Critique Culture: Why Can’t We Enjoy Anything Anymore?

Certain fragments of what you discussed in this essay reminds me of Keat's theory of ''Negative Capability''. I am not sure to what extent this relates to what you talked about but it makes sense to consider that the lack of intellectual empathy towards mysteries and uncertainties paired with the urge to employ acquired knowledge to structure and solve these mysteries is triggering an intolerant attitude. Sense of indulgence and joy is replaced with a want to center one's intellectual grip as an attack or a tool to feel bigger than the media that is being ambushed. We care less about enjoying media and literature, more about how we look if we were to associate with these media or literary pieces. Always on a lookout for the next best thing that we can use as a template to draw our personalities around.

Criticism-proof video.

TBH, i thirteen YO kid with voice of 53 YO man. .

Letting the exceptions define the rules leads to having no sensible rules.

The critic of criticism restoring order to the internet

This is a good critique of critiques

Is isolation the bad solution for enjoying things?

This is such a refreshing thesis! Thanks :)

Academia is often run by (leftist, Jewish) ideologies and is an ivory tower -- having little to do with reality, something one only discovers by getting out of academia. I liked your critique -- about mood and about the differences between a critical mood and being an asshole,and it was wholly salient. The thing I did not hear you mention was the difference between critical thinking (which is not mood) and literary criticism or literary analysis. Universities do not promote critical thinking at all. Questioning is a product of the intellect, not of mood. Not taking things for granted is simply the byproduct of learning, experience and growing into an adult. It is not "negative." And the philosophy of pessmism has a lot more reality behind it psychologically than the so-called reality of optimism. I know you've found a passionate subject and I hope it only lasts so long as you remain in a university setting. I see it as a "mood" and more critical thinking will allow you see that too -- IMHO.

when our girlfriends call us a-hole it always turns into a deep pondering reflection of ourselves

Perhaps we should embrace aesthetics; shift away from the centrality of critical judgements. Yes, thought and action needs to be clearly understood, delineated, and written materials/audio-visual objects must be assessed. These critical analyses would benefit from depersonalization The path to identify and clarify ambiguity benefits from patience and forbearance. Perhaps an over-focus on critical theory and power relations impoverishes the spirit more than it facilitates change. Cultivating an enriched spirit is a better way to positive and sustainable cultural influence.

I love you, I’m felt like a book that was read

Thank you for this great video. It brings to my mind how the internet has slowly transformed into an echo chamber filled with trolls. On a positive note, I decided to leave social media and start a book club, viewing reading as a way to expand my mind without feeling the need (and having the means) to share my opinions with others.

The more intelligent you are, the more deep your thoughts, the unhappier you are. You see less and less reasons to be happy. You must practice gratitude, because there's load to be happy about. We have been trained to point out everything that's wrong in everything.

Nice😊

I'm watching a critic criticize criticizing

The suspicion gen z has of everything is certainly well earned, and not unlike what Boomers went through with regards to the Vietnam war, the Nixon era, and the violent institutional resistance to people fighting for civil rights. Ironically, though, critique was still institutionalized to a degree, and in terms of broader public awareness mostly still only open to white men. We're in the opposite mode now where anyone with a device can access the channels to become a cultural critic. But then we have the added complication of mistrust on that front, as well, where you have people gaining followings as "cultural critics" but then they try to sell you something, and you realize oh, they're an influencer. The extremely nebulous boundaries between critic and influencer only increase the mood of suspicion, and for good reason. I think that's why gen z largely identifies as anti-capitalist. Even if they don't mean that in every classic sense of the phrase, there's the whiff of SELLING around everything that is Very Online and it makes it harder and harder to trust any idea on its face.

Loving your channel and reflections. I use a white noise machine as well and love it. Long walks in nature help me let go of some of the angst and dread of modern living too.

I could appreciate Mr. Walden’s point later on in the video where he speaks of the convergence bound to befall us because of our rising internet participation, namely, how the day will come when we all sound the same even though we may be saying completely different things.

This is a theme I have been pursuing for a long time because it is, in my opinion, everywhere evident that we are in fact beginning not only to sound the same but also to act the same, everything from Twidiot -speak locutions to our stenciled body language and perpetual hand gesticulating.

In other words, our internet-administered fate is a stifling convergence and not like true diversity of thought or felicity of expression.

There's a time and place for everything. There are times when it is absolutely necessary to critique, e.g., today's genocide, WWIII, etc. Anyone not thinking and speaking critically (and constructively) for the sake of enjoyment is being selfish and irresponsible. Speaking truth does not make one an ass.

Critiquing critique, ha ha!

Why on earth are the 1980s depicted in black and white? And with a pipe? 😂

My main critique of your analysis is that the observation "People are mad in internet comments" isn't new and it feels arbitrary to declare that this exact moment is the time when it's getting worse, as opposed to five years ago or ten years ago. If anything I feel like the tipping point is that internet comments sections are becoming ghost towns, with people leaving facebook and twitter in droves.

