CONTAMINATION
“The proper work of criticism is contamination…it must share in the nature of what is being studied. Criticism contaminates, but itself has begun in a state of contamination.”
~ Bloom, The American Religion, p. 36
Before one can be taken seriously as a critic, he must be afflicted with what he critiques. If it is sports, politics, poetry or sexuality, the subject must possess you, and the longer it possesses you, the better critic you are. It must ravage your heart, mind and soul like small pox or a bad case of the flu, so you know its effect in every joint and gland.
The same is true of public speaking, acting or any performance art. The effectiveness of your performance will be in direct proportion to the depth of contagion. If you are slightly affected, your performance will be slight. If you are thoroughly contaminated, you will spread the germs of your idea everywhere with the single sneeze or cough of a word. This metaphor may be unappealing, but if we are not attempting to infect the minds of others with a cure, why waste time. Infection is nothing but transmission. Transmitting memes is crucial in this time of meme warfare; metaphysical germ warfare.
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