Introduction
Hello and welcome back to Your Opinion Is NOT Law, where I vent on particular YouTubers I strongly disagree with at best and utterly despise at worse. Today's topic, MisAnthro Pony. Ah, yes, Doug Walker's number 1 hater made yet another video about the Nostalgia Critic (this is the 4th video on his channel. btw). I left a comment on his first video about Doug's 10th anniversary video arguing his points and essentially saying he was being way to harsh and cynical. He then responded politely acknowledged where I was coming from and while he still didn't care for Doug's 10th anniversary, he recognized he was a little too agitated and apologized for it. Hah!! If only we lived in an ideal world where even the nastiest of trolls regretted their actions! Nah instead he stood by his poorly constructed arguments and claims he knows people who are fans of Nostalgia Critic that said he did a good job explaining himself (I guess they just ignored the part where he insults the fans' intelligence at 11:07). But enough about that video, let's talk about his response to NC's Old VS New Teen Titans. Now this video does reference the Channel Awesome controversy that happened early this year and for the longest time, I've only occassionally commented on this because the last time I chose a side of a controversy, I ended up being labeled the bad guy from the opposing side. Yes, I know that comes with the territory, but that doesn't mean I have to like it. I'll go into more detail on my Tumblr page but for now, just know that I do not condone the actions listed in the Google doc, but I've forgiven them. With that out of the way, let's get this over with, I have to be to work early in the morning.
What Doug Meant
2:17 Essentially this video was made because MisAnthro Pony took what Doug said out of context. At 13:26-15:00, Doug wasn't telling people not to watch the Teen Titans Go if they hate it so much. He was theorizing why they're watching it and at the end acknowledges that this show has it's fans. Plus, he's not far off as the hate for Teen Titans Go at this point is ludicrous. The show may have a bad apple every now and then, but they make up 12% of the total 214+ episodes of the show.
The "Don't Like, Don't Watch" Argument Explained
3:25 He criticizes the people who use the infamous argument against him and how hypocritical it is because they "worship" a critic. Step 1: We're talking about a dude who watches bad movie for a living not a religious cult and Step 2: PieGuyRulz did a better job criticizing this infamous argument so I'll give my two cents briefly. While you're free to watch what ever you want for the sake of criticizing it, that doesn't make it a healthy habit. Put some optimism in your taste in entertainment and watch something hoping to get a good experience out of it. Works out well for Mr. Coat. If you're going to criticize something, then feel free to do so. Just don't do it constantly or you'll end up bitter and cynical...oh wait.
No He Wasn't
3:46 MisAnthro Pony theorizes that Doug is use the "don't like, don't watch" argument as a defense for his show because of the Channel Awesome controversy (side note, it happened 5 months ago, not "last April"). I have a different theory: maybe Doug's not using the "don't like, don't watch" argument at all. I mean, he reviews bad movies for a living, so maybe, just maybe: he's actually saying it's not a health habit to hate watch something. He even says in his video at 13:54 "The cruelest attention you can give any form of entertainment is no attention." But in all seriousness, though, I'm pretty sure Doug wants to put the controversy behind him as much as everyone else. Maybe one day it will come back to haunt him and maybe karma will nip him in the rear at some point, but as of right now it's all old news. All that was needed to be said has been said, everyone save for Brad Jones and Guru Larry has decided to move on and according to Rob Boor of Cinematic Venom, the #ChangeTheChannel movement is pointless now (https://twitter.com/CinematicVenom/status/1029305807844921344). It's not easy to move on, (trust me, I know) but it must be done in order to focus on your life right now.
