Whylostsucks.com goes to college!
I recently received an email from Tom, a graduate student at a large uninveristy who decided to write his term paper on our little site. He was kind enough to email a a copy to me so I could share it with everyone. I thought he did an excellent job, worthy of an A!
“Why Lost Sucks” and the Shifting Audience of Media Convergence
The television show Lost, now concluding its fourth of six seasons, is critically acclaimed and widely revered among the popular press, academics and fans alike. The show is innovative for its use of multi-platform storytelling and viewing and its adaptation to media convergence. It also is praised for its high production value, complex characters and storytelling techniques, and a mysterious and esoteric mythology. All of these criteria have been driving forces that have kept the masses hooked, as well as are responsible for generating a huge cult following and fan culture. Like many fan cultures in the 21st century age of media convergence, Lost fans have a tremendous web presence with countless fan sites, message boards, and blogs. While most of these sites are dedicated to theories, spoilers, on and off set news, merchandise, and fan videos, there is one such blog entitled “Why Lost Sucks” which assumes a different perspective. While the blog itself is not mean spirited towards the show and is more humorous, the existence and content of this fan site reveals much about the way the text of Lost and its transmedia storytelling are received by both mainstream and cult viewers in the age of media convergence.
Lost is a popular, successful, and innovative television show for many reasons. In a controversial article for FlowTV.org by Jason Mittell, he argues after the first season that Lost is “the best show on American broadcast TV.” He praises it for its genre unpredictability, the unique storytelling structure that focuses both on the island dilemmas and the character’s back stories, and the high visual and aural aesthetic value. He concludes by saying how Lost plays to the strengths of the television medium: the serial structure, narrative and character depth, and ritual engagement; while avoiding its weaknesses: boring visuals and repetitive and generic formulas. In a short piece for In Media Res by Stacy Abbott, she mentions how the creators of Lost say that the show’s popularity results from the way it functions both as a mainstream text through the character driven plot and as a cult text through the mythology and mysteries of the island. While these two factors are not confined to these set groups, they combine to form a show that has a mass appeal. Together they form what Mittell calls “storytelling spectacles” or a “contemporary ‘television of attractions’” where the audience is meant to “marvel at the sheer bravado of the creators.” This entity is what has made the text of Lost popular and keeps audiences as repeat viewers, but its success is also a result of many other factors.
While the text of Lost is very innovative, the way the primary content is viewed and distributed on multiple platforms is just as revolutionary. It was one of the first television shows made available for download in the Apple iTunes Store in October 2005 for $1.99 an episode the day after its original airdate (“Apple Announces…”). This practice is common today and thousands of television shows and movies are available in this same marketplace. In April 2006, ABC, the network that airs Lost, began to broadcast the show for free on the internet the day after it airs, with some commercials (“On-Line Video…”). Because of these innovations, it is clear that Lost has been one of the television shows that has lead the way in revolutionizing the means by which audiences can watch television.
Lost is also very popular on DVD because of its serialized nature and the added bonus features. Because Lost features a good deal of suspense between episodes, fans enjoy watching the entire season on DVD because they can watch it all at once and do not have to wait from week to week (Lotz 62). Many of the disks have behind the scenes footage and other features that attract audiences due to the possibility of revealing secrets about the show. Lost is also one of the most recorded shows on Ti-Vo, a DVR device that is gaining popularity and in 2006 was factored into the Neilson rating system (West). In this new media landscape, audiences can watch their favorite television shows anytime and anywhere. The multiple distribution platforms have altered audiences viewing habits and are beginning to change the way that they interpret and interact with the text.
On top of the different distribution platforms, Lost also has many different smaller texts available by means of transmedia storytelling. According to Henry Jenkins, transmedia storytelling consists of “stories that unfold across multiple platforms with each medium making a distinctive contribution to our understanding of the world, a more integrated approach to franchise development than models based on urtexts and ancillary products” (293). Lost accomplished this with a series of mobisodes titled “Lost: Missing Pieces,” two separate alternative reality games, a video game, and tie in novels. While Lost is exemplary in the way that it successfully constructs a world through multiple texts on different platforms, some would argue that it is not as successful in other areas. One aspect of transmedia storytelling is that it allows for multiple “entry points” into the world of the story, and an audience member can enter at any one of these. Roberta Pearson argues that the mobisodes, which were available on Verizon Wireless V-casts and the internet, “seem unlikely that [they] will be watched by any but the keenest Lost fans and even more unlikely that they will attract new viewers to the show.”
