[ SECRET POST #2177 ]

[case]

⌈ Secret Post #2177 ⌋

Warning: Some secrets are NOT worksafe and may contain SPOILERS.

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Notes:

Secrets Left to Post: 03 pages, 058 secrets from Secret Submission Post #311.
Secrets Not Posted: [ 0 - broken links ], [ 0 - not!secrets ], [ 0 - not!fandom ], [ 0 - too big ], [ 0 - repeat ].
Current Secret Submissions Post: here.
Suggestions, comments, and concerns should go here.

Comments

[fscom]

12. http://i.imgur.com/3n1nh.jpg

[brightblueink]

I guess that's a good point, but sometimes fans use that "dislike" of a person as an excuse to harass people, which is NOT okay.

[castle_anon]

See: Secret 17 for an example of how easy this argument falls apart. And if you're judging people because why they *might* like or dislike a character, that says far more about you than the person you're judging.

[(Anonymous)]

did you miss the part where they said it would be "immature" i.e. bad if you don't actually /know/ why for sure. it's not "might". (in context, then, the "mights" at the end were in fact used to address these conditions, assuming they were known - i.e., you might know that they dislike them for a random, unimportant reason, or you might know that it's a legitimately disconcerting reason.)

it was right at the top of the secret

reading comprehension skills: activate

[(Anonymous)]

I don't agree. On some level, "de gustibus non est disputandum" - people just have certain tastes, and you can't really argue about that, and it's not a valid reason to dislike a person because they just don't like a certain character. Now, if they SAY "I don't like person X for reason Y", and reason Y is a freaking horrible reason that implies bad things about them, I totally agree with you - but it seems to me that you're trying to justify disliking someone based on the fact of their dislike alone. And I don't think that's valid.

[(Anonymous)]

I can't tell whose side you're on OP, but I don't really hate people that hate a character I like. But I DO hate people that have to constantly bring up why my favorite character sucks and is a shitty character in every conversation we have. Especially if they know that character is my favorite. I just do not think I will be able to get along with someone like that. >_>

But yeah, if you hate a character, that's ok. You got your reasons. Don't try to push them on to me and we're cool.

[kallanda_lee]

Sure, it might.

It's just that a lot of people make assumptions about why you dislike a character.

For example,I still see people get called misogynists for disliking female characters that are genuinely unpleasant people (like Cersei from GoT).
But I also see things like people disliking Doctor Who because they dislike the genre, and they might actually enjoy a similar character in drama series, but are unable to separate the two.

I can see how it would be problematic if a person hated a character for the same reasons that you loved them, but even then I don't necessarily see that as an insurmountable problem,unless you personally really identify with that character.

[dazzledfirestar]

I can see how it would be problematic if a person hated a character for the same reasons that you loved them, but even then I don't necessarily see that as an insurmountable problem,unless you personally really identify with that character.

I have to disagree there. I would think finding out that a person in fact DOES hate a character because they're female/POC/LBGT would be a completely justifiable reason not to be friends with someone. At least for me.

[femme_androgyne]

The problem is that unless someone flat-out tells you, you can't really know which it is (whether they dislike the character for innocuous "reminds me of my ex"-type reasons or because of something more morally substantive), in which case, you aren't just judging them for not liking the character anymore, but for being unable to at least acknowledge a point-of-view as understandable/valid or whatever. Of course, I might be biased since I dislike or am disinterested in many, many fandom darlings, personally.

ETA: clarification

[(Anonymous)]

This.

I'm sorry, but if you hold female and male characters to different standards, and like the guys but hate the girls when two characters have nearly identical traits? I'm dropping you like you're hot.

[(Anonymous)]

Jesus fucking Christ. You are not the character that you love. Somebody else hating that character is not an indictment on you. Fiction. Reality. Two separate things. And whatever fantasy life you've built up in your head is a third thing entirely.

[agnes_bean]

I think it's unreasonable to dislike someone for dislike a character. What IS reasonable is to dislike someone for what their dislike of that character reveals about them. But I still wouldn't put it as "I don't like them because they don't like A."

As an obvious example, if someone saying they hate female character A because she's a [insert slew of misogynistic insults here] then yes, you should probably back away slowly. But it's not because they hate A, it's because they're a misogynist.

