Amy's Manifesto

An uninhibited flow of personal opinion and original ideas is necessary in any democratic culture. Closely intertwined, I believe these two elements make the critic’s role indispensable in modern-day society.

Yes, the critic itself and the form of dispersing information are bound to change with the constant evolution of cultural norms and technological advances, but the importance of critical dialogue will never diminish.

What good is a new painting or an upcoming action film if the public has no avenue of discussion about the work? As the sheer volume of artistic work increases over time, the average citizen desperately needs tools at his disposable in order to sift through the endless amounts of work being created on a daily basis. Critics have a responsibility to assist the masses in taking in this ongoing stream of information that has become the norm in our society.

Most importantly, the beauty of criticism is that it is completely opinion-based. A writer is free to make any observation he desires, further enhancing and encouraging the creative aspect of this field.

However, with the recent development of blogs and their increasing popularity, there has been some concern among serious journalists, especially critics, who feel their jobs may soon be found obsolete in the face of the many random online rants penned by anonymous bloggers. But, I do not fear this new cultural trend. In fact, I find the challenge exciting and just another avenue critics have at their disposable to make their opinions known. I am confident that reputable and knowledgeable critics who provide factual reporting and clearly support their opinions will always rise to the top.