1. [As of September 23, 2011]
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  3. So there's this new movie or show out. It's quite popular, but, from what you've read about it, [[HypeAversion somehow you don't really want to go out and see it]]. But then you see fans who are recommending the show to all their friends, crying: "It's BetterThanItSounds!"
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  5. So you go out and watch it. [[HypeBacklash You're not impressed; maybe even appalled]]. You're so disappointed that you decide to write up an extensive list of what you consider to be the show's flaws. The show's fans won't take this kindly; some of them think what you're saying about ''their'' show is FanDumb of the worst order.
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  7. Now you're faced with a host of angry replies from fans of the show, demanding that you [[DontLikeDontRead stop talking about the show if you didn't like it]], after they insult your sexuality, mental capabilities, and other such things. This ComplainingAboutPeopleNotLikingTheShow is justified in ''some'' communities: if you don't think show X has any redeeming qualities, why the heck are you posting on the Official Show X Fan Forum, [=~Complaining About Shows You Don't Like~=]? But even that can go too far, and this could happen to you on your own private forum.
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  9. These fans are interested in commentary on the show, but only from people who admire it as much as they do. Obviously you were there, but in their view you missed seeing what the show was ''really'' about. They may accuse you of being from [[PeripheryDemographic the wrong demographic]], and tell you, not so kindly, to go watch some other show more appropriate to your demographic. Fans of DarkerAndEdgier shows might tell you to [[SillyRabbitIdealismIsForKids grow up and stop believing in unrealistic ideals]]; or expire from senility already (because [[GoodIsOldFashioned your viewpoint is "anachronistic"]] and ought to have passed into history, like DiscoDan.) Fans of LighterAndSofter shows might tell you that you're [[TrueArtIsAngsty being pretentious]] or that you're an {{Emo}} who thinks that liking drama makes you cool. If the show belongs to some particular genre like musicals, anime or scifi, fans of the genre might protest that attracting audiences to the genre is proof of the show's goodness (if they don't get the impression that you [[{{Hatedom}} hate the entire genre]].)
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  11. As is the case with {{Fan Hater}}s and ComplainingAboutShowsYouDontWatch, no one truly explains that maybe, just ''maybe'' you have a different way of thinking or are looking for different things than them. The immediate response is, at least in western society, to say that they did not like it because of their intelligence and sexual orientation. Because there seem to be so many {{Fan Hater}}s out there, many fans of a work confuse criticism for Fan Hating and get defensive, leading to ComplainingAboutPeopleNotLikingTheShow which in turn contributes to more Fan Hating in a vicious cycle. Ironically, one way that the people [[ComplainingAboutPeopleNotLikingTheShow Complain About People Not Liking The Show]] is by accusing them of ComplainingAboutShowsYouDontWatch, even if you do watch the show. It just doesn't register in their mind that sometimes some shows are just offensive or bad or just not somebody's cup of tea.
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  13. This is related to the Fangirls' Law, but "[[DontLikeDontRead don't like it, don't read it]]" is fairly justified considering that fanfiction tends to be targeted to ''very'' narrow subcultures, and its writers tend to warn potential readers with story codes and such rather than advertise to the masses.
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  15. Even people who simply have a passive uninterest (as opposed to an active dislike) for the show are not immune to the wrath of these fans. This can even happen to people who love the show as much as they do, [[MisaimedFandom but for the wrong reasons]].
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  17. A variant on the above are the fans who will heatedly tell you that [[LetsSeeYouDoBetter unless you have written a commercially successful comic/movie/book/etc. of your own]], you are "not qualified" to issue a criticism of any author who has. The gaping logical fallacy here is hopefully self-evident. Of course, many of these selfsame fans will then go on to criticize stories they didn't like, sometimes even in the same breath as the above, when they haven't written anything commercially successful either.
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  19. A SubTrope of OpinionMyopia.
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  21. Contrast {{Fan Hater}}s, which CAPNLTS has been known to spawn, and {{Hatedom}}-- if these groups exist for the work in question, they can serve as a VocalMinority, with fans linking everyone who doesn't love the work to the hate-spewing groups.
