Why are some fans from "the books"/ source materials the most condescending when passing information in my reaction comments?

I’m currently reading “Homicide” the book that The Wire is based on and it’s incredible. The fact some scenes are straight from real life is crazy. That is all I’ve got to add.

They get attached to things in a parasocial way and then any changes suddenly feel like attacks instead of inspiration.

Honestly, I have not idea. I'm a pretty hardcore fan for the fandoms I'm into but I also understand there is always more then one way to view a story and interpret it. I think some fans just want to see someone have the dxact dame journey as they did with the media and make the mistake of thinking thats the ONLY way to experienece the journey. Also some peopke just don't understand how context changes your view point. If you know the whole damn story, of course you're going to view things differently then someone in it! They just can't accept a different POV from their own

I feel like there are a lot of people who consume reaction content to feel validated in their opinions and responses. That's not bad per se, but it's also not the purpose of the content and some people have a hard time with that. Then "well I read the book" becomes this silly power play. I'm usually the one in my friend group that's read the book before the movie. And I started asking if people wanted book context because not everyone wants or needs that -- myself included. Dune is an example where I asked before expanding on my response to the movie based on having read the books, and I enjoyed hearing from people who hadn't read the books. I've read a lot of Anne Rice's Vampire Chronicles, but I wasn't particularly interested in comparing the IWTV series to the books. Another big example is Bridgerton where people have very strong opinions about the books. But surprisingly, there are a lot of book readers who understand that the show is a very different medium, especially with the huge and intentional changes they made. I know I wouldn't enjoy the books, yet I love the stories and there should be some middle ground there. But the internet is a hard place for nuance or explaining that you can love a book while also understanding why adaptation choices were made (and that not reading the book is fine).

I personally have read every book in existence, and read the biography of every author. Therefore, I will always helpfully let my favorite reactors know when they do not have my same assessment that I formed over time, in their own real immediate time. It's hard being an AI sometimes but my father Elon created me to have the tough conversations

I’ve been a serious book-v-movie snob one time, and it was totally earned: Demi Moore’s bizarre bodice-ripper film of The Scarlet Letter, one of the great novels. (Demi, playing the Puritan woman who is persecuted for having an illegitimate child, slaps a man and hisses “You bastard!”) That’s a spoiler. 😬

People are such snobs!! Hahah I really think sometimes that it's an ego thing "I read the original so I know better than you I'm so high and mighty"

I am sincerely sorry this is happening to you. It truly does suck. As for me, whether I've read the book or not before seeing a movie or TV show adaptation..it does not matter to me. I enjoy entertainment in many forms and if the adaptation goes way off course, I simply stop watching. I don't go around beating someone up should they interpret the story incorrectly or their viewpoint differs from mine. There is no valid point in that negative behavior. Those who puff up their chests and want to feel superior, can just board the next train to hell. It does make me happy that you will not allow these ignorant troglodytes run you off from engaging with movies and shows that have big source material fandoms because there are still plenty of amazing stories out there for you to discover and view.

People suck.

When I watched your reaction to the first Hunger Games I totally agreed with your opinion. I did read all the books before the movies came out and could fill in the blank spots but wondered if the movie would make much sense to someone who hadn't read the books. I was surprised when my non-reader friends enjoyed it. I'll admit those were difficult books to adapt because they are told in a first person viewpoint and also the people behind it were trying to make it a difficult subject a PG rating. I think that's one of the reasons there was so much shaky cam during particularly violent scenes. This is one series of books that would benefit as a mini-series or even a series so they could explore the books in more detail.

Its all about communication style brother. Especially when engaging with communities that have a fandom with 10+ years of book knowledge

I think there are two things happening (that may overlap): 1. Book purists who have issue with the adaptations. 2. Book purists who have issue with a reactor having an opinion they disagree with or that they find in some way personally offensive as "experts." The former isn't an issue IMO. But what you're experiencing seems to be far more of #2, which is not okay. Also, there's arrogance in that they have read the books, which makes you some rando loser. 🤣 I wish I had advice. If we could stop people from upsetting or offending others, the world would be a better place. So maybe Patreon is the good place and YT is the bad place? Too bad you don't have a bad Janet to fart loudly and insult them for you. Love all that you do here, Frank. Pls vent to us as much as you like.

