Does 'because it's popular' REALLY hold up?

[Tsukuyomi]

I'll make this as brief as I can since well, I'm pretty sure everyone knows what I'm talking about just by the topic title.

We've all seen it. It's basically the simplest explanation in the book. Games, movies, books, you name it. If there's hate, especially blazing, seemingly irrational fury, charged with the fire of ten thousand suns, people will invariably ask 'why does everyone seem to hate this?' and invariably the answer will come down from people who fancy themselves enlightened enough to have condensed everything down to the simple, and seemingly universal answer:

"Well they hate it because it's popular."

Implied cynicism of that statement aside, is this really true? Furthermore, is it really fair to simply release the object of scrutiny of all responsibility in such a way? I mean sure, when someone complains of CoD, you can reasonably boil down the argument to that they're angry because it's popular.

But...isn't that a bit of a broad statement? Sure it's popular, but that seems a bit of a silly reason for us logical, enlightened Escapists to hate it so much that we wish we could shoot death-beams out of our eyes at it to make it go away and die in a fire...a fire hit by a garbage truck. Surely there must be a more concrete reason. I've said it before, but I think in the case of CoD at least, it's not so much that it's popular, it's that it's supposedly not that good of a game to the person with the complaint. The issue seems to me to be not just that it's popular. The hook seems to be it's popular, AND it's shit/mediocre.

I mean think on that one for a minute: Take a hobby that you enjoy and are passionate about. Say something is released that relates to that passion that is...frankly, rather middle of the road. It's not bad, but it's not good. For all intents and purposes, if it was taken as it was, you'd have no quarrel with it.

But it's popular. By god it's hotter than Kim Kardashian's ass. It sells, and it sells, and you can't seem to see HOW. There's dozens, if not hundreds of better products that do the same thing...only better! How can everyone flock to THIS drivel?!

Can you see where you might be a LITTLE bit irked yourself?

Bah...this has gone horribly long. and here I wanted to keep it short. Point is: Does the simple argument of 'people hate it because it's popular' REALLY hold up? I understand that if you whittle the opinions and complaints down it might seem like it, but I just question if it's really that simple.

 

[Tsaba]

Some people hate it because it's the "cool" thing to do, others legitimately hate it because what it represents, or others hate it simply because they don't like it.

Personally, I hate activision for making a game charging $15 per expansion pack and is planning on an annual fee for extras for the game, I don't hate the game so much as what it represents, and I don't believe for a second that is hating because it's "cool."

EDIT: hating something because it's popular isn't really a reason, hating something that's popular that is dragging down the medium is a reason. It's lowering the standard and allowing people with power to abuse it just because they can because people will buy into it.

 

[Ulquiorra4sama]

[insert hipster joke]

I never hate on something simply because it's popular. If i dislike something it's usually because it doesn't correlate(am i using that word right?) with my interests.

I dislike most the popular music around today for example, but it's not because it's popular. It's because it just doesn't sound good to me, which clearly makes me one of the odd ones out since so many apparently listen to it.

I don't hate something on principle i base it on my tastes, which i sincerely hope everyone else does too or else i feel sorry for them...

 

[Aidinthel]

I think what happens is that popularity doesn't make people dislike a thing, but it does amplify their emotions when it becomes apparent that so many people disagree with them. There seems to be some fundamental break in the human psyche in that it is very difficult for people to accept that rational creatures do not have to have the same opinions.

 

[Woodsey]

It is a stupid stance to take. I don't think its unreasonable to assume that what's popular won't exactly be the "best of breed" though.

See: Transformers, Twilight, CoD, NOT HARRY POTTER FUCK YOU, etc. etc.

 

[WouldYouKindly]

Yep. Some people really fucking hate something simply because everyone else likes it.

As for Call of Duty being "middle of the road" or "shit" - well, that's just your opinion. The campaigns are exactly what they're meant to be - cinematic, cool, and fun while it lasts. Some people don't have fun with those games. Some people don't enjoy that. That's fine. But it gives you no right to call it "shit".

Also, been playing games since I was around 5 years old, and I've plopped thousands upon thousands of dollars on consoles and games for them. You do not get much more "passionate" than someone like me without falling into "unhealthily passionate". And I still enjoy Call of Duty, warts and all. Multiplayer and single player. The fifteen dollar map packs can go fuck themselves, though.

OP, just go enjoy what you like and let others enjoy what they like. It makes life a lot easier on everyone.

You basically said that because it is what it aims to be, you can't call it shit. Pop music is always EXACTLY what it aims to be, it can't be shit? Can nothing be shit if it succeeds in what it wants to succeed in?

