"Disney adults" criticized online, may be misunderstood

I don't understand why the haters would be haters toward these folks. I mean, if you want to hate on someone, direct it toward the racists or fascists or whatever. There are worse things to be "in to."

And at least these aren't the super-fans who seem to actually hate everything that Disney does.

I've never been able to understand why people just can't let people like things. It's not your money, you don't get to tell them how to spend it.

Jeff:

if you want to hate on someone, direct it toward the racists or fascists or whatever

Not to turn it into a politics talk but people blame the president for high gas prices rather than the oil companies. People are weird.

Jeff:

And at least these aren't the super-fans who seem to actually hate everything that Disney does.

I was going to say... we do spend a lot of time hating on Disney adults of a certain brand on this site.

I think what I've learned about myself is that when I start to hate on people who like a certain thing it's usually because I am jealous that I don't find that much joy in any one thing.

I think the tik-tik in the article about her needing coffee sums it up for me. Seems silly to me to have to use Disney to express your feelings. But then again I don't understand the whole business of needing tik-tok to tell the world everything about yourself. Why can't you just go and get yourself some coffee instead of publicly telling everyone, let alone in a poorly dubbed Disney voice?

Am I going to hate on her for it - no. But lots of other people will.

Suggesting she's stilly sure sounds like hating to me.

Must be some other definition of "hate" that I'm unaware of.

Well that seems silly.

I see your point. I figure that makes everyone a hater then. Who has not thought that someone else is silly for picking a long check-out line at the store when there is an empty one right next to it.

Fan is short for fanatic.

The bigger your fandom of any given thing, the fewer people will share that level of fandom. Not just Disney. But that in and of itself isn't an issue. But if you want to put that fandom out to the masses on various forms of social media, you are increasing the chances of finding people won't share your level of fandom. If people responding who do not have the same level of fandom as you will bother you, probably better to not post at all. Or at least post on heavily moderated social media where "haters" will be deleted.

"They are just jealous" is often the response you see. Sometimes its true. Other times its just they are just different. Shouldn't bother you or take away from what you like.

I suspect a lot of the folks mocking "Disney adults" are sports fans, which is a totally normal adult activity.

I agree. Who cares what other people do that do if it doesn’t effect other people in a negative way. If Disney makes these people happy good for them for finding happiness.

A FB page rolled through here a while back and I followed thinking it would be entertaining. It turned out to be many posts of the same kind every day. The people on “our” side picked up ridiculous posts on some Disney forum just to make fun and criticize. I came to the conclusion that hating the haters was exhausting, less than productive, filled with anxiety, and overall not a good look. Unfollow.

I'm typically pretty understanding of the superfan until they cross into the territory of acting like they hate everything about it or know more than the qualified people running whatever it is that they like. The crazy superfans are usually a very small percentage of fans. Like some of you have said, there are rabid fans that are equally crazy, sports particularly college football, or those that are much more intrusive like gun nuts that show up at pride events in the back of a Uhaul truck wearing body armor and carrying long guns.

Yeah, let people like things. The majority of Disney adults I come across are awesome happy people who love their Disney hobby. It's the ones who claim every change they don't like will be the end of WDW that earn my derision. Or that the solution to crowding it so build more rides or parks. Or that Walt would hate how it's all about money now.

WDW analysts have data we don't and make decisions that are unlikely to negatively affect the bottom line (or if they do, they can change course). Induced demand exists and adding attractions leads to record crowds. And Walt Disney, famous capitalist, wouldn't be all that upset about the company making as much money as it can by providing a top level experience.

When these things pop up I always wonder who they think makes all these awesome experiences for the "correct audience" (i.e. kids, while the parents are miserable wallets, I guess) to enjoy. Do they think everyone who works at Disney are soulless people that hate Disney yet somehow make all these cool things and work in the parks? I mean, yes, there's a subset of those people (I've worked with some), but you don't make awesome experiences for people by hating what you do/who you do it for.

Fafolguy:

Yeah, let people like things.

I draw the line at adult males obsessing over My Little Pony.

This isn't normal?

Vater:

I draw the line at adult males obsessing over My Little Pony.

This is a tricky one.

Part of me agrees with you – but when push comes to shove, how is judging an adult who enjoys My Little Pony any different to judging an adult who happens to like Disney stuff?

As far as a fan of animated shows, Friendship Is Magic is awesome! Great animation, great voice acting, and for the kind of show it is, great script writing.

So for that, I can see why there is an adult fandom. I don't understand adults who wear the t-shirts and buy the toys though, and I especially don't understand those who dress up as My Little Pony characters for cosplay.