I was never one to tune into Joan Rivers-esque shows during red carpet shows, so this isn’t about that.  But I have always happily engaged in critique as sport, lately extending to social media, when it comes to entertainment awards season. Something has shifted for me this year, though. I’m shying away from nasty.

And it’s not just about awards season. Mean is all over the place (see the appalling Rex Reed ‘review’ of Melissa McCarthy’s ‘work’). Ask Lena Dunham about mean or the actor in that GoDaddy Super Bowl commercial or Gov. Chris Christie. We’re so darned surface-y in our judgments. Life isn’t supposed to be a beauty contest, people.

Today’s Game Plan: Awards Season and the Culture of Mean