These days, is it cooler to hate on something instead of celebrating the things you love?
On Game of Thrones creator George R. R. Martin's personal blog, he shared that he thought 2023 was a terrible year, not just for himself but for the entire world. However, he then segued into how even film and television isn't an escape anymore because of the toxic nature of online fandoms.
Said Martin:
2023 was a nightmare of a year, for the world and the nation and for me and mine, both professionally and personally. I am very glad that it is over. Unfortunately, so far 2024 looks to be even worse... There is war everywhere. Ukraine and Gaza dominate the news, but there is a war in Myanmar as well that our western media just ignores, things are heating up in Yemen and the Red Sea, North Korea has nukes and is testing missiles and rattling sabres, Venezuela is threatening to annex three quarters of neighboring Guyana....I look around, and it seems as though my entire generation of SF and fantasy writers is gone or going. Only a handful of us remain… and for how long, I wonder?
Well, I take solace where I can. In chocolate thrones, if nowhere else. In books. In films and television shows… though even there, toxicity is growing. It used to be fun talking about our favorite books and films, and having spirited debates with fans who saw things different… but somehow in this age of social media, it is no longer enough to say “I did not like book X or film Y, and here’s why.” Now social media is ruled by anti-fans who would rather talk about the stuff they hate than the stuff they love, and delight in dancing on the graves of anyone whose film has flopped.
Martin definitely knows a thing or two about toxic fans as the enormous fandom surrounding HBO's Game of Thrones quickly turned on the show and its creators following a divisive final season and finale. Then, there are those fans who blamed Martin for not finishing his books in a timely fashion.
Martin is also a well-known fan of Marvel Comics and the Marvel Cinematic Universe, so it's likely he's well aware of the shift in the fandom towards how the MCU has progressed since the end of Avengers: Endgame.
Marvel Studious was once thought to be an invincible, irreproachable powerhouse that would churn out billion-dollar box office hit after hit. More recently, it's latest cinematic offering barely grossed more than $200 million worldwide and was derided by both critics and fans alike.
Comments on social media and YouTube for Marvel projects are awash with criticism concerning "how far Marvel has fallen off."
But is that the case of a vocal few creating the illusion that the majority feels this way or is it just the popular thing these days to take shots at what's popular? Feel free to share your thoughts in the comment section below.
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