Conclusion
The rest of the video is just him rambling on about why the "don't like, don't watch" argument is bad, references Donald Trump, and calls Nostalgia Critic a hypocrite. Sounds like a sweet guy, huh? Overall, this video was a slog to get through, but I've come to expect that from a guy who believe's in the stereotype that "comedy is not subjective." His points were baseless, the hyperbole was ludicrous, and the presentation was tired and stale. To MisAnthro Pony, if you made it this far, just know that I have no ill will towards you as a person. That said, at this point I am tired of this vehement hatred you have for Doug Walker (not Nostalgia Critic, but Doug Walker as a person). Even before the controversy started, it was evidently clear you've hated Doug since day 1. What was that you said in your response to the 10th anniversary again? Oh yeah, "this isn't even pathetic anymore, it's just sad." And that's the best way to describe this hate you have: sad. I know this won't change your mind on Doug, but it says a lot for a guy who criticizes a critic for not taking criticism and yet throws my criticism in my face when I commented on your video. Like I always say: Your Opinion is NOT Law -.-
Friday, August 31, 2018
Tuesday, March 13, 2018
Yoshi Player's The Problems with AniMat (ElectricDragon) response
Introduction
Welcome back to Your Opinion Is NOT Law, where I respond to people who use factually wrong arguments to back their subjective opinion. Today, we'll be looking at a YouTuber known as Yoshi Player, an avid cartoon reviewer and animator who gained some millage with his video critiquing AniMat (aka ElectricDragon505). Full disclosure: 1. I'm not saying AniMat is immune to criticism, 2. AniMat is making improvements to his approach as we speak and 3. I know this is a little late, but this videos still has problems that need to be addressed. So without further ado, lets get started.
Assumptions =/= Demand
3:47 Bypassing the overview, Yoshi says AniMat constantly wants Sony Pictures Animation to shut down because they make bad movies. This point is not only false but also misleading as the reality is AniMat DOESN'T want Sony to shut down. To paraphrase in his May 2015 Update vlog, he doesn't hate Sony in general, but with each bad decision they make, he assumed that Smurfs: The Lost Village would be their last film. His prediction might have been wrong, but that doesn't mean he was wrong to assume Sony will be dead. He even says in that same vlog that he believes Sony is capable of making good films, yet time and time again they take 2 steps back. The video may be almost 3 years old, but AniMat's opinion hasn't changed. He still criticizes Sony's films, but he knows they're not going to shut down because of his opinion. Putting that zinger at the end of his review of The Emoji Movie aside, it's doubtful any of the Sony executives actually watched his video and took it at face value.
Let's Talk Business
4:27-5:07 He then explains that Sony shouldn't shut down despite poor business practices. True, but that doesn't excuse poor business practices from being poor business practices. The people who work at Sony might be able to put bread on the table, but they could be doing that at a job that has better working conditions. An it's not like their isn't a demand for animators in the industry. In addition to Disney, DreamWorks, Pixar and Warner Bros., animation studios like Paramount Animation, Industrial Light and Magic, and Reel FX are always looking for new animators. I'm not saying the people at Sony have to leave for a better opportunity, but the door is still open should they chose.
Why AniMat Makes Comparisons
6:45-7:58 Yoshi then says it's insulting of AniMat to compare Sony Animation to Donald Trump and Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs to Charles Manson. I'm not saying these aren't extreme examples, in fact I'm of the belief that comparative criticism should be used sparingly in a review. That said, the reason why he makes these comparisons is to A. Show how Sony makes little improvement and B. How disgraceful it was to show Cloudy with a Chance Meatballs in the animation montage at the Oscars. Again, that's not to say these examples aren't extreme, but they're more petty than insulting.
Out of Context Accusations
9:13-9:17 Yoshi accuses AniMat of insulting and blocking people for disagreeing with him on Twitter. At first I thought this was very unlike AniMat...that is before I did my research and found that these Tweets don't tell the whole story. I took the liberty of taking screen shots of some of some of the people AniMat rightfully blocked: https://screenshots.firefox.com/oNS5982ZgEe7bOxd/twitter.com, https://screenshots.firefox.com/9RebTIg8dnjT3hId/twitter.com, https://screenshots.firefox.com/sP9FgwwvrK6sZ85L/twitter.com. As evident by these screen shots, these were not respectful or fair criticisms as they tell AniMat to "grow up" for criticizing Sony Animation's films, they call him inappropriate names, and one of them was flat out glad to be blocked, implying that they knew they were pushing his buttons. Yoshi says that they were friends of his; well with friends like this, who need enemies.