Of course, I also think there's a whole slew of reasonable reasons to dislike (not necessarily hate, but certainly dislike) even seemingly likeable or noble characters that go beyond "they remind me of my ex." People have preferences in fiction that honestly don't necessarily reflect RL values (I say, as someone who tends to like morally grey or black characters way more than the standard good guys, especially the lawful good ones). I would try not to read too much into people's preferences.

[forgottenjester]

See, I label that as two different things. For example, if you like Stanley from A Streetcar Named Desire I'm not going to care. If you say you sympathize with him I'm going to side-eye you a bit. Mostly because I haven't met a non-creeper yet who sympathized with him.

For me, the reasons for liking/disliking something are completely divorced from the actual liking/disliking of that something. So while I agree that, yes, those reasons can be revealing of a person's character and those are the things to base your opinion of someone on. The simple action of liking/disliking something is a silly thing to not be friends with someone over.

[(Anonymous)]

Fandomsecrets, I am deeply disappointed in your reading comprehension.

OP pretty clearly stated that it would be "immature" if you didn't know "why" they disliked the character - i.e., OP does not believe you can dislike someone for not liking a character alone, but if they don't ike a character because, say, that character passionately believes that all people have equal rights and said person really disagrees with this idea, then feel free to dislike away.

All the comments seem to be "yeah, but it would be really bad to dislike someone for disliking a character if you didn't know why because it might be something innocuous!11!" which was pretty clearly ruled out in the secret.

C'mon, I expect better of you.

(Actually I don't, because f!s and reading things more than once before posting angry screeds seem to go as well together as a house and fire, but oh well, I figured it'd be mean to tell you that.)

[velvet_mace]

I think you are allowed to dislike any character for the simple reason that you do. Some characters just rub you wrong. Sometimes the big mistake is trying to come up with some reason to justify the fact that the character leaves you flat -- because people can poke holes in that reasoning. But liking and disliking is an emotional response and sometimes there is no intellectual reason for it.

[laughingpineapple]

I wasn't expecting to find so much disagreement with this secret... OP made it clear that the situation they're talking about is one where they know, for a fact, what the other person's reasons for (dis)liking a character are. Because they straight out told them (through meta, certain kinds of fanfiction, even just by chatting). I don't call that forming preconceptions, I call that forming opinions...

...wait, no, rereading the secret, it doesn't make it clear at all. Uhm. I still agree with the "can sometimes etc" part when said reasons are clearly stated. Which is a thing that happens at times.

[chardmonster]

Please make some friends outside fandom.

Human beings who are made of meat.

You are showing your internet and it might be pushing normals away.

[(Anonymous)]

Except the problem is people use this to be an asshole to others just because of the characters they like without hearing what they have to say. I like awful characters who I would hate irl. I don't post victim blaming or bigoted stuff all over my page, so yeah someone's being an asshole if they think I condone that just because I like a character privileged in canon.

[eaten_by_bears]

Well, if their dislike of a fictional character is part of an ongoing pattern of behavior that shows that they don't respect your values, then it's their disrespect that's the problem. If they just don't like the character and they're otherwise compatible with you, it's a silly thing to get stuck on.

Fictional characters are so incredibly multivalent that I'm hesitant to say that someone's reaction to any one character says anything definitive about them as a person. Part of the purpose of fictional characters is to let the audience project their own experiences onto them, so sometimes my friend and I aren't exactly talking about the same person when we're talking about the same character.

[sarnath]

Yeah, it's my experience too. People can dislike characters for a variety of reasons, and some of them can be really telling.

[(Anonymous)]

And god forbid we miss a chance to hate someone, eh?

[(Anonymous)]

I see your point. But I'd say that I might dislike people for the reasons they have for not liking a character I love, not simply because they don't like that character. Because very often character dislike is really just that a character rubs you the wrong way, that their behavior reminds you of someone you hate etc.

[kittenmommy]

I don't get why it's even a big deal. I like the characters I like, you like the ones you like, other people like the ones they like..

IDK, I thought fandom was supposed to be fun. Am I doing it wrong?

[(Anonymous)]

+1000000

[ladysugarquill]

This, so much. That's why I can't really be friends with someone who, say, likes Death Eaters or the Malfoys(and not just thinks they're entertaining characters, but agrees with their ideals).