By looking at all of the aforementioned factors, it is apparent that Lost comes in many forms and delivery methods. Because it reaches the fragmented audiences of today’s world of media convergence in different ways, the various audiences interpret the contents on many levels. Going back to Stacy Abbott’s article about the show, she proposed that looked at simply it could be assumed that the mainstream viewers get the show from its original broadcast, while the cult viewers and members of the fan culture not only get it from the original broadcasts, but also indulge in the various other texts and platforms. Abbott actually feels that these assumptions are not completely correct, as it can be safe to say that there is middle ground and overlap between the mainstream viewers (character driven plot, traditional viewing habits) and the cult viewers (mythology, new media adopters). With a show like Lost that has such complex characters, storylines, and mythologies, this middle ground can be a frustrating place. While the mainstream audience that watches for the character development is content with being in the dark about who “the Others” are or what the CGI smoke monster really is, the cult audience has taken to the internet to form websites, blogs, and message boards to endlessly trade theories and insights about the show and debate their viewpoints. Many viewers are caught somewhere between these two extremes, and this results in an audience with a polyphony of viewpoints and actions (or lack thereof) related to the show. One interesting and revealing example of a middle ground position would be the aptly-titled blog “Why Lost Sucks.”
“Why Lost Sucks” first began on April 2, 2006, towards the end of the second season, when Tyler, the creator, posted 10 reasons why he feels the show “sucks.” His ten reasons include: “nothing ever really happens,” “the shaky camera work,” “the staring factor” (he claims that 17 minutes of each show is spend by someone staring at something), “3 episodes and then reruns for a month,” “the flashbacks,” “new characters” (“How many new people can they introduce to the show that is set on a deserted island in the middle of nowhere?”), ”the Dharma Initiative” (“it’s just a bit too over the top”), the ”bunker/hatch” (“but yet they all still choose to live happily in the open on the beach, while man eating creatures and scary smoke beings roam the island”), “the original premise is flawed” (It should have been called “Crashed” and been a one episode show”), and “pressing the countdown button: enough said.” For the first few episodes after posting this list, he would summarize what happened and see how many of his criteria were present in each episode, but he then abandoned this and started to focus on criteria 1 and 9: that nothing happens and no answers are ever given, and that the show is very improbable.
Since its inception, Tyler has posted consistently with each episode of the show and does so up to this day. When thinking about the blog, a person would wonder why someone who dislikes the show so much would not only watch the show every week, know so much about it, and take the time to publish a blog about it. In his frequently asked questions section, Tyler answers:
This is by far the most often asked question. When the show first came out, I was a fan. I really was for about the first 5 episodes. Then, slowly, the sucky-ness started to dawn on me for the reasons stated on my top 10 list. My wife however, remains a die hard fan so I watch it with her. At this point I’ve already taken the red pill, now it’s just a matter of continuing to watch to see how far down the rabbit hole the show will go.
After a few “spirited” conversations about the show with my wife and after laying out many of the points on this blog, she made a comment along the lines: “I really don’t want to hear your theories anymore, but since you seem to have them so well thought out, why don’t you make one of your blogs about it.” Hence http://www.whylostsucks.com/ was born.
When asked about badmouthing Lost, he replied:
First of all, please don’t take this site seriously. It is meant to poke fun, not to be mean. Anytime you have a show this popular, people are going to enjoy lampooning it. Consider it a badge of honor for your show. Kind of like when someone is portrayed on Saturday Night Live, they know they have made it.
Taking these quotes into consideration reveals many things. First, it becomes clear that “Why Lost Sucks” is not an anti-Lost site or a hate group of some kind, but rather it could be considered a “fan site.” Tyler does not hate Lost per se, but rather seems to be frustrated with certain aspects and therefore not drawn into becoming a “true” cult fan but rather approaches the show with a bit of apprehension and wit. While not in a traditional sense, this could be considered a fan site in line with other Lost sites because it addresses many aspects of the show, such as both the character driven plot and mythology, while also opening a place for other fans to discuss their reactions to it. Second, because Tyler says he watches it with his wife, who is a “die hard” fan, it establishes that they most likely watch it at the time of its original airing rather than on the internet, an iPod, or on DVD. In his February 15, 2008 post, he mentions that he missed that week’s episode and will have to catch it online the next day, but in the February 29, 2008 post, he says he missed it and just invites the posters to discuss it amongst themselves. While it seems that he is aware and open to the multi-platform viewing system, he still does not engage in it regularly. Third, he uses the terms “red pill” and “rabbit hole,” which are obvious references the film The Matrix. This is important to note because The Matrix is another prominent example of a transmedia franchise and this mention shows that Tyler is aware of transmedia and must be a fan of one of its most visible manifestations.
