Miserable Spoiler Jerks (but no spoilers here)
Just finished the HP book and allowed myself after two days to start reading my journal/e-mail again.
I did pick up mail until about 24 hours ago, but, heck, I was so paranoid about spoilers that I stood in line at the bookstore last night and listened to my iPod cranked up to eight until I was in the van with book in hand. I wasn't going to open any e-mail unless it had a name on it I solidly trusted not to spoil me. So, when an anonymous LJ comment was left in my journal within hours of the time I posted that I was avoiding the Internet for HP spoilers I decided it just might be best to not open it until I'd read the book. Being anonymous, of course, it wouldn't post to my LJ comments until I unscreened it. I laughed at myself for being so paranoid, as I get anonymous comments in my journal frequently- from family, people who surf to my journal, folks I haven't had a chance to friend yet- but I figured best to be safe.
Having just finished the book, I opened up the anonymous comment while catching up on e-mail to give it a look. Sure enough, it was the entire plot of "Deathly Hallows" with major spoilers right from the first line. Posted in my journal entry where I said I was avoiding spoilers two days before the book came out. Naturally I didn't unscreen it and I deleted it right away. And I revelled in the small triumph of -not- being a reader this person had spoiled for the book.
I can't get over how miserable some people can be about spoiling the anticipation and fun so many people have had (or still have) for reading this book. It seems ridiculously petty and mean. Was grimly amused when Jon Stewart was wondering about the same thing on "The Daily Show" on Thursday and correspondent John Oliver speculated that maybe the spoiler people were trying to create an invention that runs on the tears of children- he could see no other reason.
But, whoa, it WAS stressful trying to avoid the spoilers this time out :). I really didn't like being cut off from all my media sources for two days :) (I was censoring newspapers, magasines and TV news, too).
Still, I couldn't help but once again being impressed and amazed at the reaction to the literary phenomenon I was part of last night. After midnight there must have been a thousand people lined up at my local bookstore. Children and teenagers were coming out with the book in hand hugging other people in line who were congratulating them, squealing and posing for photos holding the new book, standing in circles in the parking lot jumping up and down and cheering. Regardless of what people may think of the book or the series in general Rowling will always have to be given credit for electrifying an entire generation (and plenty of adults were in that line, too). She managed to do it over the course of -seven- books, too- no small feat in this fickle world.
Still overloaded from reading the book in one fell swoop, so I'll leave book comments for a day or two, though I see reviews are already popping up all over the net. Must go read some of them.
I did pick up mail until about 24 hours ago, but, heck, I was so paranoid about spoilers that I stood in line at the bookstore last night and listened to my iPod cranked up to eight until I was in the van with book in hand. I wasn't going to open any e-mail unless it had a name on it I solidly trusted not to spoil me. So, when an anonymous LJ comment was left in my journal within hours of the time I posted that I was avoiding the Internet for HP spoilers I decided it just might be best to not open it until I'd read the book. Being anonymous, of course, it wouldn't post to my LJ comments until I unscreened it. I laughed at myself for being so paranoid, as I get anonymous comments in my journal frequently- from family, people who surf to my journal, folks I haven't had a chance to friend yet- but I figured best to be safe.
Having just finished the book, I opened up the anonymous comment while catching up on e-mail to give it a look. Sure enough, it was the entire plot of "Deathly Hallows" with major spoilers right from the first line. Posted in my journal entry where I said I was avoiding spoilers two days before the book came out. Naturally I didn't unscreen it and I deleted it right away. And I revelled in the small triumph of -not- being a reader this person had spoiled for the book.
I can't get over how miserable some people can be about spoiling the anticipation and fun so many people have had (or still have) for reading this book. It seems ridiculously petty and mean. Was grimly amused when Jon Stewart was wondering about the same thing on "The Daily Show" on Thursday and correspondent John Oliver speculated that maybe the spoiler people were trying to create an invention that runs on the tears of children- he could see no other reason.
But, whoa, it WAS stressful trying to avoid the spoilers this time out :). I really didn't like being cut off from all my media sources for two days :) (I was censoring newspapers, magasines and TV news, too).
Still, I couldn't help but once again being impressed and amazed at the reaction to the literary phenomenon I was part of last night. After midnight there must have been a thousand people lined up at my local bookstore. Children and teenagers were coming out with the book in hand hugging other people in line who were congratulating them, squealing and posing for photos holding the new book, standing in circles in the parking lot jumping up and down and cheering. Regardless of what people may think of the book or the series in general Rowling will always have to be given credit for electrifying an entire generation (and plenty of adults were in that line, too). She managed to do it over the course of -seven- books, too- no small feat in this fickle world.
Still overloaded from reading the book in one fell swoop, so I'll leave book comments for a day or two, though I see reviews are already popping up all over the net. Must go read some of them.