There was a time when not liking something was just… ordinary. You’d watch a show, read a book, try a game, shrug, and move on. It didn’t require a statement of principles. It didn’t demand a counter‑argument. You didn’t have to gather allies or explain why the people who did enjoy it were misguided. You could simply say, “Not for me,” and that was the end of it.
Now it feels like disliking something automatically comes with homework. Instead of a quiet preference, it becomes a mission. Look at the reaction to The Acolyte: plenty of people didn’t enjoy it, which is completely fine, but instead of just saying so, whole pockets of the internet turned it into a referendum on the state of Star Wars, the intentions of the creators, and the moral character of anyone who liked it. It wasn’t enough that they didn’t like it; nobody could be allowed to like it. The same thing is happening with Starfleet Academy. Actually, it began before a single frame had aired. People weren’t just uninterested; they were furious that it existed at all, as if a TV show aimed at a different audience somehow threatened the entire franchise.
It’s not limited to sci‑fi either. The Rings of Power, She‑Hulk, The Last Jedi, Doctor Who, Diablo IV, D&D One… pick almost any modern release and you’ll find the same pattern. A normal, harmless “this didn’t work for me” gets replaced by a crusade to prove the thing is objectively bad, culturally dangerous, or part of some grand plot. And if someone else enjoys it, that becomes a problem to solve rather than a harmless difference in taste. I’ve written on this blog about things I dislike, including some of the things in the list above. I shared my views. I explained what I didn’t like. I didn’t need vitriol. I didn’t need slurs.
My review of the first season of Interview With the Vampire was met not only with a few insulting comments from readers who were seemingly outraged that I spoke positively about it, but also with racist and homophobic comments. None were published, of course. I have no intention of giving these people oxygen. I’m happy to engage in discussion with someone who disagrees with me in a rational way, but why would I entertain ad hominem attacks, slurs, and diatribes?
A lot of this comes from how tightly people tie their identity to the media they consume. It becomes part of who you are, then someone disagreeing seems to feel like a personal attack. Add in algorithms that reward outrage over nuance, and suddenly the loudest, angriest voices drown out the quiet majority who are perfectly capable of saying “eh, not my thing” without needing to burn the world down.
This manufactured outrage is a real problem. You know what I mean; the kind that doesn’t grow naturally out of someone’s own reaction, but out of whatever the internet has decided everyone should be angry about this week. You see it with new shows, with people who haven’t watched a single episode confidently declaring them disasters because a YouTuber said so, or because a Reddit thread framed them as “attacks” on a franchise. It’s not even personal taste at that point; it’s outsourced opinion. Entire comment sections fill up with identical talking points, the same phrases repeated word‑for‑word, as if people are waiting to be told what they’re supposed to think. And once that outrage machine starts turning, it becomes harder for anyone to simply say, “I’ll decide for myself,” or “I don’t care enough to be angry.” It’s amazing how quickly a normal, harmless preference gets swallowed by a collective performance of fury that doesn’t actually belong to most of the people expressing it.
But it really doesn’t have to be this dramatic. It’s still okay to dislike things quietly. It’s still okay to let other people enjoy things you don’t. Please, just shrug and move on without turning your opinion into a campaign. Most of the time, taste isn’t a moral stance or a political position; it’s just taste. And the world gets a lot calmer when we remember that.
No Rerolls 
I agree with you completely on this! 🙂 A well-written post!
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Being an internet snob is a thing. I try to just move on from stuff I don’t like, and will occasionally throw a grenade into an argument – especially if its modern day Star Wars, but I’ve given up as that body of works has left me behind long ago.
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I do find myself biting my tongue a lot with Star Wars, I must admit…
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I have a friend who’s gone down this path in our old age. I asked him one time why he gets so upset about entertainment, which is not at all important to anything. His response was “It’s all I have”. I think this probably applies to good portion of chronic pop culture complainers. If you hate your job and having nothing else going on in your life it probably does really make a person legitimately angry when their favorite show doesn’t go exactly the way they want.
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I thank that’s pretty accurate for some people. Certainly, it matches some folk that I know.
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I strongly agree with what you’ve said here. I can only add that I wish people would wise up and stop watching grifters on Youtube (and I’m sure other places) who create overly negative content that seeks to play on our unhappiness and/or makes up controversies. There’s a lot to be upset with in the world right now but getting that way about movies and TV shows is neither smart nor worth your time.
