Bryan Alvarez throwing some shade at AEW fans..
Apr 22, 2022 8:16:32 GMT -5
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JoDaNa1281 likes this
Post by Deleted on Apr 22, 2022 8:16:32 GMT -5
This is gonna be a bit of a personal diatribe so I hope if anyone reads it they can bear with me...
I feel like I've been too defensive at points in defending a point because I personally just thought there was logic to defend it, or there was severe hyperbole being used in just how bad it was. In fairness, some of those instances that was in fact happening, but I feel like in doing so, I have made some people here legitimately upset on this Proboard, by simply trying to discuss something I am passionate about, and, ironically, trying to understand why there is such a negative connotation to the point or the argument.
I feel like in some cases, this stigma has been unreasonable, but in other cases, if I've actually caused people legitimate distress by simply replying to them in a spirited way, it legitimately makes me feel guilty and upset, because I don't want to be pigeon hole'd into some "Only defends AEW" hole, because I don't think that's fair as I have been critical of plenty of AEW stuff, just like how when someone's negative on an angle, people have said "Are you ever happy about anything? All you do is shit on the product" in the past when they have been plenty positive and been cherry picked for a narrative, that shit isn't fair either and it's honestly pissed me off when I've seen it, because you swing so far in the other direction you ALSO end up being a problem yourself, doing the very thing you think you're preventing.
I've seen some users publicly speak about the AEW Board even in other sections and how they've had to break from it because of the very stigma that negative opinion is either dogpiled or it's exhausting to see the fighting or negative ranting threads that pop up consistently. I, personally, don't want to be the reason some people either fall out of love with a product, or either don't want to post here or connect me to such a negative connotation, that they think me an asshole for how I respond to AEW negativity. It should never, ever get that far, that a message board or takes on it, are directly effecting your enjoyment of a product. I feel the same for fandom toxicity effecting how some people watch a product, people quitting watching something they love because of stuff like this is depressing, we should invite more people in, not make them want to leave and have a bad taste in their mouth.
I've done a lot of self reflections on this, and I really do apologize to those I may have frustrated over the months if I've simply gone too far with arguments or defenses for what that may be worth. I've been looking to dial it back myself, really the AEW Board itself has just needed to dial it down several notches and I think we're all well aware of it, but to the point, there absolutely have been people who have simply tried and fan the flames in either direction, and bait for response here, far more than anything I have literally EVER seen in the WWE Thread, and I've been here almost a decade, it's quite alarming, and surprising, and I'd literally shudder to think how this place and the modern internet would have looked with WCW and ECW in their prime existing if they are this absolutely vile with AEW alone... but in the end, FAN's still one of the best places to discuss it, it's why I love being here, and doing it, and I hope that when it comes to AEW criticisms, people aren't afraid to post about them, and aren't afraid to express them.
We have had lengthy "Unpopular AEW Opinion" threads come and go on this board, with no issue, and a ton of negative takes here, to again, really no issue... it's the people who This Player Hating Mothman said, try to conflate these feelings and takes, that I think has really been a problem here, miniscule in comparison to how bad it is on Reddit, Facebook, Twitter, etc, that thankfully has been solved in a lot of areas, but in others, can still look for improvement on, and I hope, on my end, I can do so, and help make the Boards more positive to be in as well.
We as a wrestling fandom need to be better about treating each other like fellow fans and not rival gang members. People like different flavors of ice cream, so to speak. I think it was Brian Zane who said "Like what you like, just don't be a dick". We all need to follow that wisdom
I think this forum is much better than others. It is places like Twitter(even wrestlers treat others with disrespect) and Reddit(downvote any criticism of AEW) that are the armpits of the wrestling fandom.
It may have to do moderators, as we have good ones here that won't let harassment go unnoticed.