Use this search box to find articles that have run in our newspapers over the last several years.
Date: 11/1/2022
Following the releases of Amazon’s “Rings of Power” and Disney’s “She-Hulk: Attorney at Law,” I noticed online that people were bashing – not only these shows – but the people who enjoy watching them.
Now, I completely understand the idea of critiquing a show or any other form of media in a constructive way and pointing out the good and bad. However, once you start questioning decisions like hiring actors of races and ethnic backgrounds that aren’t white and starting to insult people because you don’t like something they do, that’s a problem in my mind.
For “Rings of Power” there were some moments throughout the first season that dragged on and were slow, but when it was good, it was really good. From the sweeping landscapes and great cinematography to the large-scale battles between the humans, the elves and the orcs, it very much felt in the same vein as Peter Jackson’s “Lord of the Rings” trilogy, which is great in my book. There are some obvious twists and turns along the way, but I thought it was a good watch and seeing younger versions of iconic characters like Galadriel and Elrond is a fun experience. Also, the dwarves were awesome.
The problem with “Rings of Power” is some of the reception it has received online. In some cases, people were very upset that there was a diverse cast of characters, and everyone was not white, which is flat-out racism. People were also screaming at each other about what is considered “canon” and were upset because they were shrinking a 3,000-year timeline into a TV series and cannot fit everything in, which would be impossible in the first place. Another issue with what is included in the show is Amazon does not have the rights to a lot of the material, other than what was permitted by the J.R.R. Tolkien Estate.
Another show that has had a middling reception is “She-Hulk,” which I have not watched due to a lack of interest and overall burnout from the Marvel Cinematic Universe. From what I have seen, a lot of the criticism has been misogynistic, which again is not a valid criticism. Some of the other criticisms I have seen are around the comedic nature of the show and the way they use certain characters, which can be constructive. But again, many people have been subject to the rhetoric that they should not watch a show because someone else thinks it is bad and wants to have the loudest voice in the room.
By bringing up “She-Hulk,” what I’m trying to say is it is completely OK to just not enjoy something or not be interested in something and not engage with it. I saw the trailers for “She-Hulk” and very quickly decided it wasn’t for me and left it at that, which is what I wish more people would do. The way things are now, everyone has an opinion about something and want to make their voice the loudest in the room, no matter how negative that voice may be.
The idea of saying “I don’t like said piece of media, so I am going to attack those that do like it,” is childish and people should be allowed to enjoy the things they like without the fear of someone attacking them for it. Just imagine you’re watching one of your favorite shows and you say how much you enjoy it only for someone to say, “That’s awful, watch something better,” or something much less polite.
Criticism is okay, but once you start attacking people who enjoy something or basing your opinions on outdated stereotypes, maybe you’re better off not watching it or keeping quiet. No matter how bad something may be, someone out there probably enjoys it and does not need a person telling them what they should and shouldn’t watch.
There are better ways to spend time than yelling at people about TV shows. I wish more people could recognize that.
But this issue spreads further than just discussion about TV shows.
There have been plenty of instances working this job where I have been scouring town forums on Facebook for story leads where a resident will ask a genuine question and get the nastiest, most sarcastic response imaginable. Is that type of behavior necessary when someone is asking for help? All that does is spread more negativity and make the commenter look like a jerk.
The open hostility over small issues and differences of opinion – over even the smallest thing like a show – is sad to see because it is impossible to have a civil discussion with someone whose opinion you disagree with.
A lot of people forget the saying, “if you don’t have something nice to say, don’t say anything at all.”
Next time you see someone discussing a show or asking a question on your town’s forum, maybe think twice about saying something negative and raining on that person’s parade.