History Main / OpinionMyopia

* Lurks in the depths of the perpetual SubbingVersusDubbing debate, where personal preference often boils down to whether one is watching primarily for the story or for the art. The sub side points to things like CulturalTranslation, {{Bowdleris|e}}ation, and FillingTheSilence while the dub side points to visual distractions and inability to multitask while watching. Not to mention the ongoing debate over which set of voice actors do the job better. This was much more prevalent back in the VHS days, when sub vs. dub decisions had to be made in the store.

* {{Challenge Gamer}}s look down on easy games, and can be downright offended if you dare suggest that a series renowned for its difficulty should have the option for an easy mode added (repeat, an ''option'', which they are under no obligation to actually use). This ignores the fact that not everyone enjoys such difficulty and, depending on the game, may not even be ''physically capable'' of keeping up with the game's demands. When a ''PC Gamer'' journalist [[https://www.pcgamer.com/i-beat-sekiros-final-boss-with-cheats-and-i-feel-fine/ proudly admitted to cheating]] on the final boss of ''VideoGame/SekiroShadowsDieTwice'' because of the difficulty, a Twitter user gave this [[MemeticMutation memetic]] response that sums up the view:

* With movies that have multiple cuts and director's cuts, many fans automatically prefer the director's cut simply because it's marketed as the 'film presented in the way the director intended'. They will often regard the original release as inferior even if it's the release that they originally loved for decades, ignorant of the existence of a director's cut. Such fans will often dismiss those who stick to the cut that they "loved growing up", regarding them as improperly viewing the movie through a NostalgiaFilter. Conversely with the ''Franchise/StarWars'' movies; George Lucas's various re-edits and remastered editions are frequently and bitterly denounced by many fans, in many cases precisely because they over-ride the versions that the fans grew up loving. See, for example, the controversy over [[Film/ANewHope whether Han Shot First]].

* A popular question posed by radio stations on Facebook is "you're on a date. Your date says their favorite TV show/movie/artist and you immediately leave. What's the show/movie/artist?". A fair chunk of the answers are beloved and acclaimed pieces of media (for example, one such question had many answers of Music/BruceSpringsteen and others had many answers of ''Series/{{Seinfeld}}'', there are also intense genre biases against [[SciFiGhetto science fiction]] and [[AnimationAgeGhetto ani]][[AllAnimeIsNaughtyTentacles ma]][[AnimatedShockComedy tion]]). The commenters hardly ever give any reasons beyond "I hate it" and often get huffy whenever someone says that they enjoy X movie/TV show/artist. Clearly, there is a wide difference between something that is actually Main/{{Horrible}} and something that is inherently good, but is not to someone's taste or is part of that person's PublicMediumIgnorance.

* If your only exposure to the various books in the ComicBook/XMen line is the [[http://www.uncannyxcast.com/main/?currentPage=2 Uncanny X-Cast]] podcast, you'd get the impression that it's just accepted that ComicBook/XForce (vol. 3) was the only consistently good book in the line, ComicBook/XFactor is entirely useless, and Greg Land is a wonderful artist. Start with certain other online reviewers and you'll come away with the impression that it's a universally accepted, scientifically proven fact that ComicBook/XForce (vol. 3) was rubbish and ComicBook/XFactor is the only X-book worth reading, and that it's literally impossible NOT to believe that blindness would be preferable to having to look at Greg Land's art. It's not that both sides disagree, it's that they seem completely unaware that anyone in the world holds the other opinion.

* The UsefulNotes/ConsoleWars. The three groups of Nintendo, Sony and Microsoft often collide with each other, and arguments spawn from literally everywhere, ranging from Website/{{GameFAQs}}, Website/YouTube, and even Amazon. Although it's usually "*insert console here* sucks", there are times where those on the offensive will go even further and begin insulting those who ''like'' the console they hate. Expect to hear the word "fanboy" a lot in these fights. A similar issue occurs between console gamers and PC gamers, although there is often overlap between them. Mobile gaming also gives and gets flack from the other parties as well.

