Response to Valerie's question

"What makes on person more able to criticize a work than someone else?"
"In my opinion, what would make one more qualified to critique something, would be knowledge in that field. If you critique paintings you should have taken quite a few painting classes, on history and technique for example, or if not that, be able to paint yourself. If music, you should be a musician, or have taken musical classes, whether theory, history, or lessons in a specific instrument would be up to you, but you should have knowledge in that field. Any old person on the streets can rant about their opinion on something, but if you've been trained or taught in that field, your word should carry a bit more weight having some knowledge and experience behind it. Why do people need to be told what to think about art in the first place, why do we need critics in our newspapers and online?"