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  23. Only in-universe examples here please; put them in the [[TroperTales/ComplainingAboutPeopleNotLikingTheShow Troper Tales]] section. This just defines the fan-speak term. Also, the examples would just be ComplainingAboutShowsYouDontLike, which would make us kind of dizzy.
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  29. !!Examples - Examples here should be specific and backed-up. Anything else goes to the [[TroperTales/ComplainingAboutPeopleNotLikingTheShow troper tales page]].
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  31. [[AC: Art]]
  32. * On {{deviantART}}, most people will hate you if you use the comment box to actually comment instead of simply heaping praise on what was done. Even if you're being nice and are trying to help the artist, you'll be considered a flamer if you don't give a "THIS IS AWESOME" comment. Unfortunately, some people will actually block you if you favorite without comment, because on to some people on dA, favoriting without commenting is a worse sin than not giving a completely positive review. So in some circles, it's either give perfect reviews to every pic you like in the slightest or gtfo.
  33. ** {{deviantART}}'s admins have even gotten into this -- paying subscribers can flag their art as "Critique Discouraged" -- i.e., if you post anything '''but''' glowing adoration, ''you can be banned.''
  34. *** One wonders why the discourage critique feature became a perk for subscribers when it was standard feature for all members not too long ago.
  35. *** It's important to note that this actually happened partly because of the amount of destructive criticism that went around the site and still does today.
  36. ** Also inverted: some artists will call you a suck-up and ban you from commenting if you don't AccentuateTheNegative.
  37. * [[BetterDays Jay Naylor]] is particularly notorious for banning people from his FurAffinity journals if/when he finds people who raise issues surrounding the art or content in his comics or adult works, even if the comments are constructive and well-written.
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  39. [[AC:{{Anime}} and {{Manga}}]]
  40. * Anime News Network has one particular reviewer who can't stand {{Moe}} series. The backlash was high enough when he reviewed ''OtomeWaBokuNiKoishiteru'', and even most fans of that show admit that they [[JustHereForGodzilla only watch it for]] the WholesomeCrossdresser who's honestly drawn like a girl. But when ANN put this guy on ''MagicalGirlLyricalNanoha'' and he tore it apart like all the other shows? Let's just say heads are still rolling.
  41. * Intersecting with Live Action TV, ''{{X-Play}}'' hosts Adam Sessler and Morgan Webb have openly admitted that they aren't anime fans, and dislike most anime games because of TheProblemWithLicensedGames. So of course, whenever they review an anime game and poke fun at the show's inherent oddities, you can bet top dollar that their message boards will soon after be flooded by enraged fans screaming that their favored shows are just "too deep" for Adam and Morgan. Then there was the time they teasingly called [[FullmetalAlchemist Alphonse Elric]] a "robot in a loincloth"
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  43. [[AC:{{Film}}]]
  44. * On RottenTomatoes, the comments box only ever really gets used to complain about reviews going against a "majority opinion", whether positive or negative (although trashing critics for liking a widely-hated film is a lot less common). Very rarely is it used to really comment on the quality of the review itself. Some examples of both sides: ''[[http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/avatar/?critic=columns&sortby=rotten&name_order=asc&view=#contentReviews Avatar]]'' and ''[[http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/the_dark_knight/?critic=columns&sortby=rotten&name_order=asc&view=#contentReviews The Dark Knight]]'' for negative reviews, ''[[http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/transformers_revenge_of_the_fallen/?critic=columns&sortby=fresh&name_order=asc&view=#contentReviews Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen]]'' and ''[[http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/1202106-all_about_steve/?critic=columns&sortby=fresh&name_order=asc&view=#contentReviews All About Steve]]'' for positive reviews.
