NOTICE: Resolving Your Reviews | Coeur d’Alene Press

[ad_1]

The more you try and the more you succeed, the louder the howl of critics.

If you want a happier New Year, decide to ignore your detractors. I’m not talking about recommendations and advice from people you respect and admire, which is advice you should consider. Those you should ignore are those who criticize out of ignorance, bias, jealousy, or self-aggrandizement. These are the criticisms that have nothing constructive to offer.

The Dunning-Kruger effect is a phenomenon where a person’s ignorance of a subject causes them to overestimate their own skill and wisdom. This lack of awareness of the depth of their ignorance manifests itself in a license to criticize others.

It is their ignorance that allows them to criticize, but to criticize they must have an opinion, so where does that opinion come from? They are programmed by the media they consume. In video games, there are often characters who are not other players. These non-player characters (NPCs) are programmed by the game designer and can only respond in certain predetermined ways due to the limited information they can access.

Like NPCs, ignorant critics miss fundamental information that would be the rational basis for their opinion. The way you can tell if a reviewer is essentially an NPC is to ask them how they arrived at their opinion. Typically, you’ll get a rambling, nonsensical word salad response. If this happens, don’t bother arguing. Just smile and wish them a good day.

Prejudices will cause some to make irrational criticisms. When a critic is faced with an argument that goes against their worldview, the resulting cognitive dissonance will cause them to make irrational assessments. A sure sign that cognitive dissonance is in play is that the critic will respond to your point with So what you say is followed by an inaccuracy of your point of view which they then ridicule.

For example, if you trigger a critic into cognitive dissonance by saying we should use the National Guard to secure our borders, the critic may respond with So you say we should declare war on Mexico. You are a racist! If someone starts their review with So, you can usually ignore what they say next.

Jealousy motivates some low-performing critics to try to destroy success. If they cannot achieve success themselves, they will try to belittle those who do. This behavior is typical of beta males who lack the skill to directly challenge an alpha to huddle on the sidelines while slandering.

Betas can belong to two types of behavior; the moral squint and the anonymous troll. The straightener will claim the heights and attempt to judge some of your attributes as not meeting some imagined standard. Never mind that they never have and probably could never match your level of accomplishment; they always feel justified in pointing out your imagined shortcomings. Betas have never confronted their bullies, so they view bullying behavior as an effective weapon against others. If you are offended by this paragraph, you are probably a beta.

Anonymous trolls are basically cowards. They fear facing the consequences of the reviews they write. If someone doesn’t stand behind their words, you can dismiss whatever they say as noise. I am not referring to people who have a legitimate reason to remain anonymous, such as whistleblowers or those who wish to expose the true wrongdoings of those in power. I’m talking about the recreational feces thrower. These people are scum, the internet is full of them, and you should ignore their attempts to incite your anger.

Understanding the real reasons for the criticism you receive helps create a rational response, but the basic emotional reaction remains. Humans are primarily guided by instinct and emotion. Survival, reproduction and status weigh heavily on each answer. Being accepted in your community is linked to the three instincts. Your sense of self-worth, your ego, rests on this acceptance, so criticism can shake your emotional heart if you let it.

The words of the critics tell you much more about them than about you. Ask yourself if you should let your emotional state be controlled by those you don’t know or respect. If the answer is no, then don’t. Unfortunately, it’s an easy decision for the head, but a heavy task for the heart.

If you want to be happier in 2023, resolve to better understand the motivations of your detractors. With this understanding comes the realization that their criticisms aren’t really about you, they are about them, and can be safely dismissed.

Wishing you a happy and prosperous new year.

It’s just common sense.

Brent Regan is the chairman of the Kootenai County Republican Central Committee.

[ad_2]