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Well said. I guess part of it is that the internet has given a voice (and, perhaps, a sense of self importance) to anyone who wants to share their opinion. And strong opinions, especially negative ones, seem to get clicks.
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Whenever I see this behavior, I’m always left with the question: “Okay. But are you enjoying yourself?” Maybe there’s an adrenaline rush from posting a hot take but when I imagine people frowning and hunched over devices they pay for looking for reasons to be angry, I think “This cannot be life. There HAS to be something they could be doing.”
But maybe not. And that’s really unfortunate.
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And the converse can be true too. Expressing dislike for something that is universally adored can result in an abusive response. Lively debate is fine, but personalised tirades have no place in that. And I liked your post.
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That’s fair, yeah. You definitely get brigading on behalf of beloved properties.
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Anyone secure in their own decision making processes will feel no need to defend them. They simply state their opinion and move on.
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Well put. If you are honest and open, there are things you can learn from an opposite view. As they can from you. That is called conversation. A relic I miss. You hit it on the head here; “how tightly people tie their identity to the media they consume”. That is it in a nut shell. Be branded. Marketable. An influencer (whatevet the heck that is) But heaven forbid you be yourself – and – allow others too. Oh, and please don’t share these thoughts anywhere, lest you and I be hunted down and attacked. Keep them coming – I really appracite your honesty and vision !!!!
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….pardon the spelling. I was thinking faster than I could type.
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Well written post
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Superb post! There is definitely a silent majority and a very vocal minority nowadays.
I’m the opposite though in that, if I criticise a mountain I’ve walked and it’s someone else’s favourite and they do a vitriolic personal attack on my comments for not liking it, I publish it and then sit back and laugh while many of my followers take them down for me – most amusing!
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I couldn’t agree more. This put into words something I’ve been feeling for a while.
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I love how you expressed this! It’s so true, all over the internet. And not just about movies, books, or tv, but about people too! You are absolutely right, it is more than ok to be quiet.
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Actually you have hit the nail on the head ! Outsourced comments is very apt ! Everybody has a right to disagree with something they are not comfortable with. That’s all that they have to do, disagree period ! No need for a song and dance following that ! Thank you for sharing
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I’m glad you acknowledged this. Everyone is entitled to their own preferences. No one should be judged for it. I miss the days when a yes or no I like or dislike was all that was needed no explanation.
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This is so real!! I felt it especially on certain lines where you talked about being part of such often times unsubstantiated opinions without even knowing about it. When you wrote that “comments sections fill up with the same phrases word-for-word, as if people are waiting to be told what they’re supposed to think” it really hit me and made me think about how much our personal opinions are and can be shaped for us by someone else on the internet. It really separates one from their authentic self. Getting attacked for simply holding views that differ from others is truly mad but at times literally normalized nowadays. People don’t seem to be okay with just agreeing to disagree anymore despite the fact, it would be much more harmless that way. But instead we have more of the ones who would rather feed the fire almost immediately as of a ritual. And that’s why we have an insane “cancel culture” that has far forgotten and exceeded its limits. We see much of the crowd readily available to put labels on every single act or word of someone’s. We have slang terms being thrown around repeatedly into discussions unnecessarily just to fit the “humorous standard” of these days. Not to say that’s bad but more so because it doesn’t even align with the person’s actual thoughts when it comes to that certain subject. It’s really not about the mere standard but the way they don’t even mean what they say, it’s only a way of seeking approval and validation from some random peeps on the internet which gradually makes way into real life convos. Suddenly the ones who deny to follow so are alienated or treated as unfunny and of some weirdly strange behavior. Everybody’s stuck on pleasing somebody else who is not even present in the room with them, scared of judgements and backlash if you don’t get along with this so called norm of disguised social survival…
(Also the use of trendy slangs to comment on a serious topic or to insult the speaker- performative, mid, pick-me.)
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“outsources opinions” EXACTLY. it seems like people want someone to tell them how to think before they open their mouths. but as we become more pretentious, we actually become dumber
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Im writting this for a school proyect
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It’s a good topic for discursive writing or for a persuasive assignment. It’s not one any of my pwn students have written about yet, but I’d definitely be interested in whatever they’d have to say on the topic.
Good choice.
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