I recently read "The Abolition of Man" by C.S. Lewis and this is exactly what he discusses. A lot of people (especially academics) think that their critiquing (criticizing) everything makes them intellectual and wise, where Lewis sees that this does more harm than good to the larger social fabric. Thanks for another insightful video Robin!

"Elevate yourself above happy people" is such a great way to describe some critics.

Lol just realized that this is a critique of the critque culture

i think it is worth a watch

I love your content. I've been following you for years and I believe your channel is so underrated. Thanks for your content.

Criticizing criticism? There's something self defeating here. Furthermore, is the opposite of criticism, perhaps optimism, contentment, naivete, etc., what society needs right now? If we don't criticize, then we leave ourselves blind to the very problems you mention.

I think my main critique, is the criticism. We don't have to be skeptical all the time. We can take on faith an author, without having to pick them apart. Sometimes, just understanding them is enough, and making sure you understand them right. You don't argue with an artist. You understand them. That's something many people don't realize, is they use Postmodernism as a way to deconstruct, not as a way to understand. You can remove parts of the thesis you don't like, and grasp the outlying meaning. My main mode of literary theory is finding agreement and embracing the author's intentions, and finding where it's true. That helps you understand the author, rather than dismiss them.

Because generally, a person can't be wrong about everything. You know? Even in the authors I'm not very certain of, I find points where I understand them, and empathize with them. That's really all we need to do.

The critics are right and so are the romanticists.

Arguments are fallacious. Every argument has one or more fallacies nested inside it.

How then is there any knowledge or truth? Sacrifice. Things like enjoyment, laughter, understanding, are harder to express because they go beyond predication.

It's easy to predicate about ignorance. Even predicating at all is ignorant.

It's even easier to look mystery in the face, to leave assumptions at the door, to take and eat what has been offered and become full.

They don't care

This video made me an instant subscriber. Keep up the great work!

I think it's big problem that we're made to feel guilty about enjoying anything, There's an addiction to being offended and finding things "problematic" because it gives someone a sense of moral superiority and meaning in a time of dissolution. Art is will expressed and like nature it does not care who is offended or oppressed or any form of moral high grounds.

"This constant lying is not aimed at making the people believe a lie, but at ensuring that no one believes anything anymore." -- Hannah Arendt

One thing I have noticed, is how much internet critics not only state their opinion, but also propagandize to everyone that they should agree. They try to argue for objectivity, and to do this they review bomb on Rotten Tomatoes or something, to make it seem like there is an objective truth to how audiences feel about a piece of media.

I'm middle age now. I had this "phase" for around 25 years... Way, way too long. I got out of it through a combination of having children, exhaustion from that irritable mood, and just boredom of hearing myself.

Everything feels much better now. Listen, understand, trust. I can pull out the knives when it seems prudent, and it makes those moments far more effective in using my voice for good.

The hermeneutic of suspicion is poisoning our actual lives.
Anything less than perfection is bad. That’s everything in the world!
No one likes a single institution but we cannot function without them.
We are now 14 year olds who’ve just discovered that life is imperfect .
We sit and throw rocks at everything and contribute nothing

First time watcher here, hello, lovely video thanks for sharing. Just wanted to say your voice reminds of Richard Nixon, lol.

Alternative title: ‘The Fox Mulder-fication of Gen Z’

That was some quality insight. I think it is hard to perfect or improve things by telling 'it' how good it already is. And that is because I think intellectual people (those who critique) have a natural tendency to want progression or improvement. That is versus those whose primary focus is inwards and do not concern themselves with society at large. We who possess a macro viewpoint, and are therefore critical, have an idea of how we think things should be, and for that belief to manifest itself in real life, we critique to steer things to that end. So what Gen Z must want, and I think others share this desire, is the need for change.

To me, this sounds like the hypervigilance of the traumatized. Which is absolutely valid. And is at the same time robbing us of the enjoyment of the moment. There is no rest.
We all probably need more hugs. I caught myself immediately barrating myself for being a nit picker after realising that I have this tendency too. It's wild...

I am not sure if this is related but this video got me thinking about how the critique culture on social media made a lot people think it’s acceptable to things in my opinion are not critique-able, people will leave body shaming comments on people just posting days in their life’s video like that’s something they are entitled to do, they have a mindset that if a video is public on the internet, that means I can comment a projection of my hate that I interpret as “the truth”

critics can never relax🪄 (weapon) 🤔

I am enamored with the concept of Amorous Reading, and I'm gonna share that with some of my prof friends next time we chat. I hit my personal "one day" where all of the social critique and my own criticism of things got so monotonous I couldn't bear it anymore earlier this year. So I stopped consuming that sort of media and I learned to knit lol And now I'm at a point where I'm reading things with a thought towards what good it brings and what I can make with it and I've started writing again
I think making art is the antidote - or at least a significant part of the antidote - to critique culture. You can't meaningfully create anything only using tools meant to disect or analyze

Jaquan Stravenue

Irwin Expressway

I have my answer. I can’t enjoy anything anymore because of the true horrors of life. There are still Israeli hostages in Hamas hands, there are still young people getting killed, injured severally in this war.. this is just too much

Della Loop

I am so grateful I am not young in this world.