“Just like all those churches that hang crucifixes up outside. What if some people haven't read the Bible yet! They'll ruin the ending.”

— Nonny, 2012-09-21 08:15 pm (UTC)

To spoil, or not to spoil? That is the question. Not everybody has read or seen x yet. U.S. East Coasters who squee about a certain TV show just after viewing it may be spoiling it for U.S. West Coasters. Because not everything is available to everybody in all countries, spoiler wank quite often brings out countrywank. Others consider the revelation that an actor will soon join or rejoin the cast of a show, or discussion of a promotional trailer for a show to be a “spoiler.” Some people holler over spoilers for works that are years or even decades old. Or even **centuries** old:

I once had a friend get legitimately angry with me for discussing the plot of Romeo and Juliet. In a post titled, basically, HERE ARE MY THOUGHTS ON THE ENDING OF ROMEO AND JULIET. And that's just the tip of the iceberg.

In September 2012, a "Things You Wouldn't Admit Unanon" thread produced some serious spoiler wank. The thread OP wrote,

I think that spoilerphobes are completely OTT and ridiculous, and their wailing about being spoiled irritates me way more than trigger warnings wank.

I especially judge spoilerphobes if they flip their shit about a terrible tv show (see: H50 stans heaving meltdowns recently).

The fun began under this comment:

“The rule, as far as I can make out, is that if you're not from the US, but you're in a US-based fandom, you just have to stay out or get spoiled. If, on the other hand, you are from the US but are in a non-US based fandom, everyone else has to stay the fuck out of your community until it airs in the US.”

When accused of being “the anon who kept trying to make that wank happen when The Avengers came out,” the same anon said, “No, this is a common refrain from non-Americans regarding spoilerphobic Americans and their entitled whining about international fandoms.”

The other anon kept insisting they were arguing with just one butthurt non-U.S. wanker, and the thread got so wanky that indentation went waaaaay over to the right edge of the page.

Mentioned in this wank was a thread from January 2012 about how Americans on the Sherlock prompt meme insisted on U.S.-centric spoiler warnings, obliging U.K. fans to use such warnings for a year.

Mid-January 2013: Another discussion of spoilers and how soon is too soon.