thoughtful(Not for everyone, naturally. I know people who adore spoilers, and find them an exciting roadmap to what's ahead. I am just as likely to go "welp, that was the greatest hits version of the story, let's go enjoy something new.")
But saying "spoilers are bad" and "spoilers are wrong" seems very...I don't know, privileged? At least to me. I have friends who cannot watch rape. Cannot watch any threat of sexual violence. Cannot handle the use of date rape drugs or other such devices in fiction. I know people who are so severely afraid of spiders that even spiders in movies are not safe for them, or who can't deal with certain forms of bodily harm (eyeballs, sure, but no fingers, no teeth...). Most, if not all, of these people have really good reasons for their fears, and if they don't go around wearing shirts that list them off for your comprehension and enlightenment, that's because it's nobody else's business.
So they seek out spoilers. They look for them everywhere, because a little loss of surprise is worth it for the comfort of knowing a piece of media is safe. I was lucky enough to see Thor 2 early (I love you, Disneyland Annual Pass), and while I refused, for the most part, to be a source of spoilers, one person asked me a very basic "this thing will be triggery for me, does this thing happen" question, and got an answer. Because my desire not to put spoilers out into the world is not stronger than someone else's need for mental peace. I knew why she was asking. Refusing to answer at that point would have been policing someone else's choices, and saying I knew what she needed better than she did.
I will absolutely roll with "involuntary spoilers are bad": I don't want to get spoiled for everything in the universe the second I turn on my computer in the morning. I will roll with "there is a statute of limitations," and while we haven't all agreed on what it is, I stop getting grumpy after a week or so for minor things (it takes longer for big, shocking, "this changes everything" revelations). But we have to remember that for some people, spoilers are safety and self-defense. Spoilers are what makes it possible for them to enjoy media, just like everybody else.
Sometimes, providing spoilers is the only kind thing to do.
December 12 2013, 22:05:57 UTC 3 years ago
On the one hand, I am the sort of person who doesn't mind them. In fact, I often go out of my way to spoil myself...flipping to the end of a book to see what the last few pages look like, Googling spoilers and recaps for shows or movies, and so on. Knowing the end doesn't ruin the story for me, usually. Heck, sometimes it lets me know when I might as well give up while I can. (What's that, everyone dies? Well, shit.) But on occasion, I will avoid any and all talk of a new book or movie just so I go in completely free of expectation or influence.
But I am extremely vigilant about not spoiling things for other people without their consent. Part of that comes from what I believe to be a sacred responsibility of the professional reviewer. Boil the thing down to its essence, deliver a concise summary, deliver an opinion, but for all that is holy, do not spoil the twist or the ending. Do not undermine the writer's efforts by blowing the Big Reveal or Great Surprise out of the water.
But sometimes, it's essential to venture into that forbidden territory. Because if the Great Surprise is something that's so ham-fistedly offensive, so horribly game-breaking, so egregiously awful that it cannot be overlooked... sometimes you have to pull the trigger early, and talk about that element. Sometimes, you have to discuss the element because it overshadows the rest of the book. (Example: I just read a lovely YA that won't be out for months. I want to review it, as it speaks to my interests. But late in the story, one of the secondary characters and primary antagonists shows their true colors, and the revelation absolutely undermines their part of the story in a horrible way. Am I avoiding specifics now? Yeah. Will I avoid them when I review this book? No. I'll attach a spoiler alert, so folks know whether to stay or go, but for the purpose of the review, that part of the story needs addressing.)
But getting back to my original train of thought. While I will happily seek out spoilers, it's on my terms. I don't want to skim Facebook and see DARTH VADER WAS DEAD ALL ALONG AND ROSEBUD WAS THE EMPEROR'S PONY. It's all about respect for each other's preferences. :)
December 13 2013, 18:10:48 UTC 3 years ago