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What is it with people and 'spoilers'?


DrBloodmoney

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People are real odd sometimes about spoilers.

 

This is an actual conversation I had today with someone at work:

 

Them: (excitedly) "Saw the latest Game of Thrones episode last night, have you seen it?"

Me: "Not yet. What happened?"

Them: "Do you watch the show?"

Me: "Yeah, but I wait till full seasons are on itunes and binge them"

Them: "Oh. I won't spoil it then."

Me: "Nah, it's fine, i dont care about spoilers."

Them: "What!? No... I can't spoil it for you."

Me: "I really don't care about spoilers..."

Them: "I don't want to ruin it for you"

Me: "Don't be silly, I'm still gonna watch it eventually, don't worry about it. What were you going to say?"

Them: "No.... I can't..."

Me: "...."

 

It's like a dang religious taboo for some people!

 

I have literally never cared about hearing spoilers for something I will/ might watch/read/play, but if I'm talking to someone who does care, they expect me to take their wishes into account - and will act like i've just killed their dog if I reveal anything, however minor.

 

On the other hand, if I straight up tell them I don't care about knowing stuff, they act like they know what's best for me and choose to stand making coffee in silence rather than have a conversation!

 

People are wierd... 

 

Am I the only person in the world who finds this bahaviour hypocritical?

 

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Just now, BeautifulTorment said:

Even if that wasn't the case, i don't see anything about what you are talking about that resembles hypocrisy.

 

I just meant that if I'm talking to someone who cares about spoilers and they don't want to know something, it would be wrong for me to decide that I know best for them and tell them anyways.

 However, if I say I don't care about 'spoilers', it seems to be socially acceptable for them to decide they know what's best for me and refuse to engage in the conversation...

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2 minutes ago, Feral said:

If I was talking to someone and they didn't care about spoilers then I'd tell them what they want to know.

 

Does seem odd to refuse to tell you.

 

Thank goodness I'm not alone in finding that odd!

 

She was wierd about it - almost like she was offended that I wouldn't care - super strange!

Edited by DrBloodmoney
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3 minutes ago, DrBloodmoney said:

 

Thank goodness I'm not alone in finding that wierd!

 

She was wierd about it - almost like she was offended that I wouldn't care - super strange!

Lol, sounds like she's a bit too into Game of Thrones

Edited by Feral
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I hate spoilers because I don't want suprises to be ruined for me and don't want to know anything about the story of a story-driven game/movie/series because I want to completely experience it myself when I play/watch it. Of course, knowing some stuff beforehand doesn't have to ruin your experience with the game/movie/series but it certainly takes some enjoyment out of it for me personally.

 

7 minutes ago, DrBloodmoney said:

I just meant that if I'm talking to someone who cares about spoilers and they don't want to know something, it would be wrong for me to decide that I know best for them and tell them anyways.

 However, if I say I don't care about 'spoilers', it seems to be socially acceptable for them to decide they know what's best for me and refuse to engage in the conversation...

This does seem odd to me though. I would make sure to ask at least twice if they actually want me to spoil it for them, but if they really do not seem to care, I'm not gonna refuse to tell them :P.

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I see your problem, but don't find these people hypocritical. If anything, they're being consistent: they hate spoilers, so they don't want to spoil you (even if you don't mind) and they don't want to be spoiled, either.

 

If someone refuses to spoil you, even if you ask, that's just silly of them. I think people do this because they can't understand that some people can still enjoy a story when they already know a twist. They feel like they're doing you a favour by not telling you because they think you'll enjoy it more unspoiled. So, it's kind of dumb of them, but they're not really ruining anything for you; you can just look it up online, ask someone else, or just play/ watch the thing and the problem's settled. 

On the other hand, if you do spoil something for people who don't want to be spoiled, you are in a way ruining the experience for them. If people get a kick from the not knowing and the careful narrative unfolding of twists as they happen in the medium, then you just took that away from them. So while people definitely exaggerate about what can constitute a spoiler, or how massively it altered their experience, you can see how it's uncool to hear something you don't want to hear. 

 

So no, not hypocritical, but certainly silly when people take it too far. 