The way “Why Lost Sucks” approaches the series with satirical humor is interesting in the context of the text itself and current media landscape for many reasons. First, the number one point on his top 10 list, and most popular criticism, is that nothing ever happens on the show and that the audience is promised answers to the complex mystery, but never gets them. As mentioned before, the mythology is one factor that keeps the cult fans hooked and fuels internet fans to create websites such lostpedia.org to collect this information and form message boards to discuss theories, forming what Pierre Levy calls a “knowledge culture” (Jenkins 287). David Golumbia states in his article “What is Lost” that most media with large mysteries central to their structure are novels or movies because they have clear endpoints where the mystery can be answered in a satisfying way. Because Lost is a serialized television show with a crucial enigma at its core, it “becomes almost impossible to reveal the mystery without undoing the show itself.” He says that as the show grows more popular, there becomes a tension that results in more pressure to reveal the mystery. He concludes by saying that the writers and producers cannot give up the mystery because then there would not be a show anymore. This lack of closure is something that the audience must succumb to while it is also what sutures them into the text. “Why Lost Sucks” is a perfect example of how an audience member is intrigued by the show and sutured into it, but at the same time is resistant to succumb to it.
“Why Lost Sucks” represents a resistant viewpoint that lies somewhere outside of the traditional mainstream and cult realms because it shows a viewer than is not complacent with only following the character-based aspects of the show, but at the same time does not indulge himself and obsess over a myriad array of theories, spoilers, and auxiliary texts. The blog also rides the fence because it discusses both the character aspects and the mystery aspects, but does so in an arena more suited to fan culture. “Why Lost Sucks” represents a viewpoint where the holder can be hard to define and their relationship to the text can be very frustrating, so the best way to deal with it is through humor.
Tyler gives the example of how when something is parodied on Saturday Night Live it legitimizes it, and this is especially pertinent because there was recently a skit dealing with Lost on the famous sketch comedy show, discussed by Ivan Askwith for In Media Res. The skit depicts Matthew Fox, the actor who portrays lead protagonist Dr. Jack Shepherd, in an elevator being accosted by fans asking questions about the show. Askwith notes that all of the questions asked and topics raised in the skit, such as theories on the mystery and multi platform viewing, are all very relevant to the current popular and scholarly discourses on Lost. This is important for many reasons. First, Saturday Night Live is a comedy show, so this is one way that the varying degrees of Lost viewership are examined with humor in the mainstream media. Second, because the topics, even the ones that are usually resigned to the cult spaces, are presented in mainstream media, it legitimizes them as well as brings the debates over media convergence that are currently popular in scholarly circles into the mainstream media. Third, because Lost is being talked about on another show, this in and of itself is a form of convergence. This presence on Saturday Night Live depicts a way that Lost and the issues of viewership around it are dealt with humor similar to “Why Lost Sucks” and mirror the concerns about convergence that the audiences feel.
Media convergence is something of a new phenomenon and has revolutionized just about every aspect of the media industry. Because of this, “the nature of television use has become increasingly complicated, deliberate, and individualized” (Lotz 2). Media critics and theorists have different viewpoints on the subject; from the celebratory approach of Jenkins’ Convergence Culture to the cautionary warning of Robert McChesney’s Communication Revolution. Either way, academics are calling for changes in the ways that media texts and industries are studied during this “critical juncture” (McChesney 9). While the critics are busy doing this, the audiences and fans are the ones that are living and working in the new media landscape and are adapting in their own ways to the paradigm shift. Because of the distribution of content on multiple platforms and the abundance of transmedia storytelling done to the extent that it is, audiences and fans have all adapted differently.
