Apparently I'm the worst kind of person on the internet.

[gact]

Recently I have seen the kind of backlash that liking the things I do has everywhere on the internet. I felt bad that the things I like were associated with awful stereotypes, that I could be associated with them, but I just let all those feelings slide off me and kept a positive attitude that maybe people would see me in a good light.

But I just saw something that pushed me over the edge, and I am pissed that now people can see me as a f***ing killer. http://i2.kym-cdn.com/photos/images/original/000/685/263/f91.png

This picture was posted on the forum thread about the most recent shooting in the USA, the guy who killed 6 girls because they would not pay attention to him. I like fedoras, I like MLP, I am a gamer,I would like to describe myself as a nice guy to to the people I care, and I spend most of my time on the internet.

So I am a killer in the making? because thats what it seems. To add to what this stereotypes makes me I must also be fat, I must tip my hat at every woman I meet, I must be wrongly entitled to a number of things, I must have no friends, and many horrible things.

What am I supposed to do now? forcibly change everything about me, stop liking what I do?because I'm lost, I cant show myself anywhere on the internet because people would assume that I am a stupid killer stereotype.

 

[IceForce]

Did you get that from this post? http://www.escapistmagazine.com/forums/jump/18.850858.21031134
If so, why didn't you just make this post in that thread?

Anyway, I would've thought the answer here would be obvious.

Going by the image, don't complain about "those dumb feminazis", nor about being "4ever alone", and also don't joke about how women should "go back to the kitchen".

The image is a parody, in case it wasn't obvious.

 

[shrekfan246]

Not sure if serious...

If so, then I feel someone should inform you that the picture is not referencing "stupid killer stereotypes", it's referencing "Nice Guys[sup]TM[/sup]". "Nice Guys[sup]TM[/sup]" are guys who believe that because they act nice and caring toward women, said women are obligated to sleep with them. "Nice Guys[sup]TM[/sup]" typically also exhibit views or say things expressed by said picture, hence why it has become an internet stereotype.

The reason that picture was linked in the thread about Elliot Rodger is because Elliot Rodger was a posterboy for "Nice Guys[sup]TM[/sup]", not because he was a posterboy for murderers.

 

[gact]

If so, then I feel someone should inform you that the picture is not referencing "stupid killer stereotypes", it's referencing "Nice Guys[sup]TM[/sup]".

The reason that picture was linked in the thread about Elliot Rodger is because Elliot Rodger was a posterboy for "Nice Guys[sup]TM[/sup]", not because he was a posterboy for murderers.

What I am saying is that people who follow the "nice guy" stereotype, like me because I like hats!, can be associated with murderers through that post, so apart for me being a complete looser in the eyes of the intrnet for liking stuff, I am also a killer now.

I dont know how to quote multiple people but @IceForce I didnt post there because that thread is for talking about the story, not not about how I feel the internet perceives me. I didnt want to talk about something thats not the subject of the thread.

 

[shrekfan246]

If so, then I feel someone should inform you that the picture is not referencing "stupid killer stereotypes", it's referencing "Nice Guys[sup]TM[/sup]".

The reason that picture was linked in the thread about Elliot Rodger is because Elliot Rodger was a posterboy for "Nice Guys[sup]TM[/sup]", not because he was a posterboy for murderers.

What I am saying is that people who follow the "nice guy" stereotype, like me because I like hats!, can be associated with murderers through that post, so apart for me being a complete looser in the eyes of the intrnet for liking stuff, I am also a killer now.

That's not what it's doing at all, though. Like, literally you are the only person making that logical jump, because it happened to be linked in a thread which was about a person who murdered other people. The picture is not being associated with murderers.

 

[gact]

If so, then I feel someone should inform you that the picture is not referencing "stupid killer stereotypes", it's referencing "Nice Guys[sup]TM[/sup]".

The reason that picture was linked in the thread about Elliot Rodger is because Elliot Rodger was a posterboy for "Nice Guys[sup]TM[/sup]", not because he was a posterboy for murderers.

