On book clubs

[thewaterbandit]

I just deleted my very first internet book club review (the one I did on The Name of the Wind). It went up about a year ago and every couple of weeks since I've gotten a youtube comment telling me how wrong I am, how stupid my opinions are and, occasionally, to go f*ck myself. The final straw came today with this little masterpiece:

Comments

[urbanberber]

...I. Wow. I. Don't even. Wow.

[thewaterbandit]

The thing is, my review was basically 'I don't think this book is as great as everyone makes it out to be but it does have its good points'. I just don't understand where that rage came from!

[urbanberber]

I... Yeah I don't understand. Some people get really...creepy about the things they enjoy. You said this was over Youtube, yeah? I'm convinced Youtube and 4chan have the lowest common denominator of people on the internet. XD;

[goldeneagle]

I'm convinced Youtube and 4chan have the lowest common denominator of people on the internet. XD;

As am I, as am I. Followed closely by Facebook, actually. I'm a bit appalled by the shit people say on Facebook fan pages knowing that the people in question are reading it. And it's like ... that's your real name. That is your real name, saying something disgusting about someone else who has a real name. Go back to 4chan and be anonymous, you assholes.

[evilsherbear]

I want to say I'm surprised, but its the internet. If you ever have an opinion different from anyone else's they'll tell you how wrong you are. Sometimes you just have to pack your bags and move to friendlier places.

[goldeneagle]

This.

The ~*~glorious~*~ thing about the internet too is that, in the end, it doesn't really matter if you agree with everyone else or have an unpopular opinion: chances are that you (or if not you personally, the mass of people who think like you), are going to get shit slung at you simply for having an opinion. Do you dislike something that a lot of people like? You're going to get shit. Do you like something popular? The haters will hate you for liking something mainstream and overrated.

I find this incredibly ironic given the fact that the internet's relative anonymity is what enables people to express their opinions in the first place. We're in this place where the medium enables us to say what we think, but God forbid we think something, because someone else is going to metaphorically beat us up for thinking differently than them. So yeah, while one would assume that the internet is a place for you to express your opinions without many full real life consequences, you're still getting punished for thinking something, even if

[thewaterbandit]

I think people on the internet forget that bunnyloverxoxo or whoever is being operated by a real person with real feelings, and they may be really hurt or scared if you threaten to kill them (even if you can't, because you have no idea who they are) for loving bunnies instead of kitties.

This. Can we just put this at the top of every messageboard, comments page and blog, ever?

[thewaterbandit]

Yeah, that was my conclusion. They don't want me, fine, I'm not staying. I just kind of wish I could understand how, exactly, I offended them so badly that the logical conclusion was to bellow swearwords at me.

[zeitheist]

Oh gosh, that's vile. I'll never understand what causes people to attack anybody who expresses a different opinion to them on the Internet, but I'm sorry you had to deal with it.

Whoever wrote that comment needs to be beaten with a dictionary.

[thewaterbandit]

Several dictionaries and a thesaurus, I think. :/ I don't understand why people think it's okay to act that way either. It's like gently tapping someone and them turning around and decking you in the face.

[flying_girl73]

That.......that is utterly horrible.

I am really angry right now that someone said something like that to you, even over youtube.

Don't let this barely literate (can't help but wonder how they were even able to handle a book as thick as ITNOTW when they have such poor language skills) get you into a bad place. They are not worth it because they are not capable of letting someone else have an opinion.

[thewaterbandit]

Thanks! I am totally over it now, mostly because of awesome people like you. :) I can't be in a bad place for long with you lot around.