“To announce that there must be no criticism of the President, or that we are to stand by the President right or wrong, is not only unpatriotic and servile, but is morally treasonable to the American public.” — Theodore Roosevelt
Saw this one posted on Digg today, and I just had to repost it. I have always liked this quote and the sentiments that it brings. Many time you hear people saying that you can’t criticize the president or the government or their minister or whomever. The truth is that it is through that critique that you improve situations and bring to light both the positives and the negatives. How would you ever learn in school or in life if no one ever told you what you did wrong or could improve upon. Plus, by having to defend ourselves against criticism, we fine tune our positions and make our arguements stronger.
Finally, rarely do you criticize something you don’t care about. If I give an opinion to a group and hear no comments, I know that no one cares. That is far, far worse that any criticism could ever be. If absolutely everyone is in agreement with me, then I know that I am wrong.