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Given you were at work, I assume more than the two of you work there. They probably didn't want to talk about it, because they didn't want to ruin it for anyone else who could be listening or could walk by. Also, if you're that adamant about finding out what happens, just Google it. There's spoilers everywhere, and there's no real possibility of ruining it for anyone else. 

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I guess for me, knowing what is going to happen in something isn't going to make me not watch something that I would have watched anyway, but conversly, hearing about a cool thing that happens in something I likely wouldn't have watched might well make me want to check it out - so there really isn't a down side.

 

eg. I knew the twist in Bioshock, but it didn't make me enjoy it less, because I would have played it anyway, and knowing let me appreciate the way the story was crafted on a deeper level.

On the other hand, hearing the end game stuff for Nier: Automata is the only reason I played it, as I wanted to see that stuff, and I'm glad I did. I wouldn't have checked it out based on some vague "oh, its great, just play it, you'll see..." but when I heard why it was great, I had to see it for myself :)

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The thing I hate is when people come to a forum board and then are outraged that people on that board are talking about the new thing that happened.

 

Like if you don't want Game of Throne spoilers STAY OFF THE GAME OF THRONE FORUM BOARDS

 

The other one is when people are pissed that something that has been out for awhile gets spoiled for them. I remember it was a few months after Episode 7 came out and someone from work finally got around to seeing it and said that they were shocked when Han died. Someone else at the table got mad because "they hadn't seen it yet". The rest of us were like "well it can't be that important to you or you would have watched it already"

 

Bottom line is this. If a story is worth a damn...then it doesn't matter if the ending is spoiled. If something is completely contingent on that ending..then it was a mediocre story at best.

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On 9/4/2017 at 10:45 AM, DrBloodmoney said:

I have literally never cared about hearing spoilers for something I will/ might watch/read/play, but if I'm talking to someone who does care, they expect me to take their wishes into account - and will act like i've just killed their dog if I reveal anything, however minor.

 

 

While that conversation you had was a little strange... I find it weirder that you don't seem to understand why people don't like spoilers.  If you're going to spend your money on a game, or a movie... or spend your time staying up for a television show... or maybe spend months or years building anticipation for something... why would you assume they want to hear plot points from some jackass at work?  Half the fun of twists and story developments is being surprised, and seeing that surprise unfold naturally/organically in the context of the media itself.  Not out of the flapping gums of some disrespectful yappy coworker.

 

Actively trying to ruin people's fun is basically the definition of a dick move, especially for a reason as ridiculous as "well I don't care about spoilers so fuck that guy, I say what I want". xD  God forbid we "take other people's wishes into account".  How it must pain some of you.

 

 

EDIT: Of course... this doesn't apply to people overhearing someone elses private conversation, old shows/games/movies, situations where people intentionally put themselves in bad positions to hear/read spoilers, etc.  Certainly doesn't apply in the situation you detailed since you didn't mind, though in all likelihood if they were spoiling something good... maybe they felt like their explanation wouldn't do it justice.  Or maybe they just didn't feel like explaining the whole damn episode to you... or the whole damn season perhaps since you indicated you hadn't even started it yet.

Edited by Dreakon13
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4 hours ago, Dreakon13 said:

 

While that conversation you had was a little strange... I find it weirder that you don't seem to understand why people don't like spoilers.  If you're going to spend your money on a game, or a movie... or spend your time staying up for a television show... or maybe spend months or years building anticipation for something... why would you assume they want to hear plot points from some jackass at work?  Half the fun of twists and story developments is being surprised, and seeing that surprise unfold naturally/organically in the context of the media itself.  Not out of the flapping gums of some disrespectful yappy coworker.

 

Actively trying to ruin people's fun is basically the definition of a dick move, especially for a reason as ridiculous as "well I don't care about spoilers so fuck that guy, I say what I want". xD  God forbid we "take other people's wishes into account".  How it must pain some of you.