Anytime something new such as media convergence comes along, people will adapt to it to different extents and will have varying reactions. Some, known as “early adapters” will explore all of these new options as soon as they come out and use the new technology to become more media literate. Cult fans will also seek out these new means first in order to engage in as much of their obsession as possible and to stay connected and in the loop with their respected fan culture. On the other end of the spectrum, some people are not interested in being media literate and keeping up with the Joneses, and ignore all of these developments and continue consuming media by the old standards. Most people lie somewhere in between these two extremes and are adapting to media convergence in various ways. Changing to conform to these practices is an evolutionary process and the outcome of this period of transition is uncertain to the media industry, audience members, and media scholars. For the audience, this uncertainty is creating an excitement as well a tension that will continue to produce interesting results for the mainstream as well as for the fan communities in the context of how these fragmented audiences are adapting to the paradigm shift.
It is important to examine the demeanor of “Why Lost Sucks” at this moment in media history because of what it says about audience fragmentation, reception, and fan culture. The way it humorously addresses the complexities inherent in transmedia storytelling, multi platform distribution, and the multiple natures of the Lost text is a perfect example of the way that the lines between fragmented audiences are unclear. It also illustrates how with the changes in media technologies and industries today, the way that audiences and fan cultures are studied by academics are going to need to be revised along with the ways that the texts and industries are studied.
Written by Tyler on May 13th, 2008 with
53 comments.
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Way to go, Tyler! You’ve successfully made the crossover into academia. It’s all down hill from here!
Now it’s proven: Tyler is Mr. Meister and his wife is the Mrs.!!!!
It was my hunch. They were always there when the site was drifting to the doldrums, stuck in the horse latitudes and not moving anywhere The Meisters were there to stir the pot and get the posts up just when the site went catatonic and everyone became disinterested. They were there all summer long. They played JJ puppet-masters themselves-keeping the suspense on the blog going. I knew from the day the handle Meister was used, as “meister” when translated from German is “master”- such as web-master. An obvious cognate for people who can speak more than English.
Although, it’s rather ironic that they had the least to contribute. Uninteresting and uninspired trollop fell from their mouths like shit from a beast’s backside.
A double indignity! Swindled by Lost and by the puppet-meisters behind whylostsucks. Americains, you’re cleverness just doesn’t last the test of time!
WTF?! Not quite sure how you got that from this paper.
Wow! A multi-faceted insult/rant from the Frenchman! Now I know we have arrived!
Laurent,
That has got to be one of the stupidest things you’ve ever said, and there are plenty to chose from. What, had you never read the FAQ and you just found out Tyler is married and his wife likes LOST. So now, every couple that watches LOST together must be “The Meisters”. You are a moron. Your biggest clue that we are not Mr. & Mrs. Tyler is that I would have blocked your Anti-American French Fried red-neck-a phobe rear end long, long ago.
Mrs. Meister
I agree with Mrs. Meister… you have once again proven yourself to be the biggest moron this site has ever come across with your ignorant, idiotic rants. do yourself a favor and shut the fuck up
This is getting out of hand…
Hey, I don’t think we should judge the Meisters harshly if they have unusual (possibly bizarre) sexual fetishes. Since the Supreme Court finally overruled Bowers v. Hardwick, they are free to practice whatever strange fantasies they have dreamed up (or more likely learned about on the Internet) to their hearts’ (or other bodily organs’) content without the nosy government coming in and trying to legislate some arcane form of morality on their lives. In fact, this may form a common area of interest between the Meisters and Laurent (we all know that the French or total perverts in ways Amercians can’t begin to imagine). So hopefully this new subject of dialogue can lead to a detente of sorts between those two seemingly opposed personalities Although I suppose if the Meisters really are an alter ego of Tyler (Laurent’s argument was admittedly compelling), then everything I just wrote can be approrpiately discarded.
If I wanted to say something, I wouldn’t hide behind an alter ego. Frankly other than my weekly posts, I don’t spend enough time on here to post as much as the Meisters anyways.
And yes, I deleted about 3 responses in this thread that crossed the line. (which I really hate having to do) lets try to keep the insults somewhat civil guys.
Censorship, the first sign of failure on this site. Just pissed I missed them before you deleted them. Dang.
