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[ElBoxyBrown]

If you have a specific suggestion for the non-toxic ones I'll hear it and share it among the ones I know. Seriously, I'd like an effective tool against abusive fans.

Simply call it out. Let the creators know. I like the show but the sauce event was, imo, the most embarrassing thing I've seen behind telling someone to kill themselves.

The fact that some people have locked themselves up into the belief that I, as a regular guy who passively watches a TV show, chuckles, and then moves on with my life has ANY responsibility to speak out against people who get excited about McDonalds's sauce - is also a weird element of fandom I will never understand.

Am I being judged because of sauce? Really?

There's a difference between a casual viewer like you and someone that is super hardcore into the show and obsessed with it.

 

[ZackieChan]

This. It is getting to a point where I see this stuff actually in real life. With some people the conversation is non-stop about the latest superhero movie, which one is better, what should be different, etc, etc. I never encountered it like that until a year or two back. I know it was there with things like Star Wars and people getting really heated about it, but it seems this behavior has become more mainstream these days. It's like this competition where they need to put the other down for not having the same opinion. And me going "I really don't give a fuck, just watch whatever you want" gets a strange look.

You obviously weren't around when The Matrix, Lord of the Rings, and the Star Wars prequels we're all being released around the same time. Apparently you could only like one, and it had to be the greatest thing ever. Fans gonna fan. Like Brakke pointed out, religion was the first thing I thought of. That's some real fervor...

 

[Rockandrollclown]

Eh fandoms have always had toxic elements. Only difference now is the internet amplifies a very loud few and offers much more direct access to cast/crew of shows.

 

[jrcbandit]

You obviously weren't around when The Matrix, Lord of the Rings, and the Star Wars prequels we're all being released around the same time. Apparently you could only like one, and it had to be the greatest thing ever. Fans gonna fan. Like Brakke pointed out, religion was the first thing I thought of. That's some real fervor...

Lol, I remember that time but it was more Star Wars vs LOTR. Fans of the Matrix at the time even recognized that the sequels were complete crap. Prequels were another matter, people were so desperate for new Star Wars that they fooled themselves into believing the Prequels were good, especially with the Phantom Menace. I remember "loving" the movie on the first viewing because of the Darth Maul fight and finally new Star Wars after 20 years (I saw Empire and Return in theaters on their initial run, was too young for Ep 4). My mind couldn't handle it being bad so I refused to acknowledge the truth until my second viewing, haha. Also, we just weren't as exposed to toxic fandom back then because the internet was crappy limited webpages, email, and AIM for the mainstream, along with "hidden" toxic fanboy talk on Usenet or IRC.

 

[Mistake]

Fans can be the worst for anything. I usually don't watch shows or play certain things until the fad is over, so I think that helps a lot. I still haven't gone near portal 2 though.

 

[m3k]

the rise of the internet

 

[ClosingADoor]

You obviously weren't around when The Matrix, Lord of the Rings, and the Star Wars prequels we're all being released around the same time. Apparently you could only like one, and it had to be the greatest thing ever. Fans gonna fan. Like Brakke pointed out, religion was the first thing I thought of. That's some real fervor...

For Star Wars I saw it, the others less so here. But now the people who got so worked up about those things seem to get a constant injection from the internet to keep that attitude going throughout the year and drag others with them. Its always been there in some ways, but it seems to become more mainstream now to center your life around media consumption. Maybe in the same way some center their life around a sports team, which had also lead to a ton of toxic stuff over the years.

 

[HP_Wuvcraft]

Rise? Fandoms always had problems.

Though I assume that the Internet exacerbated things.
More specifically the Internet Fuckwad Theory:

Nope, I highly disagree with that. Always have. The internet only amplifies your base personality.

 

[lvl99 Pixel]

Eh fandoms have always had toxic elements. Only difference now is the internet amplifies a very loud few and offers much more direct access to cast/crew of shows.

Hardcore fans of a comedy show would be more likely to try and emulate being funny and parroting catch phrases. Kind of like how people recycle memes to feel like they're comedians, and its so low effort that it pops up everywhere.
When your show features loud and obnoxious characters I have to expect that some of thats going to rub off on people.

