Cauliflower Weevils

“This is the heart of the case against bare-knuckle criticism: The problem is not the presence of negativity but the object of that negativity. The insult-comic style trains critics to channel their scorn toward minor errors rather than major iniquities, breeding a bipolar prose that lambasts rude hosts and greasy sauces with apocalyptic intensity yet says little to nothing about rapist chefs and unfair labor laws. In other words, pugilist prose offers an idiom of flamboyant irrelevance. This is a voice with strong words for small matters but polite silence for serious concerns—a voice that will not speak truth to power but only to cauliflower.” Death to the Negative Restaurant Review. Theodore Gioia with some very interesting takes about slapstick restaurant reviews. I recognize some of these techniques from social media discourse and the parallels are giving me a stomach ache.