"Boring"

The Critics Who Do Nothing: A Response to Emily T.

There’s a certain irony in criticism, especially when it comes from those who have never put themselves in the position to be criticized. Take Emily T, for example. She tuned into a Matt Taylor TV Music Hour and felt the need to leave a single-word comment: "Boring."

Now, on the surface, that’s just an opinion. Everyone is entitled to one. But let’s take a step back and look at the bigger picture. Emily T has never gone live. She has never put herself out there for public scrutiny. And the safest bet is that she never will. Yet, despite her complete lack of experience in what it takes to create and maintain a live show, she felt compelled to chime in.

Why is it always those who don’t do something who are the loudest in telling others how it should be done?

Armchair Critics and the Fear of Exposure.

There’s an old saying: "Those who can, do. Those who can’t, criticize." Of course, it’s not always true—some of the best teachers have never been professionals in their fields. But when it comes to creative expression, leadership, and innovation, it often rings painfully accurate.

Emily T is a perfect example. Rather than engaging with the content, offering constructive feedback, or even ignoring it and moving on, she chose to contribute the most predictable, unoriginal, and effortless form of engagement: a throwaway insult. “Boring.”

One has to wonder—what drives this behaviour?

The answer is simple: it’s easy.

It takes no effort to criticize.

It requires no creativity, no courage, and no accountability.

It allows the critic to feel powerful without taking any risks.

Because, let’s face it—if Emily T ever dared to go live herself, how would she handle it if someone jumped in and commented, "Boring"? Would she laugh? Would she reflect? Or would she realize just how fragile her own creative confidence is?

Why Creators Keep Creating.

Despite the noise of the Emilys of the world, creators keep creating. Why? Because they understand something that critics do not:

Not everything is for everyone. What one person finds boring, another finds inspiring. That’s the beauty of variety.

Expression matters. Even if just one person connects with your work, it has value.

Criticism from non-creators is irrelevant. The opinions that hold weight are from those who understand the process, not those who sit on the sidelines.

MattTaylorTV! continues to go live. The Music Hour continues to be broadcast. And Emily T? She’ll continue to sit in the audience, silently watching, waiting for another chance to type one word that takes one second of effort.

Meanwhile, the creators of the world will keep building, entertaining, experimenting, failing, succeeding, and evolving—leaving people like Emily T exactly where they belong: in the comments section, typing away while history is made elsewhere.

READ MORE - https://substack.com/home/post/p-158473011