree with the proponents of truth being bitter. It's even evil, malicious and illegal to tell a truth in order to hurt others. On the whole, people's personalities should not be attacked in trying to raise a counter of defense to a criticism.
The joys of our collective being is only realized and achieved by this: One who suffers intellectual exhaustion would have a rejuvenation and makeup of his/her incompleteness in the others' opinion, suggestions, observations etc. Most times it may not necessarily be an acceptance to implement the suggestion that came in from the criticism but by the exhibition of a large and open mind, one is bound to transcend to further categories than those suggested and even those he/she must have made previously.
Nevertheless, with the acceptance of this, the usage of foul languages with its attendant abusive adjectives often accompanied with attack on personages ought to be expelled in our database of criticism.
Let's face the reality that stares at our faces. No one who is careless about you criticizes you. It comes from only those who wants the best from you. It must not be accepted hook-line-and-sinker or root and branch. It must be examined and evaluated before it's assimilation, acceptance and execution.
