The episode 17 review is being delayed by a day, since I'm in a poor frame of mind right now. As many of you will have guessed, that's because I'm angry and ashamed about the way Big Jim Miller has been treated recently. He shared a horribly abusive message he'd received (via his portfolio page, so he can't just shut down the email) and said that he felt driven to make his Twitter account private for a while, simply for the good of his mental health.
I believe that some of this abuse came his way from people who had seen the S9 finale (already released in the Netherlands!) and didn't like it. Yes, that's right: people didn't like the ending of a cartoon and decided that justified screaming abuse at a guy involved in making it.* A guy who, I'd be willing to bet, has done about a million times more with his creativity and vision to make people happy than any of the people sending the abuse ever have.
* I don't know what the ending is! Please do not mention it if you do!
We've been here before. After "Filli Vanilli" went out in 2014, certain people who disliked the way Pinkie Pie had been portrayed in that episode hurled abuse at Amy Keating Rogers, that ep's writer. Some of it went a thousand miles beyond any norms of civilised criticism – AKR mentioned that she had even received death threats. This was followed by the #ThankYouDHX Twitter campaign, which was seen by those who mattered, but of course that didn't change what had happened.
I'm so utterly, utterly sick of people saying that because this fandom grew out of 4chan, that somehow makes it okay to behave like this. Or that anyone who can't deal with deliberately insulting personal abuse is "a snowflake" who should get off the internet. This is My Little Pony, for Celestia's sake. It's not made for us in the first place. But quite apart from that, certain people seem unable and/or unwilling to take Friendship is Magic's messages of love and friendship and plain common decency to heart.
Generosity. Honesty. Kindness. Laughter. Loyalty. Magic. Friendship. These are the values the show teaches.
It's on us as a fandom to learn them.
Take them to heart.
And live them.
The most I can say in terms of these rather atrocious comments is that it all goes to show that you cannot truly call yourself a fan of the show with remarks like that. I mean true, it is not uncommon that folks would post this kind of stuff all over the internet (4Chan having a notorious reputation). But it seems like nowadays due to being able to make these remarks without having to tell that person face-to-face, it makes it tough to confront the matter at hand knowing how common it's become.
ReplyDeleteAs a devoted fan of the show since Day 1 of FIM's start, all I can properly offer is a huge thanks to Mr. Miller for even allowing us the opportunity to enjoy this show in the first place. It's true the show has had some highs and lows, not every episode is considered a classic, and true there are some moments that are still debatable at best, but rather than dwelling on what we don't get it would be wise to be thankful for what the show 'did' give us. Even if the reason being for all the death threats is only because those countries are just lucky to get the rest of the season 'early' before we in America get a chance to see.
Even if I had the 'obligation' to watch the episodes 'early' if need be, I'd prefer to wait until the series actually airs as a way of testing my capacity for patience. I just hope things work out for Mr. Miller and that this break from Twitter is something he needs with upmost certainty.
Well said. And we need to say this stuff more.
DeleteI am very sad to say that I'm not surprised at all.
ReplyDeleteFor whatever reason, there is a significant portion of this fandom that are unspeakably vile people.
I learned that in a very direct way a couple of years ago when I returned from meeting (for the last time) with a friend who was dying of pancreatic cancer. On the same day, I learned of the death of a colleague on Sint Maartan during the hurricane, and had to hike halfway across San Francisco because of the traffic chaos caused by a planned Nazi march.
At home, a bit liquored up, I thought to get a bit of uncomplicated pony enjoyment, and to share a bit of my misery with friends. I should have known better.
Somewhere in my long, rambling, drunken post, I made a joke about not even getting to punch a Nazi because they had cancelled their march, and...
Yes, you guessed it: That tiny fraction of my post started a shitstorm of angry comments defending the Nazis that utterly overwhelmed everything else.
This was shortly after I finished Skyla... and the other three books I had planned to follow have been languishing in Why Bother Land ever since.
