Why do certain people feel the need to criticize others based on their entertainment preferences?

[The DanMan]

So, yeah. Something I don't get about some people is why they like bashing others because they enjoy something they don't? I'll use a couple personal examples. One is shorter and something more familiar to most of you, while the other is more longwinded and personal/recent.

As most of you probably know, certain people in this fandom are much less facilitating than others. I've seen fans, old and new, insult people and their opinions- over a freaking videogame. Be it those of the older crowd disowning everything after Shadow Dragon and claiming only "weebs and perverts" enjoy the newer titles, or those in the newer crowd who find it perfectly fine to passive-aggressively insult those who don't necessarily agree/care about their localization criticisms, it's their and prevalent. It's stuff most of us have seen, so I'm not going to go in-depth. Unfortunately, some of that behavior pops up on this site. I'm not naming any names, because fortunately it isn't super centralized.

I'll use another example from another fandom: RWBY. I'll be one of the first to admit that the show has it's flaws- and yet we have those on the opposite ends of the spectrum. Certain people can't take any criticism whatsoever. The show's subreddit is infamous for this- in my time lurking, that attitude is generally directed towards those posters who are almost always negative, but downvoting somebody for simply not agreeing with you is a thing that happens all to frequently. On the other side, we have those who believe "the show is fucking shit and so is it's fanbase". The youtube user FatManFalling is an example- he puts out very in-depth and highly critical reviews of the show. However, while he does make legit points, he often spends so much time on little things that most people would never notice or care about (he abhors the term "nitpicking") that he finds issues that really aren't there and his videos often feel heavy on the confirmation bias- which isn't helped by him looking for things to criticize seemingly so hard that he misses whenever certain things are explained.

And then there's his behavior; basically, he's a smug hypocritical holier-than-thou asshole. He takes the worst instances of fans not taking criticism of the show well and makes it seem like the entire fanbase is like that, and has said that "RWBY fans must be immune to embarrassment because they broadcast that they enjoy the show" (despite several of his regular viewers who enjoy his videos calling themselves fans); in addition, when people have tried to argue with him (whenever his fandom doesn't just label them a "blind fanboy") he tends to deflect arguments and criticisms and delve into ad hominem ("the fact that you don't get this means you're either an 8 year-old or a troll")- something he uses even when not in arguments (he labeled MurderOfBirds, one of the more prominent fans of RWBY, a "cunt" for getting a shout-out from the production team). When one of his reviews got removed from the subreddit due to the "low quality/shitpost rule", his response was "either that rule is rarely enforced or you're blind to your front page".

Between the proliferation of the former example and my more recent exposure to the latter one, I've really started to wonder: why do certain people seem to get off on dissing people over something so inconsequential? Were is the "live and let live" for something so harmless and mundane? I don't care what you do in your free time as long as you aren't harming anybody. Why is it so hard for certain people to think that way? It's not politics or religion or anything big- it's just how you choose to spend your free time.

[Acacia Sgt]

Because in the end, we're human. Almost always we will almost always have some degree of contempt to anything that is different.

Edited October 14, 2016 by Acacia Sgt

[Moblin Major General]

It's because people remove their face and replace it with their ass on the internet. These same conversations wouldn't contain nearly the amount of vitriol they do if said in real life. I thought you of all people would understand this, Dan. Granted, those like us that have been on here long enough would learn how to identify those people and not talk to them, but I see why it could be a problem on places so general as Reddit. Also, RWBY is very unique, and just like with all things that are unique in the world, a fair amount of people will hate it because they just feel like hating something apart from their job, their family, or life in general.

[Augestein]

Well sometimes you just don't like things and your opinions can cause people to feel compelled to defend something they like. I think the biggest problem is the aggression from others when it comes to analyzing or offering counterpoints.

[-Cynthia-]

People are socialized to believe that what is popular is better- therefore something that is more popular 'validates' an individual's liking of something and removes cognitive dissonance.

"But people often specifically like things that aren't popular!(hipsters and such)"-->This is somewhat true, but such things are often popular in what in the individual considers an 'ingroup'. The individual is still conforming to the social norms of that group.

Edited October 14, 2016 by -Cynthia-

[Irysa]

Your reaction.

On a more serious note, I think there are things that are legitimately distasteful and pander to undesirable attitudes. Media is not always innocent.

[Phoenix Wright]

media is not always innocent, yup. also, though it's subjective, the are objective components to it. the room, by any metric, is not a good movie. it's okay to like it for personal, subjective reasons, but you shouldn't think it's good. or quality. because it's not.

and so these ideas function to various degrees with entertainment. i thought dark knight rises was entertaining, but it wasn't a good movie. there's objective flaws that somewhat ruin the experience for me.

Edited October 14, 2016 by Phoenix Wright

[Ken Masters]

People have the tendency to feel personally attacked when something they are invested in, is diminished by others. In a world of anonimity like the internet, that makes the average person much more suceptible to this kind of behaviour.

