When I was in school, I remember teachers and family telling me that criticism should be constructive. They meant that I shouldn't just be negative in my comments about something. I should propose positive alternatives.
I didn't agree then and I don't agree now. Sometimes positive alternatives don't exist: you can't get there from here. Sometimes any positive alternatives you can think of immediately are superficial. And sometimes genuine alternatives can only emerge from sustained analysis.
What's more important is that criticism should be correct, or at least insightful and thought-provoking. Good positive suggestions can come later, and separately.
When people claim that criticism is not constructive, what they usually mean is that they don't want to hear it and they don't want to be pushed out of their zone of ignorant comfort. As the slogan says, "If you are not outraged then you are not paying attention."
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