"The fans made me hate the character!"
I'm sure the title of this post sounds familiar to some members of this comm. Bashers frequently use the over-the-top defensive reactions of fans of popular yet majorly bashed character as an excuse to bash/hate characters.
On one hand, I can understand bashers' frustration with fans of certain popular characters elevating them to unnecessary and over-important rank, using them as tools to bash other characters, and white-washing their flaws and presenting them as flawless and perfect beings. However, on the other hand, I am of the opinion that the way some fans behave should not cause one to generalize a fandom and/or dislike/bash/hate a character. For instance, in the OUAT fandom, I still love Regina and Rumpelstiltskin/Mr. Gold and both of them are two of my favorite characters, in spite of them having a large number of fanbrats who frequently bend over backwards to white-wash them and/or use them to bash other characters. Same with Tony DiNozzo from N.C.I.S.; he's very popular and has a bunch of fanbrats who like to present him as an angel (in spite of it being canon that he is very a Jerk With A Heart of Gold. Yes, has a good heart, but still a jerk) and bash other characters for making the same mistakes and doing/saying the same things he does, but I still love him.
Also, I believe fandom should not sway your opinion and honestly, if fans are able to sway your opinion on a character and dislike/hate them, then you probably didn't like the character much in the first place and are using fans as an excuse. I would rather a basher be honest that they dislike/hate character than hide behind the example of some individuals acting nutty.
In short: do you think it's wrong to hate/bash a character because of fans? Do you have favorite characters who are usually bash because of this reason?
On one hand, I can understand bashers' frustration with fans of certain popular characters elevating them to unnecessary and over-important rank, using them as tools to bash other characters, and white-washing their flaws and presenting them as flawless and perfect beings. However, on the other hand, I am of the opinion that the way some fans behave should not cause one to generalize a fandom and/or dislike/bash/hate a character. For instance, in the OUAT fandom, I still love Regina and Rumpelstiltskin/Mr. Gold and both of them are two of my favorite characters, in spite of them having a large number of fanbrats who frequently bend over backwards to white-wash them and/or use them to bash other characters. Same with Tony DiNozzo from N.C.I.S.; he's very popular and has a bunch of fanbrats who like to present him as an angel (in spite of it being canon that he is very a Jerk With A Heart of Gold. Yes, has a good heart, but still a jerk) and bash other characters for making the same mistakes and doing/saying the same things he does, but I still love him.
Also, I believe fandom should not sway your opinion and honestly, if fans are able to sway your opinion on a character and dislike/hate them, then you probably didn't like the character much in the first place and are using fans as an excuse. I would rather a basher be honest that they dislike/hate character than hide behind the example of some individuals acting nutty.
In short: do you think it's wrong to hate/bash a character because of fans? Do you have favorite characters who are usually bash because of this reason?