  45. * Two critics disliked ''ToyStory3'' and brought it to a still impressive 99% approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes. The response is [[http://www.cinemablend.com/new/Meet-The-Only-Two-People-Who-Hate-Toy-Story-3-19118.html something along the lines of ordering them to forever lose their jobs amongst other threats]]. Granted one critic is notorious for hating on nearly anything popular and the other seemed to complain more about the flms rating, but it seems a little much considering Pixar is already one of the most financially and critcally successful studios around.
  46. * When ''ScottPilgrimVsTheWorld'' was finally released, it was as if a vacuum tunnel of positive and negative charged FanDumb collided and tore open half the Internet. For every troll who thought the film was "hipster garbage," there was a fanboy who thought it was the most "epic" or "awesome" or "awesomely epic" movie they've ever seen. God forbid you think it was merely okay, lest you get unfairly labeled a troll, which in turn prompted many to actually hate the series by proxy. In other words, the film wouldn't have caused such a flame war if people weren't so possessive about it.
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  48. [[AC:{{Literature}}]]
  49. * While the ''Twilight'' {{Hatedom}} is [[{{Understatement}} quite]] [[NotSoDifferent fanatical themselves]], the ''Twilight'' fans themselves can be extremely rabid. One such fan [[http://www.amazon.com/For-The-Lurker-Lilith/forum/Fx1GAA6GYWX8459/Tx2WUTB4ZT9C4R/1/ref=cm_cd_pg_pg1?_encoding=UTF8&asin=031606792X&cdSort=oldest wished miscarriage]] on an Anti (it later came out that it wasn't even the 15-year-old girl, it was ''her mother'' using her account). Keep in mind that while this violence ''has'' happened on some occasions, most examples should be taken with a ''tablespoon'' of salt given the widespread [[FanHaters Fan hating]] around Twilight.
  50. * Detractors of [[InheritanceCycle Inheritance]] started [[{{Anti-Shurtugal}} their own site]] to escape this.
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  52. [[AC:Live Action TV]]
  53. * ''{{Glee}}'' fans, particularly younger ones, seem to be getting an unfortunate reputation for this.
  54. * Some ''{{Caprica}}'' fans seem to be complaining that too many ''BattlestarGalactica'' fans aren't giving it a chance because "there's not enough spaceships", overlooking the fact that ''Battlestar'''s GrandFinale generated a highly vitriolic response from many fans who felt that it insulted their intelligence, and therefore disinclined to watch anything associated with ''Battlestar''.
  55. * ''{{iCarly}}'', in-universe. The world's reaction to Freddie saying that he didn't like {{Fred}} videos in ''iMeet Fred''. Mostly due to Fred falsely claiming that he's not going to do his videos any more because Freddie didn't like them, but even after Fred admitted he just said that for publicity, Sam beats Freddie up, then throws him out of the tree-house for saying that he still didn't like them.
  56. ** Oh. Don't forget that by "beat up" you mean BENT A TENNIS RACKET, which are made out of metal, ON HIS HEAD. He was likely for blunt force trauma if she had done it in the right way.
  57. * '{{Lost}}'', [[EditWar even on this very Wiki]]. Regardless of how well you articulate your issues with the show. People will just say "you don't get it", "not paying attention", or "just trolling".
  58. * {{Joss Whedon}}'s [[FanDumb loyal followers]] are notorious for this, to the degree that one wonders if it hurts shows like ''{{Dollhouse}}'', which gather unrealistic levels of fan hype pre-airing despite not proving themselves to the general, non-nerdy public.
  59. * {{Sex and the City}} fans -- especially when a film critic pans one of the movies.
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  61. [[AC:{{Sports}}]]
  62. * Simply not liking sports of any kind of general makes you a target, and not only because hardcore sports fans have difficulty imagining how someone could not like sports. Consider these following scenarios: Say you don't like the local sports team, you're assumed to prefer a rival team - even if both teams are ''equally'' meaningless to you. Say don't like a specific type of sport, you're assumed to prefer some other "obviously inferior" sport - even if, again, both sports are ''equally'' meaningless to you.