What He Actually Said
10:00-10:30 Yoshi says that AniMat believes that anyone who thought that The Emoji Movie was going to be good was a moron. Here's what he actually said in regards to the first teaser of The Emoji Movie disabling comments and making it US exclusive only: "This is almost going into the territory of of Donald Trump in terms of not taking criticism. This pretty much confirms that the people at Sony Pictures, they know for a fact that people hate The Emoji Movie. They hate its existence. They hate the fact that it's being made. And every single information that we've gotten so far is pretty much stupid. There is no way that anybody would be dumb enough to actually look at that and think, "Oh, this might actually turn out pretty good. You know, I actually trust Sony Pictures Animation enough that they could actually good movies, so I'm gonna go and be hopeful about The Emoji Movie."" To translate, AniMat believes that because Sony couldn't take criticism with The Emoji Movie, they know that the movie isn't good and they know people are going to hate it. Yes it could've been worded better, but his argument still stands that Sony knew that this movie wouldn't be welcomed with open arms.
Conclusion
The rest of the video is summarizing how AniMat is not a good person for blocking people who disagree with him and concludes by telling his audience not to dox him. Overall, I found this video to be degrading despite Yoshi's good intentions of giving constructive criticism. My main problem with the video is that Yoshi's arguments against AniMat is backed up by evidence that's taken out of context..The people who criticize him on Twitter were not respectful, the statements he made against Sony, while extreme in some cases his reasonings weren't invalid, and despite assuming Sony will shut down with all the bad decisions they make, he's not actively campaigning the studio shut its doors and the people involve lose their jobs. Granted, his wording could've been better and he could've used a chill pill in his more critical reviews of Sony movies, but his opinions are still his opinions. To Yoshi, if you made it this far, I want to to make this clear: you were not wrong for criticizing AniMat. That said, your arguments could've been better and you could've done more research to back them up. As it stands, I feel as though you went out of your way to make AniMat the biggest bully this side of the animation community when that's far from the truth in reality. Like I always say: your opinion is NOT law -.-
Welcome back to Your Opinion Is NOT Law, where I respond to people who use factually wrong arguments to back their subjective opinion. Today, we'll be looking at a YouTuber known as Yoshi Player, an avid cartoon reviewer and animator who gained some millage with his video critiquing AniMat (aka ElectricDragon505). Full disclosure: 1. I'm not saying AniMat is immune to criticism, 2. AniMat is making improvements to his approach as we speak and 3. I know this is a little late, but this videos still has problems that need to be addressed. So without further ado, lets get started.
Assumptions =/= Demand
3:47 Bypassing the overview, Yoshi says AniMat constantly wants Sony Pictures Animation to shut down because they make bad movies. This point is not only false but also misleading as the reality is AniMat DOESN'T want Sony to shut down. To paraphrase in his May 2015 Update vlog, he doesn't hate Sony in general, but with each bad decision they make, he assumed that Smurfs: The Lost Village would be their last film. His prediction might have been wrong, but that doesn't mean he was wrong to assume Sony will be dead. He even says in that same vlog that he believes Sony is capable of making good films, yet time and time again they take 2 steps back. The video may be almost 3 years old, but AniMat's opinion hasn't changed. He still criticizes Sony's films, but he knows they're not going to shut down because of his opinion. Putting that zinger at the end of his review of The Emoji Movie aside, it's doubtful any of the Sony executives actually watched his video and took it at face value.
