I guess this is a companion journal entry to the little entry/article thing I wrote on Last.Fm, criticizing the extremist irrationality of band hatred. Made here if only because I kind of want to expand my view of irrational fixations unto either side regarding other mediums, so uh, if you don't like opinionated entries it's best you steer clear of this one. :> LMFAO.


They say that the first amendment avails to us the chance to say whatever we want regarding our opinions on anything, right?

Right.

But I also can't help but feel like it's an overly abused privilege when people would rather force their interests and opinions as paramount rather than as mere opinions. Friends on Last.FM know where I'm going with this example, but I'll go ahead and reiterate for the sake of argument. I do in fact happen to like Paramore, though it should also be noted that I've a very eclectic taste in music, I'm literally listening to something one day and then nearly its exact opposite the next. By no means does liking a single band or singer define my or anyone else's taste in music, hard as people like to try and say it does. So no, I'm not speaking on the behalf of Paramore fans and nor am I speaking as a rabid Paramore fan myself. I'm speaking on the behalf of rationality.

On Paramore's page on Last.FM, I've had to dredge through page after page of hateful comments toward both it and Twilight (which I don't get how Paramore = TWILIGHT just because two of their songs appeared on the movie's soundtrack, for God's sake.).

One of said tasteful comments included, and I quote, "I wish Paramore would die in a bus accident.".

Yeah, because that's REALLY necessary. Because that's a tasteful way to convey your opinion on what music you happen to think is suitable. Because your taste, your preferences and YOUR bands are paramount and thus should be the ONLY ones heard on the airwaves. Basically in wishing death on that which you don't like despite the fact that there are people out there who are entertained by this group, that's what you're saying, whether you intend to or not.

But it's not just music and bands where I see this irrational fixation of hatred. It's everywhere. It's in art, movies, books, and it just leaves me wondering where exactly sanity has gone when people take a movie, a picture, a song or a book so seriously that they wish death on the creator or people involved, including their fanbases. Yes, people can be truly irritating with how much they might 'rabidly' fangirl/fanboy over something, BELIEVE ME, I KNOW. And this can easily go both ways too, while I'm at it. Just because someone doesn't like something doesn't mean they should go die or 'be sporked!!!! (HAHA INTARNET SPONTANEITY)'

But honestly, does hatred have to go to the extreme of wishing death on someone or a group for doing what they love to do? If you're seriously wishing death on someone just for creating something you didn't happen to like, I think that's where you're crossing the line and have lost your grip on reality when you think a song, movie or book is a quantifiable enough offense to die for. Even more so when LIKING said song, movie or what have you is enough of an offense to die for. For Christ's sake, it's called maturity. And I guess this stems from me having read some disturbing stories from other people of folks actually beating the shit out of each other just for liking/disliking something.

To which I say, that's going WAY too fucking far. There's having an opinion, and then there's being psychotic.

This admonitory finger isn't being waved by someone who wishes to advocate her own interests, but rather by someone who wishes that people would garner a fabled, lost relic called maturity and have the moral fiber to either walk away, or at the very least explain their opinions without being jackasses about it. And sadly enough, I see that less and less with every page I visit and it just really pisses me off, a lot more than I'm actually letting off here.

I don't know, I've just always found it more satisfying to ignore that which I don't like. There ARE bands out there I can't stand, and there ARE movies and shows out there that piss me off every time I watch them if only because they frustrate me that much, but I don't wish death on their creators or people who DO like them for God's sake. And likewise, I don't wish death on those who dislike what I like and have nothing against them. ...Well, provided they can explain why they don't like it without degrading me for liking it, which is another sad rarity for me.

And to be blunt here, I find the inability to defend an opinion without degradation nothing less than downright pathetic.

The tl;dr version of this entry? Believe it or not, you CAN explain why you dislike/like something without being a jackass about it. Yes, it IS possible.

It's not that big of a deal in the grand scheme of things, I guess, especially since a good lot of people I could call this shit out on will just say that they were kidding to cover up their hatred anyway. But I just thought I'd clarify that I'm of sick of it. ;D


*SIIIIIGH* Well. I guess nothing more to do than wait for folks to get pissed. :3 *SWAYS*