Okay, I Think This Really Needs To Be Addressed
There has been a lot of uproar lately over the fact that Steven Moffat deleted his Twitter. The reasons as to why he deleted his Twitter are ambiguous. People are claiming it’s because he has been receiving baseless hatred from various people who have denounced his writing as “sexist, classist, ableist, etc.”.
Please stop.
He is famous. He is going to receive hatred that he does not deserve. That is a fact. That happens to anyone who is in a position like his. Russel T. Davies also received hatred when he was the showrunner of DW. Is it okay? No. It is not okay at all to attack and bully a person for no reason other than not liking their writing, and the people who have been doing that should stop right now. However, the people who are analyzing his writing and pointing out the flaws in it or the problematic things are not hating him.
What they are doing is providing constructive criticism. Like it or not, Steven Moffat has written and said countless things that have problematic elements to them. But pointing out the flaws in something is not the same thing as hating it. Did you know that some people who watch Elementary are also analyzing and critiquing the problematic elements in it? And guess what? They still like the show.
How has Moffat reacted to said constructive criticism?
He has shunned it, he has denied it, he has denounced it as heckling and debasement.
Constructive criticism is essential for a writer to improve their work. All writers know that. I, as a writer, occasionally have trouble accepting constructive criticism. That’s understandable. Lots of people do. It’s hard to have someone point out the flaws in your writing. But it’s also necessary for you to make your writing better.
In an interview, Moffat once stated “I am annoyed by any form of criticism. I disapprove of it. I know people say that they are entitled to their opinion. Why?”
Maybe Moffat did delete his Twitter because of the criticism he was receiving. But he shouldn’t have. He should have analyzed the criticism, and at least even entertained the thought that “hey, maybe they’re right. Maybe that line was offensive. Maybe I shouldn’t write something like that again”. To delete his Twitter for that reason was immature and unnecessary.
Thank you.