Board Thread:General Discussion/@comment-1916997-20160229060949/@comment-25926288-20160229163013

P3nathan wrote: I see posts like these a lot, not just Once, but other fandoms too. They always remind me of "Moff's Law" What is that? Well...

''Moff's Law: Never try to dismiss critical analysis by asking, "Why can't you just enjoy it for what it is?" ''

''When pop culture and fans intersect, there are sure to be discussion on a work's merit and message. These discussions take place on blogs, message boards and even on this wiki. Sometimes certain subjects (such as race, gender, etc) will come up and serious analysis will take place. At some point, someone will say a variation of this question: "Why can't you just enjoy it for what it is?" This statement is usually meant to derail discussion and protect their favorite work from criticism (although it may also be done in order to prevent Serious Business from escalating too much).''

''This is NOT a “Stop Having Fun” Guys trope. It's not saying that you have to analyze a work as if it were the results to a scientific test searching for the cure to cancer. There is nothing wrong with liking a work for what it is without thinking about it too much. Moff's Law is a response to those who tell critics that they're being stupid by analyzing the work and should just sit back and enjoy it mindlessly.''

Source- TV Tropes



To me, "It's not your story to write/You're not the writer" seems like a variation of the "Why can't you just enjoy it for what it is?" response. Both make an attempt to dismiss.

A lot of people analyze and critique flaws, and that is completely okay. All works of art, whether highbrow or lowbrow, can be analyzed, and if anything, I personally think it does a disservice to the work itself to simply dismiss such discussion.

A lot of Once analysis has an unfortunate tendency to accentuate the negative, it's the negativity that's the problem, not the analysis itself. It's a GOOD thing that so many fans think critically about the show. You don't put such effort into looking at something you don't care about. I agree. It's Moff's law. If you really care about something, you tlak about it a lot. It's like a parent or a teacher. You could only sing praises for the kid, but does that really show how much you care?

I always try to propagate constructive criticism and decent debate. It's not like everyone is like "This show is crap". Actually, the other day, someone irl told me that Once is crap when I told them I watched it and I was really about to be offended and go on the offense.

I think we shouldn't blindly go ahead with "The writers are so awesome and they can do know wrong!" Sometimes they make poor choices, sometimes they make unpopular choices, sometimes they take risks that we don't like, but it doesn't mean we should sit down and be quiet. Then, that would ruin the fun and enjoyment others have. If we removed all the criticism, dislikes, and analysis of Once from allm article comments and threads, it will be bare.

So, the question presented to us, "Why can't everyone accept what the creators do blindy and not voice an opinion that differs from theirs?" That's not what you may be asking, but that is what some read it as. The answer is that we all see things differently and that's what makes things interesting.

Now the point about OOC I get both sides, but I think some are too quick to call things ooc and others are too quick to call things not OOC. Some quick to blame the writers on any little things and others that want to shield the writers from every little thing. Even though I disagree with those extremes, it all creates a good debate.Best is in the midle and along the spectrum as long as everyone is willing to accept others' opinion.