Let's Talk Business
4:27-5:07 He then explains that Sony shouldn't shut down despite poor business practices. True, but that doesn't excuse poor business practices from being poor business practices. The people who work at Sony might be able to put bread on the table, but they could be doing that at a job that has better working conditions. An it's not like their isn't a demand for animators in the industry. In addition to Disney, DreamWorks, Pixar and Warner Bros., animation studios like Paramount Animation, Industrial Light and Magic, and Reel FX are always looking for new animators. I'm not saying the people at Sony have to leave for a better opportunity, but the door is still open should they chose.
Why AniMat Makes Comparisons
6:45-7:58 Yoshi then says it's insulting of AniMat to compare Sony Animation to Donald Trump and Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs to Charles Manson. I'm not saying these aren't extreme examples, in fact I'm of the belief that comparative criticism should be used sparingly in a review. That said, the reason why he makes these comparisons is to A. Show how Sony makes little improvement and B. How disgraceful it was to show Cloudy with a Chance Meatballs in the animation montage at the Oscars. Again, that's not to say these examples aren't extreme, but they're more petty than insulting.
Out of Context Accusations
9:13-9:17 Yoshi accuses AniMat of insulting and blocking people for disagreeing with him on Twitter. At first I thought this was very unlike AniMat...that is before I did my research and found that these Tweets don't tell the whole story. I took the liberty of taking screen shots of some of some of the people AniMat rightfully blocked: https://screenshots.firefox.com/oNS5982ZgEe7bOxd/twitter.com, https://screenshots.firefox.com/9RebTIg8dnjT3hId/twitter.com, https://screenshots.firefox.com/sP9FgwwvrK6sZ85L/twitter.com. As evident by these screen shots, these were not respectful or fair criticisms as they tell AniMat to "grow up" for criticizing Sony Animation's films, they call him inappropriate names, and one of them was flat out glad to be blocked, implying that they knew they were pushing his buttons. Yoshi says that they were friends of his; well with friends like this, who need enemies.
What He Actually Said
10:00-10:30 Yoshi says that AniMat believes that anyone who thought that The Emoji Movie was going to be good was a moron. Here's what he actually said in regards to the first teaser of The Emoji Movie disabling comments and making it US exclusive only: "This is almost going into the territory of of Donald Trump in terms of not taking criticism. This pretty much confirms that the people at Sony Pictures, they know for a fact that people hate The Emoji Movie. They hate its existence. They hate the fact that it's being made. And every single information that we've gotten so far is pretty much stupid. There is no way that anybody would be dumb enough to actually look at that and think, "Oh, this might actually turn out pretty good. You know, I actually trust Sony Pictures Animation enough that they could actually good movies, so I'm gonna go and be hopeful about The Emoji Movie."" To translate, AniMat believes that because Sony couldn't take criticism with The Emoji Movie, they know that the movie isn't good and they know people are going to hate it. Yes it could've been worded better, but his argument still stands that Sony knew that this movie wouldn't be welcomed with open arms.
Conclusion
The rest of the video is summarizing how AniMat is not a good person for blocking people who disagree with him and concludes by telling his audience not to dox him. Overall, I found this video to be degrading despite Yoshi's good intentions of giving constructive criticism. My main problem with the video is that Yoshi's arguments against AniMat is backed up by evidence that's taken out of context..The people who criticize him on Twitter were not respectful, the statements he made against Sony, while extreme in some cases his reasonings weren't invalid, and despite assuming Sony will shut down with all the bad decisions they make, he's not actively campaigning the studio shut its doors and the people involve lose their jobs. Granted, his wording could've been better and he could've used a chill pill in his more critical reviews of Sony movies, but his opinions are still his opinions. To Yoshi, if you made it this far, I want to to make this clear: you were not wrong for criticizing AniMat. That said, your arguments could've been better and you could've done more research to back them up. As it stands, I feel as though you went out of your way to make AniMat the biggest bully this side of the animation community when that's far from the truth in reality. Like I always say: your opinion is NOT law -.-
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