So much of this criticism seems to come from a standpoint of not just "your writing is bad," but -- "If you think you have something worthwhile to say, you are foolish and wrong. If you think you could have a creative idea, you are foolish and wrong. If you dare to think that other people might be interested in what you think, you are foolish and wrong."

That's not a countercultural message. You don't get to position yourself as a brave truth-teller for saying that. That's the message of our entire consumerist culture that would rather people kept watching TV instead of trying to make something for themselves. ("Quit these pretentious things and just punch the clock," as the Arcade Fire song says.)

So, yeah, it made me pretty angry.