Ignoring the first nonsensical part of your post, what about Laurent’s argument was “compelling”? I of course know he is incorrect, because I am Mrs. Meister and I have never met Tyler in my life, well at least I don’t think I have, I guess he could be my neighbor for all I know. But my point being, Laurent’s claim that “now it’s proven” is absurd. He made no convincing or logical argument at all. But then, that is what I’ve come to expect from him.
Mrs. Meister
Hey Tommyj! Thanks for giving the shout-out to Bowers v. Hardwick which originated in my home state of GA. Best part of the story is that attorney general Mike Bowers has now left politics in disgrace after admitting to a long-term affair with a woman who was not his wife. Gotta love the politicians who always believe that they’re above the law!
Yep. That’s a college term paper all right. I give it a B. Needs some serious editing (it tends to ramble and stray off-point), and I don’t buy some of his premises. For example, he states:
“First, it becomes clear that “Why Lost Sucks” is not an anti-Lost site.”
Really!? Really!!?? When the writers, producers, stories, and cast are regulary compared to animal (e.g. horse and bull) droppings, I think that is pretty STRONG evidence that you have encountered an anti-Lost site. That may not have been Tyler’s original intention (though I doubt he sat down to build the site while thinking “how can I satirically lampoon this beast?”), but even a casual reading today would make most reasonable persons go: “Yeah, that’s an anti-Lost site.”
Now I think I’ll go start a site called “Why Tom’s Term Paper Sucks.” But it won’t be an anti-Tom’s Term Paper site. It will be full of satire and whimsy (and bullshit references) as I make fun of transmedia storytelling and multi platform distribution.
Do you ever shut the hell up?
Sorry fanboy, but I don’t. You see, the whole point of this exercise is that people are expected to post their opinions. I am very sorry that you are unclear on the concept.
Gee, fucktard, I guess my limited capacity for abstract thought prevents me from understanding your complex post above. Could you please clarify after you remove the penis from your mouth?
Ha ha. A joke implying that I’m homosexual. Good one fanboy.
Ha ha. Almost as clever as calling someone a fanboy for the thousandth time. But I guess I can’t understand that because I’m not a UNIVERSITY PROFESSOR, you silly little douche.
When you call YOURSELF fanboy, what am I supposed to call you? By the way, why don’t you sack up and stick with one name? I am very sorry that you have trouble keeping all of your names straight.
Just keep calling me fanboy, you little bitch! It’s so insanely clever that it compels me to keep responding to your astonishingly well-composed posts! Call everyone fanboys! Mock the fanboys! Because you were once, allegedly, a UNIVERSITY PROFESSOR WHO NOW GOES AROUND MOCKING FANBOYS! Holy shit, dog! You must have taught at Princeton fucking University, bitch!
Well at least rolf is a name I recognize. See how liberating it is to use just the one name?
i’ve posted my comments for you below, just so you don’t miss it
Why is it so important to you that I read your post? I am very sorry that you have to rely on me to validate your existence.
SHUT THE FUCK UP.
And now we’re back to fake names. I am very sorry, rolf, that you don’t have the courage of your convictions.
Way to go Tom…. er Tyler or who ever. The aforesaid “paper” certainly had a lot of words to it. I tried to read it all but I got a cramp in my thesauras. Yes, Home, Home On The Range, where the deers and thesaurasuars play….overload, overload, DANGER Will Robinson, “transmedia convergence” (ala Andy Kaufman perhaps? hardly) …does not compute, Pa? is that you Pa? I didnt tell them about the gold Pa………………….
Well, I am sure this post will be deleted by Tyler, so I am not sure why I am taking the time to write it. I would just like to say to Tyler that I am sad that he deleted my post. I have been coming to this site for almost three years. I am sorry that i offended you, but I was just poking fun at the Meisters. Just like everyone else was. It hurts me Tyler that you would delete my post, but that is your call to make. I would just like to say that the Meisters are very cheesy and I pointed to their lameness in my post. God Bless, I may not be returning. Count my click out from your revenue that you make on posting ads.
Please, bullshit, what has cheese done to deserve such a comparison? Cheese is beautiful, alive, it has class and more culture (no pun) than the provincials with Wi-Fi and a Dell. The Meisters are fucking banal middle-class suburban drones that are relegated to plugging into their television life-box every evening to commune with the world. They live life in a third realm through 3-d images on a 2-d screen, sucking down big-gulps, Miller High-Lifes, and getting daringly ethnic with Tostitos and salsa. That’s how they participate in the world when not in their sociopathic people moving automotive XXL/SUV strip-mall consumerist conveyance vehicles yammering on their porta-phones. They interact with the world ONLY via the virtual realm of the internet. They live in a particle-board constructed garage-centric McMansion with nothing but fresh seedlings and fat mommies on pram patrol to the nearest starbucks in sight.
