As you probably heard by now, Joss Whedon quit Twitter yesterday after being bombarded with ridiculously cruel, outraged tweets about "Avengers: Age Of Ultron." It was internet trolling at its worst, a side of a small segment of the community that suddenly made some very loud, obnoxious statements. But if we’re being real, this kind of behavior has been brewing a long, long time in these circles, and perhaps this is the wake up call (coming far too late) that the community needs. It’s unfortunate it’s at Whedon’s expense.
All one has to do is look at the more extreme reactions to things like the casting of Ben Affleck as Batman, the first look at Jared Leto as the Joker, not to mention the absolutely ugly Gamergate affair. There is a very dark side to the fandom community that has, for a very long time, been given a voice. While it would be wrong to say it has gone unchecked, certainly the measures or attempts to call out that behavior have been far from effective. There is a lawless attitude on the internet, where you can just say something to somebody and walk away, but there’s very little thought given to who’s on the other side of that conversation.
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Well, ‘Guardians of the Galaxy‘ director James Gunn wants fans to think about that, posting a long piece to Facebook urging for a "kinder" internet. He doesn’t try to find solutions, because it’s a complex issue with a myriad of factors, but hopefully it starts people genuinely talking about the communities they are part of, and what their responsibility is to ensure the bad apples don’t ruin it for everybody. Filmmakers and talent don’t owe anybody their time on social media, and perhaps that level of direct contact fans are afforded with their favorite directors or stars is taken for granted.
Check out Gunn’s comments below and let us know what you think in the comments section. Meanwhile, Joe Carnahan offer a more blunt, histrionic reaction that’s the complete opposite of Gunn’s thoughtful piece.
Imagine being a guy, like Joss Whedon, who has committed his life to fandom and to creating the best characters he…
Posted by James Gunn on Tuesday, May 5, 2015
Dear Fuckstick Fanboy & Girl. At your age, your great grandfather was dodging German mortars. NOT harassing & tormenting Joss Whedon for his
— Joe Carnahan (@carnojoe) May 5, 2015
Treatment of fucking fictious flying people. You have a full time fucking job called THE WORLD & you need to show up, every day, on time.
— Joe Carnahan (@carnojoe) May 5, 2015
Stop this endless, ridiculous, infantile obsession with comic book bullshit. The .00001 percent of you that Tony Stark inspires to become
— Joe Carnahan (@carnojoe) May 5, 2015
brilliant quantum physicists, bully for you. The rest of you turds better straighten your posture, put away your laptops, work on getting
— Joe Carnahan (@carnojoe) May 5, 2015
laid regularly & have opinions and thoughts that carry actual weight & import in the aforementioned fucking WORLD.
— Joe Carnahan (@carnojoe) May 5, 2015