You said that's your opinion, but then you say you have no right to that opinion, because you're wrong(which is only YOUR opinion)

Lastly, with the way major devs follow the money and follow trends, there's a damn good chance that everyone buying into CoD may result in less games I would enjoy getting made, especially less AAA titles because of the risk of doing anything that isn't guaranteed to sell.

 

[Podman]

[insert hipster joke]
I don't hate something on principle i base it on my tastes, which i sincerely hope everyone else does too or else i feel sorry for them...

I agree that disliking something for simply being liked is very convoluted, but let's look at the use of "because its popular" as a defense.

1. Popular things always seem to garner the most criticism because of the base definition of the word popular, they are well known and widespread. If only 10,000 people played a truly horrendous game and 1,000,000 played a mediocre game, then chances are that you will here more criticism about the mediocre game than the much more deserving awful one. People can only dislike things that they have heard about.

2. As mentioned before, individual pieces of media do not exist in their own little bubble. If the mediocre out sells excellence, then more money will go to funding mediocre games. Do you ever wonder why its hard to find a cheep, accessible, and healthy meal at restaurants ? Its because McDonald's made billions off of fried burgers, not salads (I'm aware that this is changing).

Now, to get to the reason why I have the quote above, disliking something based on principle is perfectly legitimate. I can dislike Birth of a Nation, a great movie, because it is unbelievably racist. If a presidential candidate who shares my views is elected through fraud, I can disapprove of them, even though I will probably agree with the things that they will do.

It is those who ignore principle that I pity. They can't see beyond their own immediate gratification.

P.S. - I actually think that the Call of Duty games aren't all that bad ( though definitely not the best games out there). Now Activision's business model on the other hand .....

 

[Fiz_The_Toaster]

Just because something is popular doesn't mean it's universally good. Hating something just because it's popular is a very stupid reason to hate something, but that doesn't mean it's not going to happen which is very unfortunate.

I used to play CoD but then after Black Ops I don't care to play another CoD game ever again. I don't find them fun anymore (I played MW1's SP again not too long ago and I was bored to tears) and I just stopped liking the series. I don't hate it, I just don't like it.

I have my reasons why I don't like the series, but it's not because it's popular, just personal taste.

 

[Alphakirby]

No,I don't think so. You have to see things for yourself to judge the true quality. It can be the most popular thing on the planet and still suck,that's a fact.

 

[OmniscientOstrich]

Sure there are some people pretentious enough to uphold that attitude, but I'm fairly confident that the majority of people hating on something with a mainstream appeal are capable of producing reasons that pertain to faults of the actual game/film/book/album, even if they do act like a dick about it.

 

[Baneat]

Alright. Let me clear something up here. I stated that no one has any right to say what others can and cannot enjoy. I happen to enjoy Call of Duty games, both multiplayer and single player.

Sorry but you cleanly said one has no right to call it shit. Which means no one can call anything shit, really. Of course they have a right to call stuff shit >.>

You've drove yourself waay off the point into some internal commentary upon why you like it, that's not the point he was making like.. at all.

 

[AwkwardTurtle]

Well I can't speak for everybody, but my hate is placed based on solid reasoning. I can't even imagine why I'd hate something just cause it's popular.

As far as CoD goes, I don't particularly hate the game itself. I dislike the members of the community I played with (the few times I've played online) and I don't particularly like the weird image it's apparently painting the average teenage male gamer as.

I dole out my hate for the parts of things, it's rare for me to walk into a popular thing getting ready to hate it. Quite the opposite I hope it's good, but I still examine it with the same critical eye I observe everything through.

In short: Personally, no simply generalizing "because it's popular" as a reason to hate doesn't work out for everyone. It's a pretty lazy thing to do in my opinion.

 

[Tsukuyomi]

Hmm...To be fair I don't actually have any hate for CoD. I've never played one beyond a few minutes, thus why I say they're "supposedly shit". It was to imply that such was the opinion of others that I have seen. I got no quarrel with the thing, save for my irritation at co-workers who won't play anything BUT CoD. But eh, that aside I'm fine with it.

Mostly my reason for this topic was it felt like many folks around here were just placating themselves with the 'because it's popular' answer to the blistering hate of the thing. Same answer gets applied to other things. Usually it all comes out when someone asks 'Why is X so bad?'. Hate ensues, defenders defend, the enlightened come forth and chant this line.

It's just that such an argument, while logical and indeed true in some cases, seemed just a bit too air-tight for me. After I bit of free-thought I came up with the above post and I decided to ask around here. Still, an interesting response. Thanks to everyone who posted up.