[Esau of Isaac]

media is not always innocent, yup. also, though it's subjective, the are objective components to it. the room, by any metric, is not a good movie. it's okay to like it for personal, subjective reasons, but you shouldn't think it's good. or quality. because it's not.

and so these ideas function to various degrees with entertainment. i thought dark knight rises was entertaining, but it wasn't a good movie. there's objective flaws that somewhat ruin the experience for me.

Fun fact I always confuse The Room with The Road, so my first kneejerk reaction when someone mocks The Room is to choke them out.

btw The Room is amazing by all metrics. It's the best unintentional comedy movie ever made man.

[Tryhard]

There's some point in which crossing it makes you come across as an asshole and denoting too much worth and credit to things that really don't deserve it.

But I suppose it's not so different from someone like Gavin McInnes, who put out this highly liked video where he criticized every adult who plays video games. It's just gonna happen.

Fun fact I always confuse The Room with The Road, so my first kneejerk reaction when someone mocks The Room is to choke them out.

btw The Room is amazing by all metrics. It's the best unintentional comedy movie ever made man.

man I didn't particularly like The Road either

Edited October 14, 2016 by Tryhard

[Formernintendofan]

https://www.change.org/p/nintendo-don-t-censor-fire-emblem-if-fates

https://www.change.org/p/nintendo-america-down-with-fire-emblem-fates-localization

https://www.change.org/p/nintendo-square-enix-idea-factory-international-nc-soft-atlus-nippon-ichi-software-america-capcom-koei-tecmo-sega-ghostlight-sony-namco-bandai-valve-make-dlc-available-to-restore-content-cut-censored-inwestern-releases-of-games

https://www.change.org/p/nintendo-stop-the-unwarranted-censorship-of-fire-emblem-fates

https://www.change.org/p/nintendo-treehouse-bill-trinen-reggie-fils-aime-bring-back-skinship-in-fire-emblem-fates

https://www.change.org/p/nintendo-get-nintendo-of-america-to-stop-censoring-fire-emblem-fates

https://www.change.org/p/nintendo-nintendo-bring-back-the-amie-system-in-fire-emblem-fates-usa-version

https://www.change.org/p/nintendo-intelligent-systems-do-not-censor-the-skin-ship-petting-mini-game-in-fire-emblem-fates

https://www.change.org/p/nintendo-keep-fire-emblem-fates-the-way-it-was-meant-to-be-demand-for-japanese-patch

https://www.change.org/p/nintendo-do-not-censor-fire-emblem-fates-for-it-s-worldwide-release

[saisymbolic]

At any rate, I agree that people tend to become more... brutal... on the internet because identity is no longer a thing.

Also, some people forget that just because they like something, it doesn't mean that it's good. A person can't say they genuinely like something without acknowledging its flaws, in my opinion.

Edited October 15, 2016 by saisymbolic
Saying goodbye to a disruptive force

[The DanMan]

It's because people remove their face and replace it with their ass on the internet. These same conversations wouldn't contain nearly the amount of vitriol they do if said in real life. I thought you of all people would understand this, Dan.

The rub is I just can't really comprehend what they get out of it. Everybody has a didactic side, but seeing it come out on the topic of pure entertainment honestly kinda disturbs me.

I'll admit, for much of my childhood I've been kinda sheltered and only in the past couple of years have I been able to explore the "dark side" of the internet.

Also, some people forget that just because they like something, it doesn't mean that it's good. A person can't say they genuinely like something with acknowledging its flaws, in my opinion.

Wholeheartedly agreed- to genuinely enjoy something, you have to acknowledge it's flaws.

[Refa]

media is not always innocent, yup. also, though it's subjective, the are objective components to it. the room, by any metric, is not a good movie. it's okay to like it for personal, subjective reasons, but you shouldn't think it's good. or quality. because it's not.

and so these ideas function to various degrees with entertainment. i thought dark knight rises was entertaining, but it wasn't a good movie. there's objective flaws that somewhat ruin the experience for me.

you're equating objectivity with general consensus. none of the qualities that make a movie "objectively" good are intrinsically good qualities.

[eclipse]

The rub is I just can't really comprehend what they get out of it. Everybody has a didactic side, but seeing it come out on the topic of pure entertainment honestly kinda disturbs me.

I'll admit, for much of my childhood I've been kinda sheltered and only in the past couple of years have I been able to explore the "dark side" of the internet.

When you feel like you can say whatever you want, with no consequence, you'll get people who say whatever they want, other people's feelings be damned. It's a sorry state of affairs to see those who are that bereft of human decency on the Internet.