And “Mr. Meister”, Tyler does know Mrs. Meister, because he is the one forced to have a 15 minute session in missionary every Wednesday evening after reruns of Everybody Loves Raymond.
The only reason I deleted it was because you went over the top with the porn talk. Insult people all you want, it won’t offend me, but that kind of langauge is way too offensive for this type of site. I invite you to stay and keep posting, try to keep it somewhat safe for work. I don’t think that is too unreasonable.
wow, do you feel like a bigger person now? now that you have taken the time to try to rip some poor guy’s term paper apart with on your narrow mindedness? and you give it a B, as if you and your opinion matter. are you a professor in a graduate program? no? then i guess it doesn’t really matter what your grading scale is! i have to agree with the notion that this site is not a true anti-lost site. otherwise, it would indicate that you and all these other people actually devote an hour of your life weekly to watch something you “hate” in order to spend more of your time piecing quirky little quips together to post online. it would be like saying you “hate” to sit in traffic and then willfully driving towards every traffic jam, road block, and rush hour, mumbling obscenities to yourself along the way. unless perhaps you are one of those people who has so very little in his life to be happy about that you get your kicks being attempting to be negative. how would you feel if you took something you spend hours researching and writing and it was posted on the internet for someone like you to criticize? i’m sure you’re all about yourself, but try to have the capacity to step outside of your tiny box of egocentricity and look at this site as something a little bigger than your posts of pessimism. it is possible for other people to view this site as satirical, or even humorous. i hope your fellow bloggers have the heart to recognize that tom just wrote a paper and wanted to share it with the audience that inspired it, as opposed to becoming target to attack. surely no one else on this site is as big of a prick as you clearly are. don’t take too much time formulating your rebuttal (which i’m sure will be just as fantastically mean and inappropriate as your previous one), because lost is on again tonight, and you wouldn’t want to steal your energy away from talking shit about lost. kudos to you, tom, for being brave enough to put something out there. and you, raptusregaliter, get a fucking life.
Totally agree with what that guy said. Way to go, dude who wrote that post. The fact of the matter is that lately, this site has been attracting scores of pompous, elitist little fuckwits who have made it their mission to show everyone how superior they are from an intellectual standpoint. It sucks, and it’s only happened recently, and THAT’S probably why the regulars who normally post on this site have left. It’s no longer a sounding board for different opinions. It’s just blind hatred of a television show. Sad. But true. I almost even miss BigJim, even though he’s sort of an asshole.
For the record, I’m glad Tom shared his paper. Then again, I’m not a GIANT ASSHOLE LIKE SOME PEOPLE ARE.
My my my. So much hatred from the angry little fanboy. Just so you know, I was once a university professor who oversaw a multitude of graduate students. So, yeah, I have quite a bit of experience grading papers.
Point the Second: Where did I “rip some poor guy’s term paper apart with [my] narrow mindedness?” I made 2 constructive criticisms, which is hardly “ripping apart” unless you have a very low tolerance for that sort of thing.
I could go on, but feeding the trolls is always a pointless endeavor. I am very sorry that I have offended your tender sensibilities, and I pray that you skip over any future post with my name on it.
Shut the fuck up, Raptus.
You know, “billy,” conjuring up different names to imply your position has greater support is really lame. I am sorry that you are so angry.
I am sorry that you lack a penis. By the way, I am, believe it or not, the same person who posted under the alias “grow up.” I am just a different person who believes that you are a sopping douche.
You need to re-read your last post rolf. You both admit and deny that you are the same person as “grow up.” I am very sorry that your mind seems to be failing you.
I forgot the word “not.” I guess that implies that I have a low intellect, huh? There’s a pretty intuitive leap of logic there! I can see why you were a UNIVERSITY PROFESSOR!
boogy, why are you answering for rolf? I am very sorry that you still can’t keep your names straight.
SUCK IT RAPTUS!