** One film whose reception famously fits this mold is Film/JusticeLeague2017, to the point where some DCEU fans consider the 'Director's Cut,' Film/ZackSnydersJusticeLeague, the ''only'' DCEU Justice League movie. Expressing fondness or enjoyment for the former cut online often leads to immediate scorn and dismissal, and even accusations of [[NoTrueScotsman not being a 'true' fan,]] supporting the "theft" of Snyder's creative vision, or even condoning [[AssociationFallacy abusive behavior and grooming,]] because of the [[Creator/JossWhedon later accusations against Warner Brothers' fill-in director.]] This is of course ignoring that these accusations mainly came to light ''three years after'' the release of Justice League, but also that Zack Snyder ''stepped down'' as director before finishing the film due to a personal tragedy. This sentiment led to the [[https://www.cinemablend.com/news/2565027/some-zack-snyders-justice-league-fans-have-taken-to-review-bombing-godzilla-vs-kong-heres-why review bombing]] of the unrelated Film/GodzillaVsKong by irate DCEU fans on the grounds that Warner Brothers [[IfICantHaveYou didn't deserve any success if it wasn't off of ]] ''[[IfICantHaveYou their]]'' [[IfICantHaveYou movie.]]

* A recent trend (circa late 2010s) among some audiences who strongly dislike a successful film is to insist its success was somehow 'faked'. Films like ''Film/CaptainMarvel'' and ''Film/StarWarsTheLastJedi'' are popularly hated by certain audiences, and have been met with accusations that Disney (who own and produced both) had instead lied/faked/bribed the numbers to inflate the success of these movies. Of course, this is ''insane'' as it would be ''incredibly'' financially unwise to do this (as it would then force them to pay tax on the additional money they faked earning, would have to pay bonuses to the people who produced them, and the huge loss of money would be traceable, meaning that people would uncover these fraudulent box offices). In actual fact, what happened was that despite their personal hatred of the movies, general audiences ''liked'' them enough to go see them in droves, but the VocalMinority refuse to believe that ''they'' are the minority. Crucially, the portions of the audience who either like or dislike the movies most intensely have the greatest investment in broadcasting their opinion (especially online) whereas the large mass of the moviegoing public will either: like the movie when they see it, move on to the next one, and maybe stream it or buy the DVD a few months later (both ''Captain Marvel'' and ''The Last Jedi'', it may be worth noting, sold very well on home release) without any fanfare; or dislike the movie without making a deal about not liking it and move onto the next one which they might like, because at the end of the day it isn't worth becoming preoccupied with something you didn't like in the first place.

* Many American fans can't understand why Japan doesn't make more shows like ''Anime/CowboyBebop''. In reality, [[GermansLoveDavidHasselhoff it wasn't all that popular in its home country]].

** Robert Jordan is the world's most successful hack, creating a bloated nightmare of a KudzuPlot overloaded with {{Padding}}, LoadsAndLoadsOfCharacters, many of them never adding anything to the story, including [[FauxActionGirl "strong females" who can only claim that title due to their tendency to argue over every decision]] and [[DamselScrappy having to be rescued by the men]], and taking forever to get to the point, only to [[DiedDuringProduction die with his series unfinished]], and you're better off simply ignoring this series.

* ''WesternAnimation/TheSimpsons'' fans of a certain age generally take it for granted that the show is no longer worth watching and hasn't been for a lot of years, with abstinence from "new Simpsons" episodes a badge of honor for some. While the show isn't as broadly popular as it once was, a consistent supply of new, young viewers have kept the show's ratings respectable enough for it to be continually renewed year after year.

* ''TheSimpsons'' fans of a certain age generally take it for granted that the show is no longer worth watching and hasn't been for a lot of years, with abstinence from "new Simpsons" episodes a badge of honor for some. While the show isn't as broadly popular as it once was, a consistent supply of new, young viewers have kept the show's ratings respectable enough for it to be continually renewed year after year.

A fan is ''shocked'' to find that ''Film/TransformersRevengeOfTheFallen'' has made so much money! Surely the low Website/RottenTomatoes rating should have tipped viewers off. Okay, even if they didn't care about those, surely they would have seen how horrible it was for themselves after the first weekend. [[CriticalDissonance What are they? Sheep?]]

Conversely, how could ''Film/{{Serenity}}'' not have made loads of money? Okay, many people didn't know about the movie, but surely word of mouth would have carried. And the blogs went wild for it!

