How Much Complaining are You Allowed?

Nary a week goes by without getting my weekly bulletin from a friend with the startling news that "People are complaining on the internet!" Then I go through the motions, "Yeah, people just don't get it." And the majority of the time, it's true. Skim the youtube comments section and you'll see an uncountable amount of poster insisting, "They should bring back Animaniacs!" or, "Cartoons today suck."

This is clearly a case of nostalgia and fanboyism. You won't like cartoons today, because you're smarter than you were 10-15 years ago. And, if they did bring Animaniacs back, the newer episodes would automatically be measured against the old episodes, more than likely be found lacking, and you'll hear accusations of "Warner Brothers is raping my childhood."

Fanboys. End of Discussion.

Or, so I thought. Back when I used to read comics, I ran into an interesting conundrum. A comic comes out, and a fan dislikes it, or more often "hates" it, and the normal response would be, "If you don't like it. Don't buy it." The following month, same book, fan dislikes it, they said "Don't like it. Don't buy it." The fan replies, "I didn't buy it. I read it at the store." And they reply, "Your complaint doesn't count, because you didn't buy it."

Truth be told.,"Don't like it. Don't buy it," really is the mantra to adopt when you want to see change. Less sales (or views) means less ad revenue, and less money for everyone involved. But, that mantra seems to imply that if you're paying for something, it's perfect the way it is. It's entirely possible for something to hit a low point, and the fan will want to push it in a more favorable direction.

You see, the worst kind of fanboys tune out any attempts at reasoning. But, by ignoring them, I'm also not being reasonable. Maybe, there is something wrong with Power Rangers. Maybe, cartoons today aren't as good by some degree. You have to keep Sturgeon's Law in mind, though. I don't hear people praising Marsupilami, or asking for a Men in Black revival.

Hooray for the Thundercats reboot! Anyone remember TigerSharks? Or the Extreme Dinosaurs? Or the Street Sharks?

Oh, yes. My point. The question: "How much complaining are you allowed?" Infinite. But, only the reasonable ones will be listened to (for the next season, or story arc). I got to thinking about it because I'm coining a new term, the "FanMan." You might have heard it before in a negative connotation, but I'm making it my own. A FanMan can find faults in the things he likes, and find merits in things he doesn't like. In my pursuit to remain unbiased, I should strive to exemplify the FanMan.

In my left hand is the Fan of Contemplation.

My right hand is on my mouse.