I dont even want to imagine how Jake Paulers will turn out

 

[Puck Beaverton]

I want nerd hooligans

 

[Brinbe]

People are way too entitled, plain and simple.

 

[RedHoodedOwl]

Overwatch community is a big one considering how people reacted to Tracer and her girlfriend when the comic came out. People were freaking out that she was a lesbian and also that she already had a girlfriend that wasn't another character in the game.

Fans were losing their collective minds over the shape of Tracer's butt.

 

[DontBeThatGuy]

If you were around for The Matrix, you saw some shit. The sequels eventually did a number on them though.

 

[tkscz]

Overwatch community is a big one considering how people reacted to Tracer and her girlfriend when the comic came out. People were freaking out that she was a lesbian and also that she already had a girlfriend that wasn't another character in the game.

"Are you mad that she's gay?"

"NO, I'M MAD THAT SHE ISN'T HOOKED UP WITH MERCY!"

Shippers, it's either their ship or none at all sometimes.

 

[Curious Puppy]

Nope, I highly disagree with that. Always have. The internet only amplifies your base personality.

Sure, but the point being that the complete lack of accountability in places like this or other message boards is not a natural way of connecting with other people. 4chan has completely fucked up a large part of an entire generation. All of those teenagers who have now grown up to be sociopaths - was that who they were deep down? Or did their unchecked addiction to message boards eventually condition them to become who they now are?

 

[The Power Of Snap]

I guess I've seen that episode of Tiny Toons when it aired, but it didn't resonate with me as much as the above mentioned Freakazoid episode about a similar thing. In fact, the first time I heard the term "fan boy" was in that Freakazoid episode. I thought it was funny, but it always stuck in the back of my mind to never be "that" guy when meeting celebs or talking about pop culture.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M3Ts6r1I2hc

Animaniacs also had a sketch about this: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lNJ6dFwh8a4

Please Please Pleese Get a Life Foundation

 

[Rentahamster]

Nope, I highly disagree with that. Always have. The internet only amplifies your base personality.

That's sort of missing the point of the comic. Your base personality could be a total fuckwad in real life, but the checks and balances of real life social situations actively suppress those dark sides of people's personalities.

Like, maybe someone could insult my mother via Twitter, but if they did that in front of my face, I could take the recourse of kicking their shins and shitting in their mouth. Checks and balances, friends, checks and balances.

 

[Morrigan Stark]

That's sort of missing the point of the comic. Your base personality could be a total fuckwad in real life, but the checks and balances of real life social situations actively suppress those dark sides of people's personalities.

Like, maybe someone could insult my mother via Twitter, but if they did that in front of my face, I could take the recourse of kicking their shins and shitting in their mouth. Checks and balances, friends, checks and balances.

The comic has been proven wrong repeatedly in that anonymity isn't a factor, since people post vile, hateful shit under their real name and even real life picture on social media.

It's lack of consequence, not anonymity.

 

[tkscz]

Animaniacs also had a sketch about this: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lNJ6dFwh8a4

Please Please Pleese Get a Life Foundation

Don't forget about Freakazoid's Fanboy

 

[Rentahamster]

The comic has been proven wrong repeatedly in that anonymity isn't a factor, since people post vile, hateful shit under their real name and even real life picture on social media.

It's lack of consequence, not anonymity.

Isn't that the point? Anonymity also protects against consequences. A lot of people do vile, hateful shit in real life too, but the internet serves as a firewall between the consequences of real life extending to online behavior, although that is changing a lot more recently relative to when that comic was first made.

In other words, there is always a base level of fuckwaddery that people are going to engage in IRL or on the internet or otherwise, however, the nature of the internet removes a layer of consequence that's enough for manifestation threshold for the underlying level of fuckwad humans.

 

[ReiGun]

Nope, I highly disagree with that. Always have. The internet only amplifies your base personality.

Yup. The "Internet Fuckwad Theory" is cute, but the rise of social media has made it pretty much outdated. We now know that people are willing to spout all kinds of toxic bullshit with their real names and faces attached.