Well, the truth is that some people genuinely like Creator/MichaelBay movies such as ''Film/{{Transformers}}'', and that works like ''Series/{{Firefly}}'' just don't appeal to everyone. If the fan can't or won't understand that, then they have Opinion Myopia. Some people take it further by believing that what you like and dislike determines what kind of person you are. These beliefs are justified to an extent, as somebody who cites controversial things like [[{{Gorn}} graphic violence]] as the reason why they like a work is bound to raise eyebrows among their peers; but most people understand that some themes in the works they enjoy [[DontTryThisAtHome would be a very bad idea to carry out in reality]].

** Ironically averted with ''Series/ShurikenSentaiNinninger''. Although it is generally hated on tokusatsu forums like [=RangerBoard=] and [=TokuNation=], ''Ninninger'' haters will usually respect the opinions of those who like it. The one exception is [=JEFusion=]. If you say you like ''Ninninger'', you will get flamed upon, called an "apologist defender" and told to "stop defending garbage". The main reason for this is that comments can be posted anonymously.

* Animation vet Creator/BruceTimm has said that he rarely lets online criticism get to him for precisely this reason. He reasoned that statistically speaking, the people who post on message boards are a very small fraction of the actual fandom and audience, so just because some people are screaming DarthWiki/RuinedForever, that doesn't make it representative of the overall opinion of his work.

* Anyone who spends five minutes on a comic book message board would think ''WesternAnimation/{{Ultimate Spider-Man}}'' is the most hated cartoon of all time, when in reality, it does quite well among its target demographic of young children. Creator/BrianMichaelBendis pointed out that even though "[[ItsNotSupposedToWinOscars It's for kids!]]" is a common admission of a lack of quality, the network and advertisers don't actually care what the PeripheryDemographic thinks.

* Fans of cancelled Magazine/ShonenJump series like ''Manga/Samurai8TheTaleOfHachimaru'', ''Manga/TimeParadoxGhostwriter'', or ''Manga/PhantomSeer'' can't understand ''why'' they were cancelled. Many of them assumed early on that the series was destined to become a hit, often citing "potential" as a primary reason, and have trouble imagining how anyone could genuinely dislike it. As such, when it fails to perform as well as they expect, they'll come up with surface-level excuses (it just needs more time, it's just this one plot point that's disliked, it just needs more promotion) to explain it away. Later on, when they can no longer deny that the series isn't going to last, they'll start making bad faith accusations of the Japanese readers (they just don't like its genre, they just can't understand its subject matter, they just have a bias against its source material) to rationalize its failure as illegitimate. In their minds, the series was robbed of the success it rightfully deserved, and they will not hear anything to the contrary.

* Fans of cancelled Magazine/ShonenJump series like ''Manga/Samurai8TheTaleOfHachimaru'', ''Manga/TimeParadoxGhostwriter'', or ''Manga/PhantomSeer'' can't understand ''why'' they were cancelled. Many of them assumed early on that the series was destined to become a hit, often citing "potential" as a primary reason, and have trouble imagining how anyone could genuinely dislike it. As such, when it fails to perform as well as they expect, they'll come up with surface-level excuses (it just needs more time, it's just this one plot point that's disliked, it just needs more promotion) to explain it away. Later on, when they can no longer deny that the series isn't going to last, they'll start making bad faith accusations of the Japanese readers (they just don't like sci-fi, they just can't understand its subject matter, they just have a bias against its source material) to rationalize its failure as illegitimate. In their minds, the series was robbed of the success it rightfully deserved, and they will not hear anything to the contrary.

* Fans of cancelled Magazine/ShonenJump series like ''Manga/Samurai8TheTaleOfHachimaru'', ''Manga/TimeParadoxGhostwriter'', or ''Manga/PhantomSeer'' can't understand ''why'' they were cancelled. They'll often complain the series weren't given enough time (It would have gotten good eventually!), blame its failure on the audience not understanding it (It was just in the wrong magazine!), and/or claim the series merely needed more promotion (It would surely find success if they gave it more color pages!). They'll also commonly cite the series' "potential" as a reason the axe was undeserved. In the worst cases, these fans might choose to believe that the series' cancellation was a conspiracy by the editorial staff, who must have had a personal prejudice against it. The possibility that the series actually wasn't popular enough outside western internet circles to justify keeping around never seems to enter their minds.