  63. * Saying your preference over what Football code is your favorite will often draw FlameWars in even the most civilized forums, no matter how politely you say it. For example: Prefer AmericanFootball over Soccer? You're a CompleteMonster! [[FlameWar Burn in hell]]! Prefer TheBeautifulGame over AmericanFootball? You're a pussy that plays/watches boring and girly sports! And so on...
  64. * To a lesser extent, saying you're not a fan of certain winning teams like the New York Yankees, New England Patriots, or the Los Angeles Lakers will net you some scowls from those who latch on to specific teams religiously.
  65. ** Then again, rooting for those teams will get you accused of being a bandwagon fan.
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  67. [[AC:{{Videogames}}]]
  68. * A rebuff of ''any'' criticism of a multiplayer game is typically something along the lines of "Suck less" or "Play with friends or don't play at all". Games without [[FanHater fanatical fan-control]] such as ''TeamFortress2'' and ''CallOfDuty ModernWarfare'' are common examples.
  69. * Happens on occasion in ''CityOfHeroes'' ever since the Mission Architect feature was added. Many players have said that because feedback comments are not anonymous that they are afraid to leave any negative feedback at all in fear that a vengeful author and their friends will down-rate their published missions in petty revenge. However since ratings are separate from comments and anonymous, this leads to many other authors being annoyed when they receive poor ratings but without any explanation of what the player didn't like about their missions.
  70. ** That and there is also the problem in that a player does not have to complete any certain percentage of the story arc in order to submit a rating. This makes ratings griefing ridiculously easy.
  71. * Step 1: Play ''{{Half-Life}} 2''. Step 2: If you decide you dislike it - hell, if you even decide you don't think it is the supreme god of all things game-related - go on the Escapist Forums and make a big post telling everyone why. Step 3: [[FlameWar Burn to death]].
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  73. [[AC:Other]]
  74. * Many popular films on YouTube. You are allowed to only post a comment that expresses pure admiration (or is just a random quote from the film). If you dare to point out even the slightest flaw of the film (even if you applaud the film in the same comment), your comment will be downvoted to kingdom come by the rabid fans.
  75. ** With the "Like/Dislike" feature (created in 2010), an influx of users inevitably comment on any video that doesn't have a 100% perfect "like" rating. This leads to comments like "(number of people who disliked video) (veiled insult)" (e.g. "25 people need to get their heads checked because they don't know how good this is!"). This would be tolerable if it were a small-scale act, but the number of people commenting on the number of dislikes on a video has become a widespread phenomenon throughout the site (almost to the point of becoming a MemeticMutation). Course it's hard to tell if many comments actually legitimately ''mean'' this or if they're just joking, especially since some of these comments are actually "Six people laughed so hard they clicked 'Dislike' by mistake!".
  76. * The Gawker site [[http://jezebel.com Jezebel]] has something of a reputation for banning people just for disagreeing with the editors' points of view in articles, even if it's done in a respectful manner. It's to the extent where those on other Gawker sites have begun to see it as a compliment to get banned from Jezebel.
  77. ** Kotaku fell into this, destarring and banning any posters who criticised the site in any way, especially if posters complained about the increasing amount of non-game related content (such as articles about fish with mustaches). Probably the best example was when the owner of a Kotaku fan forum was inexplicably banned after first losing his star a few days earlier for posting an open letter to the editors. Chaos ensued. Many users were banned in an event now jokingly known as the Kotakulypse. Eventually things calmed down and an official channel for criticisms was opened.
  78. * The fans of ForBetterOrForWorse tend to take exception with pointing out logical flaws in the strip.
  79. * On TVTropes, articles relating to FanDumb (like the former UnpleasableFanbase page) occasionally attract this.
  80. ** For that matter, there's also the DoubleStandard that existed (And still does) around HateDumb which was made "Subjective" to keep people from doing this, whereas FanDumb was regularly thrown around for similarly perverse incentives of "[[ComplainingAboutShowsYouDontLike Complaining about fandoms and shows you don't like.]]" Nowadays, they're both treated as SubjectiveTropes.