[Phoenix Wright]

Fun fact I always confuse The Room with The Road, so my first kneejerk reaction when someone mocks The Room is to choke them out.

btw The Room is amazing by all metrics. It's the best unintentional comedy movie ever made man.

so much so that wiseau just started calling it a "dark comedy" lol. the first two times through, it's a fine movie. the third watch is hard.

you're equating objectivity with general consensus. none of the qualities that make a movie "objectively" good are intrinsically good qualities.

not really, just picked very popular examples. there are similar things to be said for any movie: there are objective aspects that help make a movie good or bad, but judging the movie as a whole is purely subjective. the product is different from the sum of its parts or however that saying goes.

[Refa]

oh yeah, fair enough.

[Rapier]

People have the tendency to feel personally attacked when something they are invested in, is diminished by others. In a world of anonimity like the internet, that makes the average person much more suceptible to this kind of behaviour.

I agree with that.

My theory is that people get bothered/offended when something they value/hold dear is criticized or put in a bad light. That kind of criticism feels like it is a criticism against the person itself (which is... kind of true. The things we do and like influence to some degree on who we are. When someone comes and says that what we like/do is stupid, it's natural to be bothered by it).

[Water Mage]

The rub is I just can't really comprehend what they get out of it. Everybody has a didactic side, but seeing it come out on the topic of pure entertainment honestly kinda disturbs me.

I'll admit, for much of my childhood I've been kinda sheltered and only in the past couple of years have I been able to explore the "dark side" of the internet.

It's cathartic for some people. In the real world, most people tend to hold it in their emotions a lot and almost never say what they mean, so when there's place where appears you can do and say anything you want without consequence, these same people will go wild, they let loose everything the held it in.

There's something charming and almost intoxicating about anonymity you know.

[Jave]

The only time in this forum I've felt legitimately insulted was when I was called "Lowest Common Denominator" for no other reason than liking TMS #FE. By two people at least. I've had encounters with people before or gotten into heated arguments, but nothing like that comment up there.

I don't think there's anything wrong with criticism. I know some people on this forum can be incredibly blunt, and that's fine. But there are things I feel have no place on what I expect from this site, like what I said above.

[Res]

I have a competitive nature so I must admit, the more someone likes/dislikes something, the more I dislike/like something, and sometimes I get caught up so much in my own arguments that it begins to affect my original opinion. I know it's not always right, but I struggle to control it.

For example: the movie Love Actually. I saw it in theaters and thought it was a bit rubbish; not good, but not awful, and I laughed at a couple of scenes. But it grew to be really popular/a Christmas staple in some circles, and often I was the lone voice trying to argue that it was a bad movie, which is hard to do when your position is mainly 'it wasn't good'. It's easier to argue that it's a festering pile of garbage and it's easier to be heard when you do, too. And now when I look back, I can starkly see the flaws even in the scenes I originally liked.

Usyally I'm arguing for the other side, though - I prefer to defend the underdog than to tear down what's popular. And like Rapier says, depending on why I like something (for example, if I identify with it instead of being merely entertained by it), it definitely does feel like a personal attack.

[Water Mage]

The only time in this forum I've felt legitimately insulted was when I was called "Lowest Common Denominator" for no other reason than liking TMS #FE. By two people at least. I've had encounters with people before or gotten into heated arguments, but nothing like that comment up there.

I don't think there's anything wrong with criticism. I know some people on this forum can be incredibly blunt, and that's fine. But there are things I feel have no place on what I expect from this site, like what I said above.

Actually, what they referred TMS #FE as "Lowest Common Denominator: The Game", rather than the fans of the game. I don't remember who said it though.

But the idea is there, as the person didn't have to look in the face of the TMS #FE fans, the person said a very hurtful thing without shame and without considering the feeling of others. If the person had to look in the face of actual TMS #FE fans, they would have never said that, regardless of their actual opinon, due to the fact that they don't have the internet's anonymity.

Edited October 15, 2016 by Water Mage

[Jave]

Actually, what they referred TMS #FE as "Lowest Common Denominator: The Game", rather than the fans of the game. I don't remember who said it though.

But the idea is there, as the person didn't have to look in the face of the TMS #FE fans, the person said a very hurtful thing without shame and without considering the feeling of others. If the perso had to look in the face of actual TMS #FE fans, they would have never said that, regardless of their actual opinon, due to the fact that they don't have the internet's anonymity.

Yeah, but in context, it's really no different. It doesn't change the fact that I felt insulted.

I agree with your second paragraph.

[Water Mage]

Yeah, but in context, it's really no different. It doesn't change the fact that I felt insulted.

I agree with your second paragraph.

I'm not saying it's saying it's different and as a fan of the game, I felt insulted as well, since the point of it was to insult the fans of the game. The person simply insulted them in a more roundabout way as to avoid being direct and avoid being blamed.

It happens a lot in gaming forums, I've noticed.

Edited October 15, 2016 by Water Mage

[Jave]

I'm not saying it's saying it's different and as a fan of the game, I felt insulted as well, since the point of it was to insult the fans of the game. The person simply insulted them in a more roundabout way as to avoid being direct and avoid being blamed.

It happens a lot in gaming forums, I've noticed.

Yeah, I see your point. I definitely agree with it.