* A popular question posed by radio stations on Facebook is "you're on a date. Your date says their favorite TV show/movie/artist and you immediately leave. What's the show/movie/artist?". A fair chunk of the answers are beloved and acclaimed pieces of media (for example, one such question had many answers of Music/BruceSpringsteen and others had many answers of Series/{{Seinfeld}}, there are also intense genre biases against[[SciFiGhetto science fiction]] and [[AnimationAgeGhetto anima]][[AnimatedShockComedy tion]]). The commenters hardly ever give any reasons beyond "I hate it" and often get huffy whenever someone says that they enjoy X movie/TV show/artist. Clearly, there is a wide difference between something that is actually SoBadItsHorrible and something that is inherently good, but is not to someone's taste or is part of that person's PublicMediumIgnorance.

* Some Western XY(Z) fans believe that ''Anime/{{Pokemon}}'' was able to WinBackTheCrowd after the fiasco BW was, and that TV Tokyo messed up again with SM so that they needed to bring back Misty and Brock to avoid [[CutShort cancellation]]. Fact is, [[GermansLoveDavidHasselhoff XY did not do very well in ratings from the second year in Japan]] contrary to SM which is doing great in Japan [[AmericansHateTingle but no so much in the West]].

** One film whose reception famously fits this mold is Film/JusticeLeague2017, to the point where some DCEU fans consider the 'Director's Cut,' Film/ZackSnydersJusticeLeague, the ''only'' DCEU Justice League movie. Expressing fondness or enjoyment for the former cut online often leads to immediate scorn and dismissal, and even accusations of [[NoTrueScotsman not being a 'true' fan,]] supporting the "theft" of Snyder's creative vision, or even condoning [[AssociationFallacy abusive behavior and grooming,]] because of the [[Creator/JossWhedon later accusations against Warner Brothers' fill-in director.]] This is of course ignoring that these accusations mainly came to light ''three years after'' the release of Justice League, but also that Zack Snyder ''stepped down'' as director before finishing the film due to a personal tragedy. This sentiment led to the review bombing of the unrelated Film/GodzillaVsKong by irate DCEU fans on the grounds that Warner Brothers [[IfICantHaveYou didn't deserve any success if it wasn't off of ]] ''[[IfICantHaveYou their]]'' [[IfICantHaveYou movie.]]

* Any UsefulNotes/ConspiracyTheories will have ardent defenders, no matter if the facts there don't line up with reality or how the attempts at covering up the conspiracy would be much more complicated\expensive than necessary, basically "IRejectYourReality because my opinion says so".

** Robert Jordan is the world's most successful hack, creating a bloated nightmare of a KudzuPlot overloaded with {{Padding}}, LoadsAndLoadsOfCharacters, many of them never adding anything to the story, including [[FauxActionGirl "strong females" who can only claim that title due to their tendency to argue over every decision]] and [[DamselScrappy having to be rescued by the men]], and taking forever to get to the point, only to [[AuthorExistenceFailure die with his series unfinished]], and you're better off simply ignoring this series.

* Generally a problem in contemporary politics, where some people who care passionately about one side of a divisive issue associate almost exclusively, online and off, with people who share or at least sympathize with their position, putting them in the proverbial bubble, and don't understand (or don't care to understand) why anyone would have the opposite point of view, and attribute it to naïveté, emotionalism, or stupidity. In 1984, feminist Betty Friedan said that she couldn't understand how Reagan had gotten elected, much less re-elected, since she didn't know anyone who had voted for him (She lived, at the time, in Greenwich Village).

* Fans of cancelled Magazine/ShonenJump series like ''Manga/Samurai8TheTaleOfHachimaru'', ''Manga/TimeParadoxGhostwriter'', or ''Manga/PhantomSeer'' can't understand ''why'' they were cancelled. They'll often complain the series weren't given enough time (It would have gotten good eventually!), blame its failure on the audience not understanding it (It was just in the wrong magazine!), and/or claim the series merely needed more promotion (It would surely find success if it had better marketing!). They'll also commonly cite the series' "potential" as a reason the axe was undeserved. In the worst cases, these fans might choose to believe that the series' cancellation was a conspiracy by the editorial staff, who must have had a personal prejudice against it. The possibility that the series actually wasn't popular enough outside western internet circles to justify keeping around never seems to enter their minds.