What I am saying is that people who follow the "nice guy" stereotype, like me because I like hats!, can be associated with murderers through that post, so apart for me being a complete looser in the eyes of the intrnet for liking stuff, I am also a killer now.

That's not what it's doing at all, though. Like, literally you are the only person making that logical jump, because it happened to be linked in a thread which was about a person who murdered other people. The picture is not being associated with murderers.

well I am seeing a lot of posts on that thread that are similar to this one: "Yeah thats the perfect description. Pathetic nice-guy-friendzone-whiner turned antisocial psychopath." People will start to add to the "nice guy" stereotype the idea of them also being murderers, and in some way labeling me as such.

 

[shrekfan246]

If so, then I feel someone should inform you that the picture is not referencing "stupid killer stereotypes", it's referencing "Nice Guys[sup]TM[/sup]".

The reason that picture was linked in the thread about Elliot Rodger is because Elliot Rodger was a posterboy for "Nice Guys[sup]TM[/sup]", not because he was a posterboy for murderers.

What I am saying is that people who follow the "nice guy" stereotype, like me because I like hats!, can be associated with murderers through that post, so apart for me being a complete looser in the eyes of the intrnet for liking stuff, I am also a killer now.

That's not what it's doing at all, though. Like, literally you are the only person making that logical jump, because it happened to be linked in a thread which was about a person who murdered other people. The picture is not being associated with murderers.

well I am seeing a lot of posts on that thread that are similar to this one: "Yeah thats the perfect description. Pathetic nice-guy-friendzone-whiner turned antisocial psychopath." People will start to add to the "nice guy" stereotype the idea of them also being murderers, and in some way labeling me as such.

First of all, there is no catch-all description for "murderer". As such, "Nice Guy" is never going to be added to that idea, except for by people whose opinions you really shouldn't care about in the first place.

Secondly? You know what the best answer is? Don't be one of those guys. And don't care what other people think in the first place. People have called me a hippie before because of my long hair and occasionally scruffy beard, when I'm pretty much the furthest thing you could ever get from a hippie. So what? Why should I bloody care what they think? I know that's not what I am, and that's all that matters. So just don't be one of those guys who treats women like they're trophies to be won by inserting coins of Nice. That's all that matters.

You like fedoras? Good for you. As long as you look good wearing one, who cares what the internet bloody thinks about it? They can still be rather stylish on the right people. You like My Little Pony? Again, why should anyone except you be concerned about that? Or rather, why should you be concerned about other people being concerned about that? It's a gorram television show. You like it. There's nothing more complicated involved than that.

The internet will find ways of mocking you and everything you like no matter what it is. Don't take it so personally, it's the place where everyone tends to let out the aggression and tension they can't get rid of in person.

Besides, I'll admit I haven't read the newest ~75 posts or so in that thread, but from what I saw nobody was saying it was his "Nice Guy[sup]TM[/sup]" syndrome that turned him into a killer. The people who acknowledge that he was probably whacked are mostly saying that he was probably whacked for a long time and for a variety of reasons, and quite a few of them were postulating that maybe his "Nice Guy[sup]TM[/sup]" attitude was even caused by him being nuts. So relax. Nobody is saying you're a murderer-in-waiting.

 

[lacktheknack]

I clicked the link and burst out laughing.

Also, you're wrong, OP. The image was used to make fun of posters in the thread, not the killer.

I've never seen a complete twisting of the brain like this before, and it's glorious. :'D

 

[endnuen]

That picture is pure comedic gold.
OT: Have you been planing on killing people? No? Then you're not a killer in the making are you?
The picture is satire at its finest. It reflects on a part of the real world, specifically the part where an individual enjoys a series of things, is generally a nice guy, but because of the lack of social skills makes awkward situations and they blame everyone else instead of looking inward. They blame the world for their misery.

Being a gamer and a genuinely nice guy is not a problem. Being whiny and feeling entitled is.

 

[Vegosiux]

I for one think this thread is brilliant. I'll not disclose my reason for thinking so (keep ya guessing), but there's a lot to learn from it ...