I still love the show... the fandom, not so much.
Yes, there are a whole lot of wonderful, creative people out there, and I love them and their work! But sometimes (like now, hearing about the hatred toward Big Jim) it's like picking diamonds out of a cesspool.
But hey... diamonds, right?
I don't think this fandom is any worse than many others. But I also don't think it's really any better. There's long been a tendency for fans to look at the undoubted good things -- the charity fundraising, the creativity and so on -- and imagine we're something special. We sometimes think a little too much of ourselves as a fandom, I feel.
DeleteI'm so sorry to read about what happened to you a couple of years ago. To go through such an unbearably awful day and then get that on top -- I can't imagine how bad that was. My very belated condolences and sympathy.
I still love the show... the fandom, not so much.
In my case, I love some of the fandom enormously. I'm enormously lucky to be able to attend (and occasionally help out with) my local meetup group, whose atmosphere I can only describe as nice. Between that and UK PonyCon, the fans I actually meet in person are overwhelmingly on the side of the angels.
But I don't love other parts of the fandom, notably the vile people you mention. One of the reasons I wrote this post was that I felt I ought to be calling this stuff out publicly. I may have a tiny audience here, and in general one of people who don't need calling out, but I feel happier having this on the public record.
At least, they are not Steven Universe fandom...
DeleteLogan,
DeleteNo, I agree with you, and we all /should/ be calling out misbehavior like this! Nice is wonderful compared to the norm and I would like a lot more nice, please!
Lambdadelta,
Or, heaven forbid, Rick and Morty fandom!
There must be something that make those people that pissed off that much even those behaviors are definitely unacceptable. However, from what I saw from the past, Feeling Pinkie Keen, S3 finale, or Filly Vanilli outrage, those eps are great/good and their mishaps aren't that terrible, those guys could be just overreacting, right...?!
ReplyDeleteI'm a bit worried for S9 finale now.
Honestly, I remember the virulent hatred spewed by fans when Twilight Sparkle got her wings, so the finale might be fantastic!
DeleteExcellent points from both of you! Given I joined the fandom after Derpygate, the Twilicorn stuff is the biggest mess I can remember -- yet it's rare now that I come across anyone who still outright hates the S3 finale. Most people (including me) just wish it had been a two-parter.
DeleteYeah, my reaction to this recent unpleasantness has been pretty low-key just because I still remember Derpygate.
DeleteWhich I would also call the moment when the fandom stopped being special. <.<
For the record, I'm one of those people who still doesn't like the S3 finale.
DeleteAlthough the idea of sending death threats over it - and over anything entertainment-related in general - strikes me as totally unhealthy, outright insanely lacking in perspective, and just blind to any sense of social decency. For starters, there are a helluva lot of better things to get angry over than how a cartoon of all things is handled. For another... seriously, death threats? Seriously? Those just have no place in any conversation whatsoever.
It's times like this I won't miss fandom participation in the future, if it brings me in contact with this kind of hostility.
That comment's me, by the way.
DeleteI think that a lot of bronies genuinely believe that they - or the more cynical adult fandom - are responsible for the show's success, and that the creators owe them everything.
ReplyDeleteI got into the show because my kids liked the cute ponies. I fell in love with the clever writing, the funny jokes, and the utter lack of any feeling of "it's just for kids" (either in terms of condescension or lack of effort). I didn't know bronies existed for the best part of a year after that. And sometimes, when shit like this happens... despite all the great art and fics, all the great friendships and memories that (other) people forged at cons and meets, and all the witty and perceptive reactors and reviewers, not to mention my own extremely belated entry into the creative side of the fandom... sometimes, I wonder if on balance I'd have been happier not knowing.
I can understand that. I won't say I've ever felt quite that way, since the friendships in particular are the best thing the show's given me, but there are times when I wonder what it would have been like to have been a simple, uncomplicated viewer. It would certainly have been different.
Delete