Still infatuated with the Caps Lock I see. Must give you such a feeling of raw power that you lack in your everyday life. I am very sorry that your constellation of personal inadequacies compels you to lash out at strangers.
“I am very sorry that your constellation of personal inadequacies compels you to lash out at strangers,” says the person who, repeatedly, lashes out at strangers by slashing them with verbal daggers like the word “fanboy” or by coyly implying that said fanboys are lower life forms. HYPOCRISY IS VERY VERY FUN! I LIKE! RAR! I LOVE CAPS LOCK!
Oh, and “constellation of personal inadequacies”? Verbal diarrhea, anyone? Wretched. My eyes bleed.
I am very sorry that I have made your eyes bleed. Perhaps a coagulant like NovoSeven would be in order.
Must go now billy, boogy, rolf, ROLF, wow, fanboy, et al. It’s been a pleasure chatting with you. Have a nice weekend.
billy, boogy, rolf, ROLF, wow, fanboy:
You are terribly thin skinned. You need to take a break from this site for a while.
Being called a “fanboy” is a verbal dagger?
How is this for a verbal dagger?
die in a fire
JOIN ME AT WWW(DOT)WHYWHYLOSTSUCKSDOTCOMSUCKS(DOT)BLOGSPOT(DOT)COM AFTER TONIGHTS EPISODE TO DISCUSS THE SHOW…CENSORSHIP FREE!!!
Well let me say this about that. Tom’s work demonstrates a lot of effort on his part and seems to my small mind to be, for the most part, factually and conceptually correct. And having not serialously read any of the posts involved in the previuos ripsniggle, don’t really know what all of the fusss is all about. You all sound kinda gay. Posters come and go, blaming this and that on the ebb and flow of postings is endemic of the ongoing, not so bright head-games that infest and infect most if not all message boards. All message boards have a closet dolt that always refer to the past “golden” days when sunshine leaked out of everyones assholes but alas, those days seem to be gone. Oh cry us a freakin river………………
NO ONE CARES WHAT YOU THINK, YOU LITTLE BITCH.
so uhhh are we gonna talk about lost ever again, or is this site just a place for people to fight now?
I thought it was an interesting paper, although I don’t quite agree with the conclusion that whylostsucks.com is a fan-site. In any case, I think the whole trans-media, multiple-platform notion is in itself a bit of a problem. It’s not enough to watch a TV show, or read a book, or see a movie; now you have to do all of it if you want to get the whole story. Or, you don’t have to because some of these elements aren’t really critical to the main story, in which case…why bother? Oh yes; to get money out of people.
JOIN ME AT WWW(DOT)WHYWHYLOSTSUCKSDOTCOMSUCKS(DOT)BLOGSPOT(DOT)COM TO DISCUSS THE SHOW…CENSORSHIP FREE!!!
Are you a giant fucking loser there, too?
JT? Could it be really you?
JT - come back we miss you
an ON-TOPIC bit of analysis:
“Because it reaches the fragmented audiences of today’s world of media convergence in different ways, the various audiences interpret the contents on many levels.”
This is the part of the paper that annoyed me most because I don’t really see the logic of the argument, and I don’t accept some of the premises.
Fragmented audiences? As opposed to what other kind of audience? And wouldn’t people interpret the show “on many levels” (ie. the mythological vs. the “casual viewer”) because we’re all, you know, people? What difference does it make how and where we watch it?
What I think he should have focused on is that when a narrative like Lost is so publically peeled away and augmented - by DVD extras, interviews with the creators, websites, etc - then we as viewers are more thoroughly able to CRITIQUE the show. That’s way more in line with what this website is about, anyway.
An example of this would be me learning via internet that Michael Emerson (Henry Gale) was originally contracted to do 2 shows. But because the creators liked his performance so much, they extended the life of the character. This PROVES that they have introduced very, very crucial plot elements - such as the Ben Linus/Charles Widmore rivalry - without the kind of careful planning that I’d prefer in a story. It’s because of discoveries like this - which had nothing to do with information the SHOW gave me - that I think Lost SUCKS. I mean it’s no wonder, because they quite literally don’t know what they’re doing.
So I feel like the kid’s paper scratched the surface to this whole media-viewer obsession, but that he went for platitudes rather than specifics. Besides, I’d much rather read a paper detailing why the show has gone downhill, wouldn’t you?
Then again I hated writing papers so I can’t really blame him.