 

[HP_Wuvcraft]

That's sort of missing the point of the comic. Your base personality could be a total fuckwad in real life, but the checks and balances of real life social situations actively suppress those dark sides of people's personalities.

Like, maybe someone could insult my mother via Twitter, but if they did that in front of my face, I could take the recourse of kicking their shins and shitting in their mouth. Checks and balances, friends, checks and balances.

But the comic itself makes it clear that the base personality is Nice Person.

 

[not psycho]

I'm pickle riiiiiiiick! You're just a Jerry if you didn't get your hands on some Szechuan sauce. Wubba lubba dub dub! Female writers are wrecking the show.

The internet made me like Rick and Morty way less as the show went on.

I'm glad I finished watching the most recent season before I learned about all this stuff.

Theoretically, it shouldn't affect enjoyment of the show. Adding more female writers was a great thing, it's just the fans who are abysmal. Yet it is near impossible for it not to affect it.

 

[always crazy bacon]

It's like people on dating sites who just list things they like.

"We're compatible because the lists of media we consume match" Which ironically is the same thinking that gets some guys hating on women in fandoms because the woman does not like these guys even though they both like the same media.

 

[Rentahamster]

But the comic itself makes it clear that the base personality is Nice Person.

It says "normal person". Do you assume every seemingly "normal person" you meet IRL has an equal chance of talking shit to you straight to your face vs talking shit to you online? In many cases, shit talkers get punched the fuck out. You can't get punched through your modem. Not yet, anyway.

Think about the rise of internet bullying. Bullying was always a thing for asshole kids everywhere. Why is cyberbullying more prevalent than traditional bullying? Unless has been a rise in numbers of asshole kids (Which I don't think is the case. I'm assuming the human popularion of asshole kids generally stays constant) there shouldn't be a difference in occurrence since the social checks and balances of face to face social interactions wouldn't make a difference, according to your line of thinking.

http://news.ubc.ca/2012/04/13/cyberbullying-and-bullying-are-not-the-same-ubc-research/

Shapka is presenting a study that involved 17,000 Vancouver, B.C. students in Grades 8 to 12 and a follow-up study involving 733 Vancouver, B.C. youth aged 10-18.
Results of the studies show that about 25-30 per cent of youth report that they have experienced or taken part in cyberbullying, compared to 12 per cent of youth who say they've experienced or taken part in schoolyard bullying. However, ”Youth say that 95 per cent of what happens online was intended as a joke and only 5 per cent was intended to harm," says Shapka. ”It is clear that youth are underestimating the level of harm associated with cyberbullying."

 

[Star Orpheus]

"Are you mad that she's gay?"

"NO, I'M MAD THAT SHE ISN'T HOOKED UP WITH MERCY!"

Shippers, it's either their ship or none at all sometimes.

My first exposure to Overwatch shippers was certain Pharamercy shippers upset that Mercy had Valentines dialogue with Genji. After seeing how intense some shippers were about it imagine my suprise to find out there is literally NOTHING that as of now canonically supports Pharamercy. But Mercy getting vaguely romantic dialogue with someone else was a betrayal.

Shippers can be nuts.

 

[tkscz]

My first exposure to Overwatch shippers was certain Pharamercy shippers upset that Mercy had Valentines dialogue with Genji. After seeing how intense some shippers were about it imagine my suprise to find out there is literally NOTHING that as of now canonically supports Pharamercy. But Mercy getting vaguely romantic dialogue with someone else was a betrayal.

Shippers can be nuts.

Avatar the Last Airbender. That shit was pure war.

 

[Rentahamster]

Avatar the Last Airbender. That shit was pure war.

When headcanon goes wrong.


edit: But was it ever right? thinkingraptor.jpg

 

[Infernostew]

I've been hearing a lot about how bad Rick and Morty fans have been. As someone who's never seen the show or know nothing about the fandom. Can someone explain to me how exactly the fans are getting a rap as an awful fan base?