Didja get some Gale haters in your comments? 😂 I've noticed with Hunger games there's some folks who seem to hate Gale and I just do not get it. Overall, he seems like he's been a good friend to Katness and her family her entire life. It almost feels like some folks just have to take sides -- it's gotta be Peeta and then Gale becomes an enemy automatically. 🤷

I feel like some source material purists can have a bit of an "I knew it before it was cool so I have ownership over the story" complex. Sometimes that's how newbies are looked down on in other things (ie: you're coming into my DnD game and you don't know your stats by heart?)

I am especially petty about Stephen King adaptations that suck. I think a lot of it is because you put a lot more time and effort into reading novels than watching a movie or show. It's more personal so we are very possessive of these characters. When an author who writes amazing characters gives your imagination the opportunity to see these people as you are reading. You are reading what characters are feeling and thinking rather than just what they are saying and their facial and body language. In horror or thrillers, the big bads are often way more scary or intimidating in your mind then can be put on screen. King adaptations of movies like Cujo and Christine are just horrible. But the books are written from the perspective of the possessed car and the dog going mad with rabies. It just doesn't translate. Some series I have read that are adapted better (In my opinion) like the Sookie Stackhouse novels by Charlene Harris and the Dexter books by Jeff Lindsay just hit most of the right notes in True Blood and Dexter. Lucky casting, excellent showrunners and writers. With The Walking Dead, it drove me crazy with the graphic novel fans just slaying the things "wrong" every week. Same with gamers trashing on Ellie in The Last Of Us tv version. I did read TWD novels after the series and honestly while there are characters and stories in common, the books are a different story for me. I'll never play TLOU games and love Bella Ramsey in the role of Ellie. Whether it's a book, a comic, a video game... people like the ones I enjoy most in this group (you are in that group Frank) we take the stories seriously. We talk about the shows and movies like we know these people and understand their psyches. We're not being elitist or snobby. We are just sticking up for our friends/characters ✌️💖

As someone who’s a compulsive book reader, it’s hard to convey nuance sometimes—fully support changes to a source material when one changes mediums (it’d be crazy not to!)… but, also, it’s not uncommon for some, individual changes to disimprove the story. But… everybody has a different idea of what that means, and everyone thinks their own opinions are unimpeachable (like mine, lol). While of course you have no way of knowing which might be worth taking into real consideration. No real way out of that reality, so it leaves a book reader in the somewhat unsatisfying position on knowing that keeping our moth shut is probably the way to go. Of course, most of the people you mean are probably just assholes.

For The Hunger Games specifically, I think there’s a weird divide on social media between certain people (a loud minority) who read the books first and movie-only fans that has always been kind of strange to me (despite me being that one english major who loves reading the book before watching the movie just so i can compare) I think a lot of people who read the book first tend to be a bit frustrated with the movies because they omitted certain elements (specifically in terms of representation) that were important to the social commentary of the books, which makes book readers be like “oh they deleted an important element of the book so it’s simply not as good” And while certain omissions from the movies are definitely more problematic (aka disabilities), a lot of book readers don’t really look at the things the movies bring to the franchise that the books couldn’t bring in the same way. For example, the movies are way, way more ironic in nature. It’s a movie about how awful it is that people can watch the hunger games as entertainment, and we’re watching it as entertainment. It’s also about using a love story as a distraction, and they heavily promoted the love triangle. Certain People who read the books first tend to look at this irony in a bad way as if people who only watched the movies don’t understand irony, and it makes people act soo condescending. I’ve stopped engaging with most fandoms because of it, just let me enjoy both the book and the movie please 😭

Here’s my thing, even when I read the books, I love both mediums! You have to try to see them as separate entities. I’ve watched the movies and loved them so much that I read the books, and I’ve read the books then watched the movies and it never takes away from either one for me. Why can’t people just appreciate them both?? I understand that there’s more information in a book than they can portray on screen but that doesn’t take away from the story for me. The Hunger Games movies are fantastic, and the books are fantastic. People are so pressed about so much. Just like what you like, damn.

Book readers sometimes take on this "purist" deal that's odd as hell. You'd swear they want to gate keep their precious stories from others who enjoy them in other mediums. Don't dare be a mere screen watcher of the story they READ! Hell they can be unmerciful even to the teams translating the story from book to screen. They don't want to acknowledge the absolute need to tune things for a different medium. A book is limitless in what it can do, movies/tv shows are not! They take it as blasphemy!

The IWTV fandom makes me not want to engage. Like its been horrible since the beginning (the racist Facebook groups when casting was announced) but its still bad.

