New rule:
"Don't get butthurt, get better."
Didn't expect to see the chief admin say something this straightforward, but... yeah. Basically, that's the gist of it.
I looked through those initial quotes in this discussion, and honestly, only the last few actually rubbed me the wrong way. Especially this one.
"you say it was unnecessarily rude. It looks to me like it wasn't rude enough because the message did not get through!! You are wasting your time."
When things get to that level of frustration on the part of the critic, I feel that it's better just to leave the other person alone and just let them mess up if you truly think they're going to. Because yelling at them, when they clearly haven't taken your advice to heart in any capacity, is not going to expedite the process. Yelling almost never works. If you can't get your point across in a civil manner, and if the person you are appealing to is not receptive to your albeit blunt but honest opinion, it's best to leave things be before you exacerbate the situation.
In-spite of all this, what must also be understood is the fact that the first few quotes from the original poster here were not in any way trying to be rude or an attack on the person being critiqued. Admittedly there is a very fine line between what is actually "rude" and what is simply "bold" or "blunt." Because you can be "bold" or "blunt" without wanting to show bitterness or anger, simply facts based on experience. And we all should try to learn what the difference there is.
In this day and age, the internet is slowly but surely making changes to cut down on cyber-bullying and legitimate threats on social media platforms. But, in the process of this, websites have also inadvertently allowed general legitimate criticism--however harsh it may be--to be deemed "harmful" or "an attack" on whomever it may have been directed towards, thus demonizing such critics and commentors despite the fact that they their words never actually wish harm on another person, and only serve to present an opposing opinion to something they deem unacceptable.
In the case of this forum, I have tried my best to be encouraging with my opening lines in a critique of someone's work, but then I typically hold no punches once I get right down to the nitty-gritty. It would seem then, that after a long time of being on this forum, many of the members here have simply cut out the fluff and decided to cut to the chase.
And to be honest, if you are not prepared to be receptive to criticism, especially the blunt and uncompromising kind (meaning you either do thus and such or you're never going to improve), then it's pretty obvious that you are not ready to be a part of this or other filmmaking forums in the first place. These are not places to receive praise, these are places to learn, adapt, and even redefine yourself. Often times, it's the hard and fast truths that allow us to improve the fastest. And if you just don't have thick enough skin to handle that, then you need to work on growing some. Because I promise you, life becomes a lot easier to live when every single negative thing someone else says about you
doesn't make you want to complain to some higher authority.
