"bad" critique

On the topic of handling a "bad" critique as discussed in class on Saturday, I was reminded of some very negative feedback that I received at an art show a couple of years ago. I made a ghost story responding to a 911 mural on a garage door in Brooklyn, NY. Well the exhibit was called, "the Ghosts of Brooklyn" and the guy in the Wine Bar, Embaracadero where my show was, had had some wine. He was pissed. Told me who the hell do I think I am to exploit the tragedy of 911 when I wasn't even THERE when it happened, and stuff like that. Come to find out, he was in NY that day, I was living 2 blocks from the Pentagon that same day, so I didn't make that image lightly. I too knew people that died that day and while none of my relating to him seemed to work, he cussed me on the way out the door. THis image touched him in a negative way. Being drunk seemed to heighten that, but I realized a bit after he was gone how intense it felt to be yelled at about MY work! I then realized that it didn't hurt. It felt true. So an image that evokes an emotional response, makes our images a success.