I am a Sonic fan. I support the fandom, I support Sega, Sonic Team, and Yuji Naka.

[Taylor Baker]

Alright, I've already had to add several people to my ignore list because they chose to misinterpret me and cross over my boundaries, especially when what I had to say was in the fine print.

I while ago I opened up about an incident from fifteen years ago in high school that scarred me. I told my story of having the epiphany of letting go of things like good and bad and right and wrong. Words like quality and reputation have also been removed from my dictionary when it comes to what I am about to get into.

I am a fan of Sonic the Hedgehog and Sega. I am proud. I proudly stand by the fandom and against cringe culture.

Someone has already told me that my special interest in Sonic is unhealthy regardless of my age.

I don't care. I like people who are supportive, not because they share an interest mind you, but simply out of the goodness of their heart. I certainly don't care for people who believe that Sonic and the fandom and Sonic Team and Sega and Yuji Naka are all cursed in some bogus way.

I'm sick of holding my breath. People have treated Sonic like a political football for way too long. I'm tired of lying to myself and others.

If you don't share my interest, please have a good day. That's it. You don't have to and you don't need to have such a vehement distaste for something so harmless as a video game, especially if they're considered one of the founding fathers of the entire medium.

I was listening to "Ride the Tiger," Akira Yuki's theme from Virtua Fighter 2, while writing this.

 

[Misery]

*sigh*

I see you still didnt actually read/grasp what I said. At all. Yet you complain about others not doing the same. Gonna take a wild guess and say that many (all?) of these problems you speak of aint the other person's fault.

I suppose for the sake of preventing confusion, I'll block you right back. I hate doing that... in all the years I've been here, I've only done it once before. But... the situation calls for it. You clearly aint gonna listen to a single thing I say anyway.

Not sure why I'm even posting this myself though, hmm, considering you cant see it.

Yet I'm doing it anyway. Funny how that works.


Ye gods, if I ever start shoving people around, yelling at them, or ignoring them because they dont like Mario or something... someone please smack me with a broom. Hard. Not acceptable behavior. I'm a diehard gamer myself who has character obsessions, yet even I would never act this way towards others for such a petty reason.

 

[Fino]

I didn't realize Sonic the Hedgehog was such a contentious subject.

 

[Knower of nothing]

You have similar stigmas for things like MLP, Roblox, most of anime, or even certain genres of music like metal or breakcore depending on the social context.
A common pattern throughout all of these is that social outcasts(or just kids) are attracted to these things. And I believe social outcasts will get bullied for what they like no matter what it ends up being. And that the hate meme towards sonic is more of a by-product of many outcasts being bullied by many people.
Since most of this bullying appears in school by other kids, or online (also mostly by kids), I do think it's safe to say the average person doesn't really care what videogames you like if they don't already consider you childish for playing any games as an adult to begin with.
I don't really care for Sonic, but I love Klonoa which is pretty adjacent and my passion for it would likely face similar mockery. Except Klonoa has the eternal blessing of being largely unknown to the general populus so the only people to ever bring it up are also fans.
Just don't make the mistake of perceiving someone's criticisms on media you like to be an attack on those that enjoy said media. I believe if you truly understand why you like something you'll be fully cognisant of its flaws.

 

[Misery]

Just don't make the mistake of perceiving someone's criticisms on media you like to be an attack on those that enjoy said media.

Aye, this is the important bit that I'd tried to drill home. Didnt exactly work.

I'm gonna take a wild guess and say that A LOT of the bad interactions OP has had with this is... well, just misconceptions.

Heck, I myself never even once said that I dont like Sonic. Yet, blocked and yelled at, without any hesitation.

I believe if you truly understand why you like something you'll be fully cognisant of its flaws.

Sadly, the opposite seems to happen A LOT in the gaming community. This... aint exactly uncommon. Been here before, very familiar territory at this point.

 

[Darkkin]

Maybe agree to disagree and let the point rest instead of trying 'drive' it home. All ideas and points are not nails to be hammered into a brain. Some are as water. Allow it to soak in and sublimate at its own rate. Keep trying to force a point and what happens, frustrations boil over and someone lashes out.

Fact: People easily loose objectivity when something they take a major interest in comes under criticism. It doesn't matter whether or not the critique and/or opinion is valid. It is the same reason religion and politics are so contentious. Sports, anyone? A special, hyperspecific interest with an autistic...that is like walking up to a cat sunbathing on the sidewalk and trying to rub its belly. There will be claws and teeth that come out of no where.

It is an off topic opinion post. Not a commentary on another who will not cede a point, however valid said point may be. Why? Because as humans in general, our opinions and feelings are not always objective. In point of fact, they are our universally biggest fault. We all do it at some point about something.

