It wasn't constructive, but it bothered me. Don't know if it was rude or if I just had a chip on my shoulder. Probably both.
I put off bringing my sexual slavery scene to my critique group, it was a difficult chapter to write as it was. The book's not about sexual slavery, it's not erotica, none of that. But it is about what happens to the lowest members of the social rung. And sex trafficking is part of that life. So I touch on the subject in the book for a couple chapters.
Normally our critique group splits in two and on this day there weren't enough people for two groups. More than half the group were members that hadn't read much of my work at all. They reacted like a bunch of prudes. And, they reacted like I couldn't write. I can write. I've spent the last five years learning how and I'm good at it now.
"That doesn't belong in YA"
"Have you read The Story of O? It's about blah blah blah, you should read it.
"50 Shades, you should read that."
Not helpful, not in the least. I am not writing
50 Shades fan fiction. Condescending, and no effort whatsoever to consider what I was trying to accomplish. They had not seen the places I had, so they didn't understand the setting. I'll always be learning how to write better, critique pointing out my flaws is welcome. But their critique wasn't about how to make the scene more credible, the critique was a total rejection that the scene was credible.
But I'd been there. I was basing the scene off of places I'd seen first hand. They had no idea such places existed.
Fortunately the one person familiar with my WIP and the one I've learned the most from rose above the insensitive, useless condescension. I was modeling the brothel after actual places I'd seen in Las Vegas and that wasn't working. I get that. I ended up changing the scene altogether.
But I resented the critique that night, and I've taken a break from the group. It's not that I don't have more to learn, of course I do. But I've been getting very useful critique every two weeks for almost five years. That night I felt like I'd graduated. I know what I'm doing now. I need to edit, the book's almost done. I'll need a beta reader next. Having people read a chapter who knew nothing about the book wasn't helpful.
Bottom line, if the setting doesn't work for you, say so. But you need not tell someone, no such place exists, when you haven't been all the places other people have been. Ask first, what are you basing the setting on?
Don't start off your critique when you are coming in, in the middle of a book, and you don't know anything about what that author is writing. Ask first, what are you trying to accomplish in this chapter?
Don't make assumptions based on something as oversimplified as the genre what should or shouldn't be in a book. Make sure first that the person isn't writing something in that genre that is not your traditional sparkly vampire fantasy. Some YA books are deeper than that.