The Arm Chair Critique

Idioms, the free dictionary says, an armchair critic is a person who knows about a subject only by reading or hearing about it and criticizes without active experience or first-hand knowledge. The phrase armchair critic is first recorded in 1896, but the concept was around at least a decade earlier: in 1886 Joseph Chamberlain sneered at opponents as ‘arm-chair politicians.’

Then Wikipedia says, Joseph Chamberlain (8 July 1836 – 2 July 1914) was a British statesman who was first a radical Liberal, then, after opposing home rule for Ireland, a Liberal Unionist, and eventually served as a leading imperialist in coalition with the Conservatives. He split both major British parties in the course of his career.

And the above may just show that you are maybe better off as an armchair critic, as Joseph Chamberlain appeared to be taken from one extreme to the other!

My brother posted this little guy with his ear chewed off and labelled him an armchair critique. My brother drinks and will occasionally after maybe drinking a bit too much, he will post something on Facebook that offends someone. Most of the time he knows what he says will push buttons and does it anyway. I have observed some harsh criticism, and I know my brother and he will be getting a kick out of it. This one says to me, either that he was the arm chair critic or someone else and either way one of them got an ear chewed off. I told him a while ago that I will delete anything he posts drunk on my wall. I will do that for anyone that drunk posts on my wall.

I try to stay positive, and those posts almost never encourage positive, and I can slip right along with at times as addiction demands we stay negative and can catch us when we least expect it.

Now, no explanation, just the title. Is it best to just ignore and go on my way? Is it something I have written? I have been writing really a lot lately. If it is, isn’t it better to not know? I didn’t get my ear chewed off, not yet anyway.

My brothers saved my life in early recovery as I really didn’t think I had a drinking problem but I was getting into recovery. I was in a bar helping a woman out that played in a band and didn’t have problems playing where she didn’t drink but playing where she did drink was causing discomfort and she invited me to come with her to help her stay sober.

My brothers saw my car outside the place, came in and watched me until I realized they thought I was drinking. When I confronted them on why they were there, they admitted they truly did think I was drinking and if I was they had plans to try to get me out of there and to get me sober again. Wow. Now who can think they don’t have a problem when it so clearly comes that way from your younger brothers.

I really try to mind my p’s and q’s and will at times wonder if I am doing all that I can to help those that have helped me in my recovery. These brothers helped me. I know I can love them and pray for them and little more. I can be honest. That is what the no drunk posts on my wall are about.

I know that I can be an armchair critic. I can so easily see what the government is doing right and what the government is doing wrong, even though I spent time working for state government and tribal government, and learned a thing or two, I am not an expert. It doesn’t make me immune from doing armchair critiquing. And it sure doesn’t make me immune to letting you know exactly what I think about just about anything, without really knowing very much about the subject at all. And there is my writing. An authority on little to nothing. Armchair critique may be a specialty of many and I sure can see how it can be one of mine.