The very recent news about NBC postponing
Community's October 19th premiere has led to another expected call-to-arms from us Communies. But as we once again don our evil goatees and threaten to burn Utica and 30 Rock plaza to the ground, I've discovered another group of people reacting to it. Yes, the trolls are once again emerging from their dank under-bridge dwellings to add insult to injury.
Now, I have been very lucky in that I have very few experiences with trolls. I was only an active member of one community forum (like ten years ago, it was for the video game
Golden Sun) and I never scroll down past the info section of a YouTube video. Because I don't like to deal with that. I don't like having my parade rained on, or giving in to someone who wants the satisfaction of knowing they might ruin someone's day with a needlessly hateful comment. But that changed when I became very socially conscious, got into television a lot more, and became a full-fledged Communie. I began to read as many articles as possible and started following a bunch of my fellow fans on Twitter. I began to read the comments sections of blogs and articles, looking for these same-minded people. So of course I would wind up running into those people who seek out articles on things they don't like just to say they don't like something in the rudest way they can think.
I really don't understand that at all. I don't understand why you would deliberately seek out things you hate just to tell everyone you hate it. It's so unbelievable vain. ( I mean, of course there are things we don't like, things we find sub-standard or unappealing. And that's fine. But there's something so pure and wonderful about rushing headlong into something with the uninhibited enthusiasm of a puppy. ) It's these incredibly self-obsessed people that are doing this. At least that's what I think. So unhappy and alone and desperate to be heard. Someone might post a horrible anti-Obama comment on a random video of a cartoon about a llama. But what they're really saying is LISTEN TO ME!! I WANT TO BE HEARD BUT I'M TOO IMMATURE TO DO SO IN A WAY THAT DOESN'T MAKE ME LOOK LIKE A INTOLERABLE DOUCHE!! This phrase may be incredibly dated, but talk about 'get a life.' But, with these types of trolls, I actually have sympathy for them. It's really tragic. Because, as a licensed psychology major, I can imagine how they're thinking. They are unhappy with their lives and they go on the internet and see people who are happy. It's sad, it's embarrassing, it's depressing. And this depression manifests itself in anger. And then they get to typing.
There is another type of troll, through. A type that annoys me more, because it is much harder to sympathize with this kind. The kind of people who write articles like this: http://www.theatlanticwire.com/entertainment/2012/10/lets-put-community-out-its-misery/57783/
I'll save you the trouble, this guy is rude. And he is attacking the fans of Community and the show itself. I'm perfectly okay with the fact that he doesn't like Community. He doesn't need to. But I can't stand how he talks about us Communies. What is wrong with liking something? Can anyone give me an answer to that? I know there's a wise-ass saying something like "well there's something wrong with liking to drown bunnies or liking to rape people", but I'm talking about things like a TV show, a movie franchise, an animal, a sports team, a band or singer. Because we all have different interests, different likes and dislikes, opinions, obsessions. And that's a wonderful thing. It's what makes us people, what makes us interesting. Do I really have to spell out why it's wrong to hate someone for having a different opinion than you? Jeez.
I have a friend who doesn't understand my obsession/love with Community. I'm fine with it. I'll admit, I still get a little upset when she makes jokes about it. But it's fine. I don't understand her obsession/love of her cats. I like cats. I would like to have a cat. I can't see myself being obsessed with a cat. But what I
can understand is a person's natural capacity to be obsessed with something. To love and admire something so much that you actually give out a part of yourself to and for it. It's a beautiful thing. Beautiful and admirable and awesome and honest.
So why hate on a group of people for liking something? (Once again, some wise-ass is bringing up the KKK or the Nazis) What's wrong with a community of people with a common interest? Connecting with people over common interests is just as natural as our capacity to love something/someone. Once again, I understand
not liking something. It's perfectly okay to not be a fan of something, whether it's a sports team or a TV show. I'm not a fan of the Twilight movies. I've never read the books, so I can't say anything about them, but I will admit to seeing the first Twilight movie. I didn't care for it. But that doesn't mean I'm going to go find a Twilight message board somewhere and start ripping on it. That doesn't mean I'm gonna go punch some tweenage girl with an Edward Cullen shirt in the still developing ovaries. Because while their screaming admiration might be annoying, I'm not gonna let it turn me into an ass. I can't respect what they are obsessed with, but I can respect their fervid and enthusiastic loyalty to it. (The same thing goes for fandoms in sports and in music.)
I'm not trying to be all "why can't we all get along and be one big happy family." I'm saying that I'm disappointed in people, like that guy who wrote that article, that don't understand something as fundamental as the power of a community (and it is completely coincidental that the community I'm involved in is for a show called Community). Because he must be obsessed with something. At least I hope he is. I hope he's in love with the band Phish or something. And he has, like, 23 Phish shirts and a bunch of ticket stubs from concerts. Because we all have things we are obsessed with. And if he doesn't, what a sad existence that must be: to not be passionate for anything.
We all like liking things. And we all need to understand that and stop being dicks. People just need to be able to take that one extra second before hitting send on that racist comment and think "Is what I'm doing making me look like an asshole?" That's been
South Park's central message for years: Just don't be an asshole.
Some of you may read this and shake your head with disagreement. Fine. How about this piece of social commentary from
Futurama? "Society is never gonna make any progress until we all learn to pretend to like each other."
And, obviously, I will end this with a quote from my beloved Abed:
“The universe is an endless raging sea of randomness. Our job isn’t to
fight it but to weather it together. It won’t
matter what happens to us as long as we stay honest and accepting of
each others' flaws and virtues.” I think this can apply to our likes and dislikes, too.