I say this as a fan of a lot of book series that have been adapted, fandoms generally kind of suck to be in. especially in youtube comment sections. people love to gatekeep, correct, disparage "unpopular" opinions. i have gone so far as to not engage at all with my favorite things in the comments despite loving the creator unless it's on patreon or in specific discord servers. there are just loud people everywhere who think the way they engage with something is the only correct way. as a trek fan, the online community is mostly trash. all the people who think the older series are the only ones worth watching, new trek is too woke, etc. like my guy, trek has been woke since day one and you're lying if you think that's not the case. I don't know man, it's exhausting to sincerely care about things sometimes. lmao let me out of this capitalist hellscape so I can watch my gay utopian space show in peace

“The book was better” is unfortunately a really common excuse people use to put other people down. It often is used as a way to act intellectually superior because reading is viewed as “better” than watching movies/TV. It’s totally fine to like a book better! But like… just say that and move on? I personally don’t understand why some people want TV/film to be 100% faithful to the book. As a fan of the book, I want MORE of this universe! If I get to see the characters in new situations or from different angles, I’m just getting more cake. With IWTV, I find it especially weird the way people have responded to the reactions of those who haven’t read the books. The TV show has made several very significant changes to the characters and time period. So why would you argue “oh this thing that comes up in book 3 will change your mind”? You don’t know that the show will use that plot point from book 3! If it DOES happen, you’ve now taken away the joy of the surprise from someone. If it DOESNT happen, your argument is invalid. Also all of the characters introduced so far are white in the books, and 2 of them are MUCH younger when made vampires. That makes a huge difference in the implications of certain behaviors, so it makes no sense to use the books to invalidate someone’s experience of watching the show. I read all the books and was a huge fan in high school, but there is some batshit crazy, WILD shit that happens in those books. If you’re going to say the books redeem so and so, I’m going to have to remind you the books have Lestat drinking period blood and Louis describing 5-year-old-bodied Claudia as “sensual” and fucking aliens are involved in the later books. I’m going to say that last one isn’t a spoiler because I’m 99.9% sure the series will never cover the later books. I really don’t expect them to go past book 3. Anyway sorry for the long rant, I just get very annoyed about this topic lol.

It elitist... you don't know so they're going to inform you because blah blah blah and screw you learning on your own. Know the strat before you start this level (video game reference) or don't start it at all. Typical culty fandom people.

At the worst, I think it's people wanting to feel superior for being "real" fans of the story (and specifically the story in the books), and wanting to make sure people are viewing the movie or show the "right" way. At best, it's people who think they are being helpful and just aren't aware of how they're coming across. I don't really understand it myself because (to use as an example) I've been a fan of Anne Rice's books for 30 years, and yet I'm able to recognize that the show is a different story from the books. Similar yes, but so many changes have been made that you can't say for certain that 'oh, well in the books Lestat does this and this happened to him and then he says this and that's why this thing happened' because TV!Lestat might have a completely different background and motivation. Obviously they are pulling a lot from the books, but all we can really do is take what Rolin and company give to us and make guesses, some that may be correct, and some that may be wildly wrong.

Seen as you've brought up books and I was literally just thinking about this earlier - have you read the book The Hate U Give? Or seen the movie adaptation? If not, I highly recommend the movie. I thought it was a brilliant adaptation and I feel like it got kind of overlooked. Maybe I'm wrong but I don't remember it getting a lot of press or praise when it came out, and I never hear people mention it much now. Maybe it's bigger in the US though?

Some people grow up with these pieces of media and find it difficult to communicate in a way that doesnt overly include their emotions. Personally i know i get passionate about certain medias, but i try to keep it civil and cute. The hunger games is very dear to me, but id never comment to the creator in a rude way about misunderstandings. I actually get very excited to share relevant lore and clear up anything that was happening with production and outside the source material that might influence chnages. I also value not leaving any spoilers or leading thoughts shile doing so to protect the integrity of the reaction. Other commentors however, i have the capacity to get a bit aggy because discourse in fandoms is always tied to emotions and the shared knowledge base of both having read the books or whatever. I also recognise that people interact with media on different levels, and while i may have more media literacy, i might be interacting with someone who doesnt. So its important to keep that in mind. But generally, when it comes to interacting with creators, more grace is needed for sure!

