EDITORIAL: Why Flame Wars And Hatred Are A Good Thing

Hello there fellow CBM users! 

I have been coming to this site for several years but never joined in on the action until last year. I came for the news mainly and to check out some fan-fic but always shied away from joining and commenting. When I did read the comments, they were always full of hate and arguments which at the time, seemed so petty and pointless to me. As I learnt more about the site and the way it works, it occured to me...these arguments are part of what keeps this place going!

There are a variety of users on this site. Some come to read the news and never comment (like me before!), some post their stories and art, some come to debate and, it has to be said, some seem to like antagonising people with their views. But how can this be a good thing I hear you cry? Well the answer is delightfully simple.

Here at CBM.com we are blessed with several Power Users who bring us the news on a daily basis. If you don't know who these people are then you need to pay more attention. Now, in the past their have been several complaints that these users intentionally start so called 'Flame Wars' and in all honesty, I do think this is sometimes the case. And why would they do this? Well, the reason is money.
 

The top contributors on this site are paid when you click on their articles, the more clicks they get, the more money they earn. Commerce makes the world go around people; this is just a fact of life. I don't know any Power User personally but I'm pretty sure they all like money as much as they like comics and comic book movies, and it is the financial reward that keeps them doing what they are doing - it's the same reason I work (although admittedly my actual day job is lame) - so the more clicks they get the better for the site and us!

The most commented on articles almost always involve an argument about how this movie sucked, and that one was brilliant. Or how Marvel are owning the movies but DC rule animation. Or how a particular director has mis-represented characters and abused the source material. We've all been there right? You click on an article then come back some time later and there are over 10 pages of comments with people arguing over seemingly the silliest of things.

At first I didn't understand. I am not a natural hater so hearing people bash movies and creators was perplexing to me, and seeing user's back-and-forths just seemed like a waste of time. I still don't understand - I would rather look at the good stuff than the bad - but now I realise it is a good thing. Without this, the site we love wouldn't be as good as it is. 

So go forth fellow users, and argue to your heart's content! The site needs you, but in case you take things too personally don't forget this...

 

And just in case you're wondering I love both companies and don't normally hate...but The Dark Knight Rises sucked ass.