 

[Rentahamster]

I've been hearing a lot about how bad Rick and Morty fans have been. As someone who's never seen the show or know nothing about the fandom. Can someone explain to me how exactly the fans are getting a rap as an awful fan base?

http://www.neogaf.com/forum/showthread.php?t=1441463

In addition to trolls hating on the new episodes that were written by the new women writers on staff for season 3.

 

[//ARCANUM]

Nerd fandom can certainly be unpleasant and toxic. And what we're seeing really is just the magnification of behavior that has always existed in geek and nerd gatherings. The misogyny, the homophobia, the fucked up political opinions were all common as rain at cons in the 80's. The difference now is that the con never ends, and these people and their ideas have room to grow and capture others.

All that said, as awful as nerd/geek fandom is, when was the last time you saw a bunch of nerds overturning cars and setting fires because their favorite movie won an Oscar or their favorite comic got the Eisner? Not to dismiss the toxicity of nerd/geek fandom, but it's got a long way to go before it catches up with sports fandom.

This is a really good point. I’ve seen lots of conversation in this thread about fan toxicity always being around and it’s just being extra amplified now. It’s pretty sad, but I think it’s true.

Also, I agree we are nowhere near the level of sports fandom insanity that leads to riots.... but I’m worried how quickly we’ll eventually get there with tools like social media being a weapon for the crazies to rally their fellow crazies.

 

[zabuni]

There has always been weird toxic people in fandom. Took longer for the affects to happen, since the Internet moved more slowly, and the communities were smaller. But it could get really fucked up:
http://epicstream.com/featureslist/5-Incredible-Sagas-of-Fandom-Scams-and-Deception/1

I think Twitter brings its own real time. Fandoms go from zero to death threats in record time.
https://twitter.com/dreamdaddygame/status/890421600142716928?lang=en

And it gets bizarre. Things like Steven Universe have had to deal with it. And that show can be teeth-hurtingly honest about feelings, and veiled metaphors about sexuality.

 

[Stallion Dan]

Nothing has changed regarding toxicity levels, just that before the internet if you were an arsehole then you had no group to voice your interest with because they wouldn't group with you. Was easy to gatekeep that shit.

Now everyone no matter how vile has a voice with no good way to keep it out.

 

[Curious Puppy]

Nothing has changed regarding toxicity levels, just that before the internet if you were an arsehole then you had no group to voice your interest with because they wouldn't group with you. Was easy to gatekeep that shit.

Now everyone no matter how vile has a voice with no good way to keep it out.

The internet has made people more toxic. I don’t think there’s any way to deny that. 4chan culture was not something that was there before the internet, it festered and grew as 14 year olds became 24 year olds spending their free time interacting with anons instead of kids at school.

 

[Stallion Dan]

The internet has made people more toxic. I don’t think there’s any way to deny that. 4chan culture was not something that was there before the internet, it festered and grew as 14 year olds became 24 year olds spending their free time interacting with anons instead of kids at school.

Disagree, internet is just an outlet to make it easier to express what they really are. Probably would have written an anonymous letter 30 years ago.

 

[Curious Puppy]

Disagree, internet is just an outlet to make it easier to express what they really are. Probably would have written an anonymous letter 30 years ago.

How exactly would a kid growing up in a poor neighborhood access the kind of opinions and culture you see every day on places like 4chan without the internet? Most people aren’t born being hateful, they’re conditioned to become that way through their parents or what they’re exposed to.

 

[//ARCANUM]

The internet has made people more toxic. I don’t think there’s any way to deny that. 4chan culture was not something that was there before the internet, it festered and grew as 14 year olds became 24 year olds spending their free time interacting with anons instead of kids at school.

Disagree, internet is just an outlet to make it easier to express what they really are. Probably would have written an anonymous letter 30 years ago.

How exactly would a kid growing up in a poor neighborhood access the kind of opinions and culture you see every day on places like 4chan without the internet? Most people aren’t born being hateful, they’re conditioned to become that way through their parents or what they’re exposed to.