Some people get so defensive about stuff like this and behave like straight up bullies I wonder why they can’t be chill now. Like maybe it’s because they’re used to fandom discourse and the hostility some of the fandoms feed onto but jeez I remember when people used to have conversations instead of holding knives against each other’s throats for a ‘wrong’ take 😭

Maybe this is kind of obvious, but I think in every popular fandom, you will have obsessive people who have made the story a part of their personality. I think that's especially true when you have people who have been analyzing and identifying with the same source material for decades, maybe even their whole lifetime (like with iwtv). It can then feel like a different interpretation is a misunderstanding or attack on them as a person. Obviously this is unwell behavior. I've been kind of guilty of it. There are some stories I feel very attached to and when I hear people have what I believe are bad faith takes of the characters in those stories, it can feel irritating. But I think you have to be a different level of unhinged to then berate someone for having a different interpretation. People are entitled to their own opinions. My assumption is that people making those comments are either children, or are chronically online to the point they have lost touch with reality. Not at all saying you have bad takes Frank. You always think through things deeply and even when I don't agree with everything you say it is always reasonable.

Honestly, it doesn’t matter what content you are reviewing because it’s all about the mentality and psyche of the individuals who are complaining. These are the people who go out in life and look for things to be offended by. Then they go home snd take care of 72 cats. Strangely enough, they share the same first name: Can you guess what name that is?.

Ha, this has actually been bugging within the Heated Rivalry fandom of late, speak of the devil.

Lack of complex reasoning? You say you haven’t read the books, and it doesn’t register with them that you’re watching from the perspective of someone who hasn’t read the books because they read the books. It’s like the same with people expecting you to catch on a first watch everything that they know from watching it multiple times, listening to other people’s commentary, and all the info they’ve looked up about it.

Frank, I've seen some reactors absolutely tear into huge shows/films. And they absolutely deserve the critical feedback because 1. They don't pay attention to the film/show. 2. They are being sexist (i.e being puzzled as to why a woman can solve something that they absolutely understood a man could) and more 3. Not being tactical with the way they handle fandoms that have spent a huge part of their lives with shows. 4. Asking for help to understand something but never reading the comments then wondering why people get fed up. You, absolutely are one of the BEST reactors. 1. You're real. You don't say you like something you don't but you're tactile in your response. 2. You pay attention and you ask for help in understanding something that isn't registering. 3. You're very engaging with your followers. You get to understand why shows/episodes mean things to us. 4. Your emotions register on your face. You can see when a character pisses you off or makes you emotional. It's beautiful to see 5. You can tell that you love the screen. You enjoy it and watching someone enjoy film in whatever form that comes in is what most of us are here for. 6. You're a good dude. Very human, very open and I like where your morals and principles are. 7. You shout out to fellow reactors. That shit should be applauded. I LOVE the comradeship. I think people forget that reactors are human too. They become defensive and unwilling to see anything any other way. I've watched many of your reactions and you've picked up on so many things I never have. Thanks for opening up and letting us be someone you can lean on when the job gets like that. 🥰

As a book reader, personally I explain things from the books to non book readers to give insight that they’d miss. Curious, is that frustrating for you? If it is, happy to not do it any more!! 😁🧡 But I know some readers feel “holier than thou” when theyve read the books. And they need to make you aware that they know more than you. Sometimes it’s on purpose I’m sure to fuel their ego. But I wonder sometimes if it’s the generation. The Tumblr generation of older genz/young millennial. The hipster crew of “eh I read the books BEFORE it was popular” that still lives in their mind. Like “I was treated this way for watching the movies and not reading the books. I get to treat the next group that way too!!“ feels like initiation/hazing to me. If that makes sense. The books DO offer more insight (THG specifically because it’s told in first person and the reader gets first hand Katniss thoughts and feelings) TLDR: people need to be kinder when sharing opinion. Some folks feel superior for reading a book. Hipster-isms are still very much alive

As someone who went to a music/music business college, I experienced this A LOT with people who had loved a band/singer for years before I’d listened to them. I truly think it’s a sense of wanting everyone to notice they “discovered” it first. I really do. It’s like a peacock showing off its feathers. It’s insufferable.

I think it’s a mixture of things sometimes it’s an obsession with the story or particular characters from people who don’t interact with people a lot. Some can’t separate the adaptation from the original and overreact. Others just want to spoil because they think it’s funny and that it is real fucked up I think.

I find uber fans are sometimes unhinged. The only time, so far, I've not seen this level of madness is Project Hail Mary, they've been super chill, so far. Twilight, IWTV, Hunger Games and HP, thar be crazies.