If I have to choose, I tend to prioritize informed consent regarding story content over informed consent regarding spoilers. This is usually the case when the "spoiler" is so central to the premise that it's meaningless to write about the work without discussing it, and I think this is especially the case for work with strong elements of horror.
To give a concrete example, Sayaka Murata's novel Earthlings is about how a girl creates a fantasy of being a magical girl in order to justify her murder of the middle-school teacher who brutally raped her. The assault and the harassment leading up to it is described in horrifying detail, so it's not fair to anyone to try to write about (or market) the story as an amusing and lighthearted portrait of a cute twelve-year-old girl pretending to be Sailor Moon.
Also, although I understand the difficulties of gaming journalism (in which reviewers are often expected to work from demo copies that aren't representative of the actual game content), I think it's a worthwhile project to provide accurate descriptions of video games, even if it does "spoil" the story a bit.
For example: "Final Fantasy XII is a story about Ashe, a self-exiled princess who seeks to reclaim the right to the throne of her kingdom. The player witnesses Ashe's decisions and character development through the eyes of Vaan, a commoner who gradually comes to understand that the struggle over Ashe's kingdom is linked to the fate of all humankind."
Is much more interesting than: "Final Fantasy XII is a story about the adventures of Vaan, a teenage orphan who aspires to become a sky pirate and inadvertently rescues a beautiful but imperiled princess named Ashe from the clutches of an evil empire."
I guess what I'm saying is that, while I understand that not everyone shares my stance on wanting to know interesting plot details before investing time in a piece of media, I think treating everything as a "spoiler" that needs to be warned for or hidden behind a cut often doesn't serve a meaningful purpose. In most cases, the reviewer's good judgment will suffice, and it bothers me how a lot of online entertainment journalism outlets cater to the lowest common denominator of "people who enjoy getting angry and leaving bad-faith comments."
I'm guessing you probably agree with me about this. Still, this is something I've been thinking about for a while now, and I really appreciate you giving me an opportunity to articulate my thoughts!
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timeasmymeasure
no subject
Date: 2022-08-13 03:08 pm (UTC)If I have to choose, I tend to prioritize informed consent regarding story content over informed consent regarding spoilers. This is usually the case when the "spoiler" is so central to the premise that it's meaningless to write about the work without discussing it, and I think this is especially the case for work with strong elements of horror.
To give a concrete example, Sayaka Murata's novel Earthlings is about how a girl creates a fantasy of being a magical girl in order to justify her murder of the middle-school teacher who brutally raped her. The assault and the harassment leading up to it is described in horrifying detail, so it's not fair to anyone to try to write about (or market) the story as an amusing and lighthearted portrait of a cute twelve-year-old girl pretending to be Sailor Moon.
Also, although I understand the difficulties of gaming journalism (in which reviewers are often expected to work from demo copies that aren't representative of the actual game content), I think it's a worthwhile project to provide accurate descriptions of video games, even if it does "spoil" the story a bit.
For example: "Final Fantasy XII is a story about Ashe, a self-exiled princess who seeks to reclaim the right to the throne of her kingdom. The player witnesses Ashe's decisions and character development through the eyes of Vaan, a commoner who gradually comes to understand that the struggle over Ashe's kingdom is linked to the fate of all humankind."
Is much more interesting than: "Final Fantasy XII is a story about the adventures of Vaan, a teenage orphan who aspires to become a sky pirate and inadvertently rescues a beautiful but imperiled princess named Ashe from the clutches of an evil empire."
I guess what I'm saying is that, while I understand that not everyone shares my stance on wanting to know interesting plot details before investing time in a piece of media, I think treating everything as a "spoiler" that needs to be warned for or hidden behind a cut often doesn't serve a meaningful purpose. In most cases, the reviewer's good judgment will suffice, and it bothers me how a lot of online entertainment journalism outlets cater to the lowest common denominator of "people who enjoy getting angry and leaving bad-faith comments."
I'm guessing you probably agree with me about this. Still, this is something I've been thinking about for a while now, and I really appreciate you giving me an opportunity to articulate my thoughts!