Dishonesty in criticism.

I don't usually use this blog for personal rants but I feel something finally needs to be said. And it is simple: most people do not understand what being a critic is about. There is a long-standing debate about what defines a good critic. Personal values and preferences vary, and any intelligent person knows that no person can deliver a truly objective assessment no matter how hard they may try. But there is one thing that can be determined, and that is what being a critic is not about. My main source of frustration is the overwhelming majority of individuals who use criticism as a facade- an opportunity to convey a false sense of superiority. They are critical because they want to impress others. They are overly negative because they want to stir up controversy and belittle oft-named 'haters'. They are not interested in delivering a fair and honest opinion, weighing in both the positives and negatives of the title. Only the negative, which defeats the entire point of being a critic in the first place. Successful critics are not successful for being complainers. They are valued by their audience for providing fair and knowledgeable opinions, and most importantly- for having a passion for their hobby. If you disregard the positive qualities of an anime to impress others or to manipulate your MALgraph, you are no longer a critic. Just a child. Just a deluded person that is desperate to be paid attention. Take for example Shingeki no Kyojin. I've noticed a trend of self-proclaimed critics deriding it as 'average' or worse, most likely to be contrarian against its overwhelming praise. While I don't personally believe the anime is "11/10 fukken masterpiece" quality like some would believe, it is in no way 'average'. And it is most definitely not poor. If you see yourself as even the least bit fair, you cannot disregard superb production qualities in favor of trivial complaints like "they yell too much". That is silly. Please don't criticize to impress or provoke. Do so because that is how you genuinely feel, and do not restrain yourself from giving praise when it is due. Forget about mean scores and garnering superficial respect-- nobody is going to care. There is more here than complaining and nitpicking. The notion of being a critic in the anime community has been reduced to mere pretentiousness. And that is not the kind of person that I want to be.