 

[Guffe]

So I am a killer in the making?

Short answer: No.

Then that's out of the way.

Listen, just because you like games and some popular underground series and you're not the typichal alfa male trying to put his dick into everything that moves, doesn't make you a killer or murderer.

Every generation has their thing they blame it on. And that's the stupid thing. A man got pushed over the edge and now media has to find a reason why, which leads to them looking, what is new and has not yet been studied a lot (compared to other stuff) and others blame it as well? --> Video games.

If we go backwards, Heavy Metal / Rock in 80s, TV and films in 70s and 80s, 16th century, or whenever the bookprinting came along, back then anyone ho got their hands on a book was a killer. This is just how things go. I mean I do all the things above + I am an avid Football (soccer for americans) fan which apparently makes me a batshit insane hooligan.
answer: NO IT DOESN'T

Listen, one man did something horrible, it was his fault. Not what he does/did in his spare time. Get over it, don't overthink it, and stay as a nice fellow who doesn't kill people

 

[sky14kemea]

Personally, I think people's hobbies and interests have nothing to do with their personality as a whole. The Killer in that other thread may have shared some interests with a lot of people online, but he had a history of psychological problems and other issues that led up to his actions.

You shouldn't let what people say on forums bother you. The ones spouting all this nonsense about "everyone who wears a fedora is a 'nice guy'" are the minority. They're just also the most vocal about it, because people who don't see it that way don't feel the need to push that opinion onto others, even in jest.

If you like fedoras and MLP, that's fine. The people who make fun of you for it aren't important, and you're better off not associating with them anyway, OP.

 

[QuadFish]

Think of it like this. There's a lot of Nice Guy types around and very few premeditative murderers around. Anyone who actually associates the two would have to be insanely paranoid to think many nice guys were also murderers.

Regardless, and I know other people have said it, people who make huge correlative generalisations are not the kind of people anyone should listen to, and I've found people tend to forget the more offensive generalisations when they meet an actual person they'd normally apply those generalisations to. It's easy to get mad at the concept of Nice Guys but harder to brand someone with that when you actually know a bit about them.

tl;dr Personalising the dumb perceptions of other people making generalisations is not advisable.

 

[deathstrikesquirrel]

Step 1: Don't kill anyone
Step 2: Be a bro
Step 3: Ditch the Fedora -they are just bad taste unless you are wearing a suit or heavy coat that's appropriate-
Step 4: Keep your mlp fandom on the DL, just because you are a grown man

 

[CloudAtlas]

If so, then I feel someone should inform you that the picture is not referencing "stupid killer stereotypes", it's referencing "Nice Guys[sup]TM[/sup]".

The reason that picture was linked in the thread about Elliot Rodger is because Elliot Rodger was a posterboy for "Nice Guys[sup]TM[/sup]", not because he was a posterboy for murderers.

What I am saying is that people who follow the "nice guy" stereotype, like me because I like hats!, can be associated with murderers through that post, so apart for me being a complete looser in the eyes of the intrnet for liking stuff, I am also a killer now.

There need to be a few more shootings before "Nice Guys" will be associated with murderers, so don't worry buddy.

However, as shrekfan246 already explained, "Nice Guy" already is a rather negative cliché. If you are not one of those "Nice Guys" and don't want to be mistaken for one of them, then I'm afraid you just have to dress differently. Which is a fate you would share with many other groups.

If you dress all black and stuff people might mistake you for an Emo. If you love Vikings and wear Thor's Hammer and other Norse symbols people might mistake you for a Nazi. If you wear any Japan-related stuff then people might think of you as an Otaku. If I bought many souvenirs during my trip to Brittany last year people might mistake me for a esoteric guy, because Brittany happens to have a celtic past and this movement coopted the celtic symbols. It's just tough luck.

