Remember my blog post about going to WonderCon back in May?
While I was there, pushing my way through the crowds of people, some random guy and his friend passed by me and said very clearly something along the lines of "Look at all these assholes." followed by a chuckle from his companion.
I'm sorry sir, but you paid MONEY to get inside of a convention. So why are you bashing the people here? What, I wonder, is the point of spending a perfectly good Saturday afternoon in a place that you had to pay to get in to with when you're just there to make snarky comments about those who want to enjoy themselves?
This memory was brought up by a deviantArt member who posted a journal detailing someone saying they "HATE" what she's done to the new My Little Pony fandom. Whether you're a hardcore brony or don't give a Pinkie Pie cupcake about the show, the artist gave a very good argument:
She hadn't drawn the picture to offend anyone, and it wasn't targeted at the commentator, obviously - the two had never crossed paths before. The commentator made on of the most cowardly moves I've ever seen a troll make, however: they blocked the artist from commenting back. On a separate account, the artist chewed out the commentator rather explicitly, but as said before, made an excellent argument.
I see this sort of thing all the time on YouTube: someone posts an anime clip from the English dub of the show. Let's say it's Ichigo's transformation in Bleach for argument's sake. Johnny Yong Bosch is on the screen screaming or laughing maniacally as it's Hollow versus Soul Reaper in one body, and below there's the comment box. While I raise my eyebrows, impressed by Johnny's talent once again, people are writing careless messages like "the original's better" or "this dub sucks". You get the idea.
The most offensive one I recall was on a video posted by the voice-actor. Steve Blum is probably most well-known for his role as Oroshimaru and Zabuza in Naruto. He put his demo reel up on YouTube for loyal fans, and one gutsy viewer posted a comment saying they wished Steve was away from the microphone forever, mentioning a club for those with that shared belief.
Why on Earth have we slipped so low?
There is a very simple rule to anything on the internet: Don't like? Don't watch. Why is it so hard for people to understand this principle? Why waste your time torturing yourself with a show, dub, or even a CONVENTION for God's sake that you don't enjoy? Does the masochism make you cooler? If so, do you REALLY need to share your complaints with EVERYONE? Even if you disagree, what's the point in picking a fight with some hardcore fan? Believe me, I've tangled with enough Twilight fangirls to know how to say, "I don't like the series, okay? We don't have to talk about it." Rather than pick a fight. The argument will go nowhere, and someone will get hurt.
- Much luvz, Hideki.
