In defense of Beware the Bat and Teen Titans GO!

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This is NOT directed towards people who have general opinions (go ahead, have em'). This is a response to some of the recent EXTREME attitudes that I've seen around here and Tumblr. If you don't like candid opinions, please click here. You will not be disappointed.

It's probably more in defense of TTGO than BTB, since I've seen more people grumble about that show. Teen Titans and Teen Titans Go are not the same show. Let's get that straight out. It's not a continuation, it is a variation. If you can understand that, then maybe it will be less painful for you.

Teen Titans Go may not be your cup of tea, it might irritate you, it might even make you mad. Boycotting DC Nation because you want to stick it to those CN and DC Executives doesn't make any sense. You got four children, and you're telling me that you're going to treat the two younger children like shit because they don't live up to your expectations? BTB and TTGO are part of the DC Nation family, and they are here to stay until they are off the air.

I noticed this issue of hate prior on tumblr especially with Miss Martian and La'gaan, specifically about people tagging their hate. If you have ever reblogged, or started your own post about specifically not tagging your hate for a character/show/portrayal and encouraging others to do so, then hopefully you can somewhat empathize for the show and the people who have worked on it. Practice what you preach, and if you don't, then you're exhibiting hypocrite behavior, no matter how you try to justify it.

Many people worked on these shows, BTB and TTGO, many of whom are on twitter, tumblr, deviantart, facebook, etc… Some of these people have worked previously on GLTAS and YJ. Many of these creators and people who are involved are only seeing your vitriol towards these shows, which is ridiculous and unfortunate, especially since these shows have not even premiered yet. This might sound a little flowery, but they do have feelings too. And even if you're not actively insulting the people who've worked on it, by collectively saying that the show in general is absolute shit, you indirectly are.

By calling these two shows all sorts of terrible names, you're not just going against the show, but you're probably also demonizing people who might like the show and driving away potential members of the DC Nation family because of your nostalgia gone crazy. A kid might watch this show and become attached to these characters, which might then lead them to watch the original Teen Titans (HA HA VICTORY!) or any other DC affiliated animations. It might be hard for some people to understand, but there are a lot of people who have never seen Teen Titans or BTAS, or Batman Beyond, etc, and if this is what gets them into the DC family, then are you really going to complain about that? Sometimes people make it so hard for others to enter a fandom because those fans are afraid to say that they like the series or afraid to post related fan works, because of the toxic atmosphere. And don't think that toxic atmospheres only exist outside of the internet. That's like trying to claim that cyber-bullying is not real bullying (which it is if you're out of the loop).

What's with all the negative pressure? Nostalgia is nice and all, but if you're going to go out of your way to purposely drive potential younger fans (dc in general, not just TTGO/BTB) away because it doesn't meet your expectations of what the show should be, then that's a bit silly. If a kid says he likes TTGO, are you really going to tell him or her that the show's stupid, or that they don't understand good programming? Probably not. What you would probably say is, "well hey, neat. I'm not too cool about it, but if you like TTGO, then you'll love Teen Titans! Check it out, it's a show that I watched when I was a kid! It's totally rad…" You make it a positive experience not a negative one.

If you're going to go into these BTB and TTGO with that intent that you're going to absolutely hate those shows, then congratulations, you're going to hate the shows! If you don't want to watch the show, then don't watch the show. There's nothing wrong with not watching a show if you don't think you'll like it. There is nothing wrong with opinion, go ahead, give it. But when you spew condemnation at these two shows AND THEIR CREATORS/PRODUCTION without even watching it, then you are spreading hate, no matter how you try to slice it. You are only torturing yourself and potentially others.

Look at the reasons below, and see if any of them apply to you, and if they do, I would hope that you can be a little more open minded.



1.     You feel annoyed or even angry that there might be people/kids who might genuinely like these two shows, because you actually take TTGO as a personal affront and insult to your childhood.  Sorry, but if you watched the original Teen Titans in your childhood, then more than likely, your childhood is probably long since over. Cherish it, move on, and make new memories.

2.     You immediately reblog something that trashes the show, because hey, they hate it too! What a coincidence. Also, another thing you might have in common? You haven't seen the show.

3.     You somehow still think and/or unwilling to change your opinion that YJ and GLTAS were cancelled for the sole purpose of being replaced by BTB and TTGO (If you do and are totally convinced that this is true, then I will leave you in Narnia. I heard it's a nice place.)

4.     You are actually willing and wanting to tell/order/warn/pressure people not to watch it because you feel that that action somehow is warranted and acceptable.

5.     You will refuse to let your children/younger siblings watch it, even if they wanted to. (I could understand if was Maury or Jersey Shore, but TTGO? Seriously?)

6.     You revel in the fact that other people share your hate, and since other people share your hate, your constant barrage of vitriol is somehow justified. Congratulations, you are practicing diffused responsibility because you have a mob mentality. It's okay if it seems everyone is doing it.

7.     You're attacking those show on tumblr/facebook/whatever for fact that you just can. 1st amendment, cause it's totally cool to tell those people at CN that they should kill themselves because they didn't renew your favorite shows. If you're writing comments to CN, the people who work at CN, DC or anyone involved, read them out loud to yourself. Writing an opinion is just as legit as speaking it out loud. If it sounds like you're a borderline sociopath or something you would never, ever, ever say in real life, I would encourage you take a good hard look at yourself.

8.    You use the excuse that you have the "right to be angry." That is one of the most misguided reasons that I've ever heard. You don't have the right to be angry, you have the right to an opinion. There's a difference. Change the word "angry" to "happy" and see how entitled that sounds. It's the same excuse that gun owners use to argue that they have the right to own as many high-powered arms as they can, it's the same excuse that people use to argue against soda/saturated fat laws so that they can eat and drink themselves to oblivion, merely because they have the right to.

9.     You're saying that the show looks like shit, or that it doesn't look like a lot of work was put into it, writing, animation, direction, etc... My only question to you is this: Do you work in the industry?



Believe me, I loved Teen Titans too, it changed me in a very positive way. I mean, that's like the only thing I drew when I first started deviantart. I was even a vice-vice at the Teen Titans Club here!However, I cannot, and I mean this with complete honesty, cannot watch it now. I don't know what it is, but I know I definitely enjoyed it when I was younger. It reminds me of when I tried rewatching The Magic School Bus again (damn that 90s science...) I can understand why you feel a little betrayed, especially if you watched all five seasons of TT and loved it, but I cannot even begin to understand the absolute hostility. I mean, for example, I don't understand Twilight too much, but I wouldn't tell someone to stop reading the book or watching the movies if they liked doing those things. If you're reading this, taking it in, and you're still going to go off on both shows just because you can, then I can't help that. I think that speaks of something deeper than you just not liking the show.

There are ways to spare yourself the pain, so concentrate your energy and passion on saving the shows that were actually cancelled, instead of absolutely shitting on shows that haven't even premiered yet.

And when the shows premier, and you don't like it, that's cool. No bigs. Go ahead, have your opinions. AFTER YOU WATCH. But when you're done, go watch another show or do something else, bake a cake, spend time with a sibling, maybe help out with saving shows... Have you seen the effort into saving GLTAS and YJ…? Holy amazeballs. Think about how much more support there would be if your hatred was changed into passion.

As always, thank you for reading. Have a good day! Thoughts are welcome. ^^ btw... did you like the link that I directed you guys towards?