 

[Eclipse Dragon]

-If you want improvement in a critically acclaimed franchise, you are entitled
-If you want a wider variety of female representation in the media, you are a feminist
-If you say men have it bad too, you're MRA
-If you don't have Facebook, you're a serial killer
-If you're a brony, you're also a furry
-If you're a furry, you like bestiality
-If you're a republican, you're a rich, greedy individual who doesn't respect women
-If you're a democrat, you're a bleeding heart that wants to waste money
-If you own mostly Sony consoles, you're a PlayStation fanboy/girl
-If you own mostly Microsoft consoles, you're an Xbox fanboy/girl
-If you own a Nintendo council, you're a Nintendo fanboy/girl
-If you own neither of those, but own a PC, you're an elitist
-If you own a Mac, you're a hipster
-If you are female, you're not a "real gamer"
-If you play "casual games" you're not a "real gamer"
-If you don't lift, you're not worth anything


I can keep going...
I don't agree with any of the above points, but I've read them all and feel they properly illustrate how much you shouldn't care about what people think of you online.

 

[Something Amyss]

I don't get the A to B here. "I meet a couple of criteria for a stereotype of a douchebag, so I'm a serial killer" is what it sounds like.

That's not what it's doing at all, though. Like, literally you are the only person making that logical jump, because it happened to be linked in a thread which was about a person who murdered other people. The picture is not being associated with murderers.

Oh, I doubt he's the only one. It would probably actually be a first.

 

[briankoontz]

To be perfectly honest, what's missing in this forum in general, what's lacking in the human beings here, is any sense of forgiveness. There's a lot of brutality, especially toward people who the self-righteous here feel have done something wrong. There's a lot of cold callousness which I believe the (largely) young males that make up this forum confuse for masculinity, but forgiveness is not to be found.

This lack of forgiveness toward oneself and others not only leads to a lot of ugly posts on The Escapist where the poster believes he is being "strong and assertive" (and noone can call him out on it since they are doing the same thing) but can lead to Nice Guy syndrome, where instead of forgiveness being used as a way to ease social relations with oneself and with women the Nice Guy takes a besieged mentality where his niceness is both the core of his being and the root of his problems.

Nice Guys and forum posters share an inability to admit their own ignorance and limitations, preferring to make statements that fit with the tribal creed (which Nice Guys can't fully do, since they believe that humans are fundamentally bad which their Niceness is solving, and therefore the only tribe they belong to is Nice Guy) rather than ones stemming from personal integrity.

The solution to both the forum poster problem and Nice Guy problem - to denounce tribalism and realize that all human beings are fundamentally the same. You have no obligation to sleep with a woman just because she's nice, and no woman has an obligation to sleep with you just because you're nice. Sex needs to be far deeper and more meaningful than boiling it down to "niceness". Likewise, forum posters should realize that they aren't special, The Escapist isn't special, and they are just people talking to other people, as happily occurs between most of humanity.

 

[PsychicTaco115]

It's not the fedora on your head, it's the fedora on your heart

Like it or not, the fedora has become THE symbol of male entitlement on the internet but luckily it usually stays there and doesn't spread

Personally, I don't care if you wear a fedora; where what you want if it makes you happy

 

[Jacco]

With regard to the MLP thing, it's the fact that "Bronies" feel they have to vomit their like all over everyone on the internet. I am a huge fan of Adventure Time and Phineas and Ferb, but you don't see me telling the world about it every chance I get. I think it comes about because the men who like that show feel like they are somehow less "manly" for liking a cartoon aimed at little girls so they have to make sure they can justify it by creating a big "group" to be a part of. Regardless, it has nothing to do with a stereotype and everything to do with people being fucking stupid on the internet.

The rest of your post.... well like what you like and fuck other people. Learn not to care what others think because people will think what they want to no matter what and there's nothing you can do to change that. I have a style of clothing some might call "metrosexual" and I'm sure many girls I am otherwise attracted to think I am gay because of it. But you know what? I like my style. It's unique and I stand out from every other "bro" out there so IDGAF. When they get to know me, they'll find I'm not gay.


I think any other Phineas and Ferb fans out there should sound off. We can call ourselves Ferbies!