WE NEED TO TALK ABOUT...Public Criticism

Best-selling author Roxane Gay shares her tales of public vilification, which come with being a prolific thought-disrupter

- HARRIET SIM

The first time I received public criticism was over my essay about a young girl in Texas, who had been gang raped. The New York Times had published an article lamenting the effect this assault would have on the town. My response was: who gives a damn about the town, let’s worry about the child. The town is not a victim.

Usually I take most criticism far too personally, but in this instance I decided that if you are criticising this very-easy-to-get-on-board-with issue, that’s a huge problem and not something I can even begin to address.

I always encourage people to have good discussions about my work. The issue is not criticism but harassment and bullying. I try not to engage with disingenuous criticism, which is not easy because I enjoy trolling a troll and giving it right back to them.