I think there’s something to be said about seeing a culture that accepts awfulness (4chan) and getting inspired to be a part of that awfulness in a way that someone might not have if they were never exposed to it. Now they might have had something ugly within them that would have gotten expressed another way, but with young people especially, I think it’s quite likely that pure exposure to something like 4chan helped people turn into what they became and it’s all been a vicious cycle (the awfulness grows which attracts more people to it which causes it to grow, etc).

 

[ShadowSwordmaster]

Fans were losing their collective minds over the shape of Tracer's butt.

I remember the threads on NeoGAF about this. I still can't tell if people were being serious or joking about it.

"Are you mad that she's gay?"

"NO, I'M MAD THAT SHE ISN'T HOOKED UP WITH MERCY!"

Shippers, it's either their ship or none at all sometimes.

It's crazy how some people react to that.

 

[Electric Eye]

So you think the toxicity has always been there, it's just the scale of it mixed with ease of public communication has made it more prevalent?

Fair points...

It's made it worst because now the nasty greasy tentacles of these fandoms reach out farther and quicker due to the internet it's why everyone notices it more yeah. But yeah toxic fandom has been around since hobbies of any kind have existed.

 

[SoulUnison]

I don't agree that it is specially nerd/geek fandom that becomes toxic. Almost all fandoms of any sort become toxic.

Look at sports fandoms. Riots and drunken, physical violence are basically an accepted part of the experience now.

 

[G-Fex]

Overwatch community is a big one considering how people reacted to Tracer and her girlfriend when the comic came out. People were freaking out that she was a lesbian and also that she already had a girlfriend that wasn't another character in the game.

Shippers seem like one of if not the worst aspects of the toxic fandom.

 

[SHAFT MASTER]

I'm pickle riiiiiiiick! You're just a Jerry if you didn't get your hands on some Szechuan sauce. Wubba lubba dub dub! Female writers are wrecking the show.

The internet made me like Rick and Morty way less as the show went on.
The Rick and Morty subreddit is the worst thing on the internet.

You're just not smart enough to understand the nuance of the fandom.

 

[Curious Puppy]

Shippers seem like one of if not the worst aspects of the toxic fandom.

No, gamergaters are. Shippers are weird but harmless.

 

[SigmasonicX]

Animaniacs also had a sketch about this: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lNJ6dFwh8a4

Please Please Pleese Get a Life Foundation

Fun fact, this was based on actual Usenet posts.

 

[Mulgrok]

"geek/nerd" fandoms are just like sports fandoms. who would have guessed?

 

[Astral Dog]

Worst are the Videogame Fans 🖥🖲

 

[rekameohs]

I'm pickle riiiiiiiick! You're just a Jerry if you didn't get your hands on some Szechuan sauce. Wubba lubba dub dub! Female writers are wrecking the show.

The internet made me like Rick and Morty way less as the show went on.
The Rick and Morty subreddit is the worst thing on the internet.

The vast, vast majority of the subreddit hates the stupid sect of the fandom as much as you do.

 

[Astral Dog]

How exactly would a kid growing up in a poor neighborhood access the kind of opinions and culture you see every day on places like 4chan without the internet? Most people aren’t born being hateful, they’re conditioned to become that way through their parents or what they’re exposed to.

Sure, but the point being that the complete lack of accountability in places like this or other message boards is not a natural way of connecting with other people. 4chan has completely fucked up a large part of an entire generation. All of those teenagers who have now grown up to be sociopaths - was that who they were deep down? Or did their unchecked addiction to message boards eventually condition them to become who they now are?

No ,Don't you blame the Internet for this 😠

It has done more Good than Harm

 

[JABEE]

Are you a rocker, a punk, a mod, a bopper, a hep cat?

The internet did not create obsessive societal schisms based on the consumption of entertainment. It is just another thing people have and always will identify with.

"No one liked me at school, but I was accepted in the punk community" stories are oft-repeated.

Edit: I forgot about hippies and Dead-Heads. There are negative things in all of these cultures.

 

[Star Orpheus]

No, gamergaters are. Shippers are weird but harmless.

No they are not. See Steven Universe shippers chasing one of the writers off twitter because she "supported the wrong ship."

Not saying gaters aren't trash but shippers can be terrible as well.