 

 

EDIT: Of course... this doesn't apply to people overhearing someone elses private conversation, old shows/games/movies, situations where people intentionally put themselves in bad positions to hear/read spoilers, etc.  Certainly doesn't apply in the situation you detailed since you didn't mind, though in all likelihood if they were spoiling something good... maybe they felt like their explanation wouldn't do it justice.  Or maybe they just didn't feel like explaining the whole damn episode to you... or the whole damn season perhaps since you indicated you hadn't even started it yet.

 

Yeah...

 

you missed the point. My point is that I don't do that, as I want to respect peoples wishes, even if I don't feel the same.

 

I'm not annoyed by people asking for 'no-spoilers' (at least, if the thing is relatively new - I have no damn patience for someone who cries 'no spoilers' about a movie or show or game that is years old, thats just ridiculous)

I'm annoyed by people deciding they know my mind better than me, and refusing to tell me something that they clearly want to talk about because they think I'm as delicate and precious as they are about the media I consume as they are

Edited by DrBloodmoney
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2 hours ago, DrBloodmoney said:

 

Yeah...

 

you missed the point. My point is that I don't do that, as I want to respect peoples wishes, even if I don't feel the same.

 

I'll quote you again...

 

"I have literally never cared about hearing spoilers for something I will/ might watch/read/play, but if I'm talking to someone who does care, they expect me to take their wishes into account - and will act like i've just killed their dog if I reveal anything, however minor."

 

This makes it seem at the very least that you don't want to respect their wishes, even if you begrudgingly do... considering the particular lack of understanding in your statement for their frustration if you do "reveal anything".  So of course people may act like you "just killed their dog" if you're a dick to them.  It kind of comes with the package.

 

 

EDIT: I'm glad you do avoid being a dick to people, but no one should pat you on the back for it.  That's supposed to just be common decency.  Especially when you come here publicly resenting people/society for discouraging your dick-ish tendencies with what you would consider an overreaction.

 

Again, this is referring to this quote specifically.  Not the conversation you had with your co-worker.

Edited by Dreakon13
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30 minutes ago, Dreakon13 said:

 

I'll quote you again...

 

"I have literally never cared about hearing spoilers for something I will/ might watch/read/play, but if I'm talking to someone who does care, they expect me to take their wishes into account - and will act like i've just killed their dog if I reveal anything, however minor."

 

This makes it seem at the very least that you don't want to respect their wishes, even if you begrudgingly do... considering the particular lack of understanding in your statement for their frustration if you do "reveal anything".  So of course people may act like you "just killed their dog" if you're a dick to them.  It kind of comes with the package.

 

 

EDIT: I'm glad you do avoid being a dick to people, but no one should pat you on the back for it.  That's supposed to just be common decency.  Especially when you come here publicly resenting people/society for discouraging your dick-ish tendencies with what you would consider an overreaction.

 

Again, this is referring to this quote specifically.  Not the conversation you had with your co-worker.

 

Yawn.

 

You are quoting only half the statement - The first half of a point-counterpoint, which is where the inverse of the argued point is laid out as a hypothetical, in order to show the inherent flaw/hypocrisy in the non-hypothetical latter point.

 

Feel free to continue arguing against the half-understood hypothetical scenario I laid out, but I can't keep going with you.

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I'd be put off by that, as well. The way that's phrased, doesn't sound like they were considering someone else might overhear, they just wanted to preserve it for you.  I have a friend who doesn't mind spoilers, so I unload everything on her. Makes for a great outlet to vent if something happens. Whereas I can be kind of finicky about it. That first experience is important to some people, even if the content is years old. We don't have time to keep up with everything that's going on. But I more expect my actual friends to respect this than some stranger. If I get spoiled, it happens. It's likely been years since the thing came out, so naturally lots of people are going to be talking about it. I was meh about the ending to Red Dead Redemption because I'd seen some people talking about it on a forum in a way I had a clear guess what was going to happen. I still finished it, of course. I still didn't know how it was going to be executed.

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I believe you're just over-thinking it. A lot of people just don't like spoiling stuff (and definitely not getting spoiled), what's so hypocritical?

Also, standing to make coffee in silence is just the awkwardness of that person. Might you coincidentally be surrounded by spoiler-awkward people?

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