What is the logic behind following into a different thread and trying to 'drive' a point home? It is akin to following a kid from the playground back to their own backyard.

 

[Misery]

Keep trying to force a point and what happens, frustrations boil over and someone lashes out.

That depends on the situation though.

In this situation, nobody tried to drive or force anything anywhere originally. In terms of my interaction with him, the original one, an explosion (from the OP) happened after exactly one opinion (and JUST an opinion, told in the same way I always talk) was offered... that's it. That's all it took. And that was just with me. According to OP he already blocked multiple people, so.... yeah. Gonna take a guess and say that it didnt take much action (if any) from those who were blocked in any of those situations.

As for following others into other threads.... that's not often what it seems. In my case, I just post in any thread that interests me... simple as that. It often wont occur to me to post in one because someone else posted in another (provided I even remember). This specific thread we're in now though, I made a special exception for.

Fact: People easily loose objectivity when something they take a major interest in comes under criticism. It doesn't matter whether or not the critique and/or opinion is valid. It is the same reason religion and politics are so contentious. Sports, anyone? A special, hyperspecific interest with an autistic...that is like walking up to a cat sunbathing on the sidewalk and trying to rub its belly. There will be claws and teeth that come out of no where.

This I absolutely understand, but there's a difference between "losing objectivity" and "having a childish temper tantrum". Getting into a bit of an arguement with someone who says something negative or mean about something you like? Okay, sure. I can accept that. It happens. Many of us, including myself, have been there. But... punching the other person in the face and then running away while screaming in rage when they say something? Yeah... no. That's not acceptable, regardless of whether it's a major interest or not. I dont care what the context is: Not acceptable.

Besides. Learning to get over that sort of behavior is REALLY important. It can cause problems far worse than just some online arguements if left unchecked. It's not harming anyone HERE, as this is a forum. But this kind of behavior IRL? This is the sort of thing that gets someone hurt. I've seen THAT before, and it aint pretty to watch. I'd prefer that nobody have to go through that one.

 

[Darkkin]

You still brought the behaviour of another into a public thread the OP started to state their opinion and are using it as a platform to illusrate a point after an OP has vacated the field because of a 'tantrum'. That is not letting things go. 'Made a special exception' is following the kid home from the playground. Objectivity is moot at that point. Nothing constructive can or will come of it.

When the other walks away, let it be. Keep following to get the last word will only compound the problem and exacerbate the behaviour. Why? Because the vacator cannot get space to gain objectivity and reflect on the behaviour. It is chronic exposure to that which one most wants to avoid. Sure the other wants to 'help' and inform by expounding on the 'wrongness' of the behaviour. But it has the exact opposite effect.

The shame and overwhelm of the emotions after a blow up is horrendous. The last thing one wants to encounter is the triggering incident immediately after.

At its most basic: Something most of us need. A physical reset after a meltdown.

Like a frightened dog backed into a corner, try to reach and grab its collar; it turns around and bites. The dog gets the blame for its reaction, not the hand that was grabbing at it. Look at the iconography of the outcast and consider the approach.

Take a step back and see what happens.

 

[Taylor Baker]

I didn't realize Sonic the Hedgehog was such a contentious subject.

It's crazy.

 

[Taylor Baker]

I believe if you truly understand why you like something you'll be fully cognisant of its flaws.

That's another thing. On one hand, that is why I work to improve on them. I don't point them out for the sake of pointing them out unlike every other critic. On the other hand, if you keep pointing out flaws in everything then you may as well be doing it for life. However, when it comes to flaws people are always demanding the most permanent solutions to problems that are so temporary.

 

[Misery]

Take a step back and see what happens.

Oh, I intend to step back, though I wont be seeing any of what happens, as I already blocked him.

Normally, I wouldnt do something like this, but... I wont go into details as it'd take too bloody long and it's not quite relevant anymore, but... As I've said elsewhere, I'm normally very passive. But there are certain very specific things that will cause me to snap, and he did one of them. If someone hits one of those very specific things, I *will* act. Think of it as being part of my wiring. For good or bad, there's no changing it.

Besides, it doesnt matter by now: I'll never hear from OP again thanks to the block function, and he wont hear from me again for the same reason, so it's rather a moot point now. And I likely wont remember anything about him or the situation in a week or two.

Regardless though, I will still take your words into consideration for the next time something like this should happen, though hopefully that wont be anytime soon.

I suppose that's enough, then. This will be my final post on the subject... I've said my piece.

 

[tkcartoonist]

I have been a fan of Sonic the Hedgehog since 1993, long before a lot of these new fans who came about because of Sonic Adventure 2, and I'll be the first to admit that the franchise has a lot of flaws and missteps. Heck, Yuji Naka, who hasn't been a part of Sega since 2005, is flawed himself. Just look at Balan Wonderworld for a good example of that.