paul_ie86
Posts: 11207
Joined: 4/1/2007
From: Chelsea Hotel #2
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quote:
ORIGINAL: chris kilby
quote:
ORIGINAL: tommyjarvis
quote:
ORIGINAL: chris kilby
Why can't people at least wait until they've seen these damn things before pouring buckets of shit over them? I mean, FFS!
Aren't you the same person that was moaning about homersimpson_esq complaining about your thread? 
I guess he won you over after all.
What? The thread he completely missed the point of? Is there a prize or something for the fanboy who most spectacularly misses the point round 'ere? Cos you and yer mate are definitely in the running...
(I must say, the smug, sneering and woefully misplaced Ha-I've-got-you! triumphalism of posts like that is one of the things I love best about t'internet.)
What is it, though, with all the constant online negativity? I know this is supposed to be a negative thread - the clue's in the title - but that's the problem. Threads like this do seem to predominate online generally, not just here. Yeah, and before anyone else misses the point completely, any supposedly "negative" threads I might have instigated recently were clearly meant to be light-hearted if not downright satirical. Layers of irony, yeah...? No? Oh forget it then.
The online community/madhouse's default setting seems to be one of overwhelming negativity and hyper-criticality. In every sense. (Yeah, yeah, I know - you're entitled to your opinion. Well guess what? That's a two-way street and I'm entitled to mine too. And, it must be said, some opinions are more valid, well-informed and thought-through than others. Feel free to chuck your tuppence' worth in as well.) It's not just films or stuff like Doctor Who (the branch of fandom I'm probably more familiar with than is good for my mental health), it's everything. People included. Look at the abuse that's been heaped on the likes of Tom Daley, Rebecca Addlington and Gary Barlowe on (anti) social networks like Twitter recently. This happens all the time. I happen to have first-hand experience of it. (I have a virtual stalker on Twitter who I managed to acquire on a Doctor Who website. And I'm not even on Twitter!) No, let me guess - I probably bring that on myself, yeah? I expect I'm about to find out...
What is wrong with these people? Are they so perfect, are their lives so blessed that anything and anyone who fails to live up to their impossibly exacting standards is somehow deserving of their scorn, disapproval and ridicule? Or could it be they are just bitter, sad and resentful about their lot in life and the cards Fate has dealt them? Hmmm... Let me think now...
It can't just be cliques, sectarianism/tribalism, playground bullying and the safety of anonymity. (Although these things clearly play their part.) It has to be something more fundamental than that. Maybe we're all just nasty, spiteful wee shits underneath and the internet, freed from the shackles of normal social convention and etiquette, allows us to behave online the way we would like to in "real" life. I find that sad and dispiriting, to tell the truth. And more than a bit worrying. There is A LOT of bitterness, anger and frustration out there. And a lot of Mark Chapmans and Travis Bickles just waiting to happen. That chap in Aurora, Colorado, for instance.
And no, this isn't an act. I am actually like this - pray for my friends and family. I've actually been trying to popularise what I modestly call "Kilby's Law" which is: Don't ever say anything to or about someone online that you wouldn't happily say to their face down the boozer if they had a glass in their hand. And, yes, I do try to live by that. (Cue: inevitable diatribes.) I'm telling you, if it caught on, it would revolutionise t'internet. Not as much as a rudimentary grasp of spelling and grammar would, but there you go. You can't have everything. Where would you keep it all?
As should be clear by now, my default setting online is one of bemused detachment. Especially when it comes to mystifyingly irate/uptight online types who are easy to rile, quick to anger and even quicker to start fights with all and sundry - paths to the dark corners of the internet are they. Which is why I go out of my way to avoid conflict. No, really. (Cue: selective quoting-out-of-context of things I have said by The Unusual Suspects - online fandom is nothing if not mindnumbingly pedantic and tediously predictable.)
I know I can be annoying, but I find it's easy to wind up people who are wound-up already. And even easier to upset people who go through life just looking to be upset all the time. You know the type. Cos I have long suspected that a lot of "fans" go to the movies with their teeth, fists and buttocks clenched, just waiting to be offended by what they're watching. This thread, and countless others, proves it. Where's the fun in that? I'm sorry, but that's just weird. And probably unhealthy. Haven't you guys heard of "the benefit of the doubt"? Cos it's a cinch a lot of you are only prepared to willingly suspend your disbelief about an inch off the ground. My god, you guys can be hard to please. Talk about a tough audience!
Cos if you decide, months in advance, that Skyfall and The Hobbit WILL suck, then guess what...? People see what they want to see and believe what they want to believe. That means some people do habitually make their minds up in advance, regardless of the evidence. It's called prejudice. Literally "before judgement." Not a good thing.
when I pay my hard-earned (which is increasingly hard to come by these days) I want to be entertained. I go out of my way to be entertained - is that so wrong? To the point that even when a movie does suck, I actively seek out things to enjoy, whether it's a performance, the lighting or the music. I don't know. Maybe that makes me a slack-jawed simpleton, but it's better than nitpicking endlessly and finding fault with every damn thing. I might be easily pleased, but I'm happier than The Angry Brigade and will probably live longer. Sometimes it's better to be a fool satisfied...
After all, It's Only A Movie!
(Hope this isn't too off-topic. I'm just trying to get a civilised discussion going and this seemed like the thread to do it on. So please don't wilfully misinterpret or twist what I'm trying to say here. I'm actually being serious for once. Serious as cancer. Like Leigh Francis.*)
* Joke! It is possible to be funny and serious at the same time. I hope...
Having had cancer, I can assure you I take none of this seriously.
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RE: Big anticipated films you predict will suck - 
Mod Candidate 2013
I was merely commenting on the two-star review - when in Rome, and all that... 
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