When I was six, I was obsessed with Sailor Moon. It was one of my favourite shows, second only to The Powerpuff Girls, and it feuled my writing inspiration for the first few years of my writing life. The show was removed from the air, I cried, and moved on.
When I was in middle school, I discovered YouTube. Having been founded in 2005, barely two years prior, YouTube was still a very new platform. At first, I thought YouTube was a website best used for music, and didn't really watch much of anything else.
Until I discovered a channel that, by the grace of God, had uploaded every single episode of the English dubbed version of the show, each one split into three parts to meet the primitive upload requirements. Thus, I fell down the rabbit hole, and began to rewatch the show that had played such a huge role in my childhood.
But I didn't tell anybody. In fact, I hid it. I tried to keep this harmless fact--that I watched a show that most would say was made "for little kids"--a secret. I was afraid that my peers--family, friends, classmates, whatever--would think that it was childish. I was afraid that they would make fun of me for it, or say that I was stupid for liking it.
I don't care about that anymore, obviously. I openly fangirl and gush over everything that catches my interest, anime or otherwise. I put Disney fanart on my walls, I buy shirts featuring the sailor scouts, I wear necklaces that only Legend of Zelda fans would recognize. I like what I like, and I let everyone know.
But there are people in this world who would make my middle-school self run for cover. These people are the very reason I was, for so long, inclined to hide the things that I liked and took interest in, in fear of ridicule.
These people are called crapbags.
My definition of a crapbag is someone who takes enjoyment out of crapping all over the interests of someone else--namely, the shows and movies they watch, the books they read, or the games they play. Simply disliking something does not make someone a crapbag--I certainly don't expect everyone to share my interest in things. Similarily, refusing to watch / read something because it doesn't appeal to you ALSO does not make you a crapbag. That's why trailers and book blurbs exist--to give you a basic expectation of the genre and tone of the material. If you choose not to take part in it, that's perfectly fine.
But here is a basic fact: YOU CANNOT CALL SOMETHING STUPID IF YOU HAVE NOT PROPERLY EXPERIENCED THE MATERIAL. You can say, "Oh, that's not my thing." or, "Sorry, I think that looks kinda dumb. I don't really want to watch it." OR EVEN, "Idk man that premise looks stupid, I don't wanna watch that crap." I myself, say the latter all the time.
What you cannot do is insult the material without really criticizing it.
Crapbags aren't eloquent or mature enough for discussions or debates. In fact, most crapbags have not even seen the material in question. They just crap all over it. They call it stupid, childish, imply that it is beneath them. It's just about impossible to have a conversation with someone once they turn to Crapbag Mode, because they are so closed-minded that your words are not even granted access to their Great Intelligent Mind.
Too many times in my life I have had people crap all over me and my favourite shows and books and whatever, for reasons that I have never been able to comprehend. Even if they're joking around--the joke gets real old, real fast. You are taking this thing that someone is passionate about, something that someone takes enjoyment in, and putting it down. In the process, you're putting them down.
I will gladly have a critical conversation with someone about a show. I will gladly discuss its flaws--because, guess what, I am not ignorant to its flaws, no matter how much I like it. I will argue its good points, I will discuss any aspect of the show / movie / book you want. We may agree to disagree, and I'm okay with that.
But once someoned has turned to Crapbag Mode, there's no saving them. Because by this point, they are literally just making fun of someone for having an interest in something that they don't like. You're crapping all over someone / something because they take enjoyment in it, and honestly? It's kind of pathetic. Not only that, but it's condescending, rude, and just plain unnecessary.
So don't be a crapbag. Don't be that guy. If you really can't stand the source material that much, change the topic and find some common ground. Think before you speak--and before I lose a lot of respect for you.
Until later,
- Justyne
No comments:
Post a Comment