A Guide to Spoiler Etiquette

7/26/2019

Written by Juanita (Obi-Juan) Bonner

When it comes to television and film, spoilers come in all shapes and sizes and sadly, we’ve all likely had one thing or another ruined before we got to see it or read it for ourselves. Even more so, in the digital age, spoilers are inevitable and almost unavoidable…almost. The struggle seems to be increasing by the day so I decided to write this article – to provide a guide on how to avoid spoilers as well as not become the spoiler yourself. And away we go!

In real life: In person spoiling is probably the worst of them all because hello…self-absorption much!! When you’re in earshot and someone doesn’t care about their surroundings and blabs some juicy deets on the newest thing, it’s enraging, simply because you have no choice in the matter. Lately however, there have been some potentially serious consequences for such behavior. A man at a Texas Domino’s Pizza faced charges of misdemeanor assault after punching a co-worker who spoiled Marvel Studios Avenger’s Endgame (Russo Brothers). Additionally, in Hong Kong, another young man was beaten up after yelling specific plot points to Endgame outside a movie theatre. I mean seriously…what an asshat! I myself have mistakenly ruined a film or TV cliff hanger for someone and felt horrible about it, particularly because I’m the person that refuses to be spoiled. Therefore, here are my tips for avoiding this in real life…

Before beginning a conversation in a public space that includes spoilers, check your surroundings. As they say, don’t be that guy! Ask before you speak. After my little spoil faux pas, I will now ask those in earshot where they stand. Often times I’ll get an “I don’t care,” or “I don’t even watch that,” but better safe than sorry. Common courtesy goes a long way.
Never just walk into a room or public space stating spoilers. Again, check your surroundings. If you’re on the receiving end of any of the above violations, politely speak up for yourself, but remember, some people truly do not care who you are, let alone if you’re in earshot when they spill. Therefore, I recommend getting on your phone, putting on earphones, or simply just leaving the area if you can.

Television and movie theatres: Now a days, previews are excessive, often shown for weeks on end leading up to a new film or series. Movies in particular buy so much ad space that if you’re at the theatre or watching a TV show that fits the demographic, you are guaranteed to see previews…even multiple times during one episode. This is probably my biggest spoiler pet peeve because it’s sometimes rather hard to get away from, hence these tips…

TV/streaming: If you’re watching the latest (insert genre here), you’re guaranteed to get previews for anything else within said genre coming to a theatre or station near you. For this, I suggest having your remote at the ready and either mute or change the channel during commercials. Obviously, if you are using DVR, fast forward you fool!
The theatre: This is trickier…I mean, it’s a huge screen!! Plus, going to several movies in just a few months guarantees you’ll see the same preview multiple times. However, if you’re as serious as I am regarding spoilers…and duh, I wrote this article…then do what I do to avoid preview fatigue. Bow your head and close your eyes. Sometimes even hearing the preview has ruined things for me, so I’ve been known to plug my ears from time to time as well. Yep, I know…obsess much!!

The World Wide Web: Ahh, the internet…great when you really need it, but practically the highest form of evil when it comes to spoilers. Things like hashtags, posts, feeds, videos and leaks seem to be everywhere these days so here are my tips for avoiding the dreaded, “well, I just can’t un-see that now, can I?” moment…

The internet: If there is something big coming to your realm, you can guarantee that you’ll see news about it in your digital or video feed. There are a few things you can do here…the most drastic being turning off or removing anything pertaining to what’s coming from said feed. This may leave you a bit stranded when it comes to other interests besides the big event so here’s what I do. Since no one seems to care these days that even a headline can spoil something, I quick scroll and do my best to roll right past anything related based on photos alone. DO NOT read headlines!! Considering I found out a huge Walking Dead (Robert Kirkman) comic spoiler simply from a title only two days after the comic was released, I will say that this seems to be getting harder and harder these days, so scroll at your own risk.
- Soap box moment: It sure would be nice if ALL writers agreed not put spoilers in titles at all…hello, looking at you click bait chumps!!
Social Media: When it comes to hashtags and posts there is some reprieve here including a “spoilers without context” trend emerging. I’m not a huge fan of this because, similar to previews, I’ll spend the entire movie or show trying to place the items in a post. Regardless of my idiosyncrasies, many people seem to be enjoying this trend. On an even brighter side, with some of the larger than life projects, you’ll see the stars themselves or others involved with the project requesting via hashtag, post or interview, not to spoil it for others. Examples include The Russo Brothers doing this for Endgame birthing the hashtag #DontSpoilTheEndgame as well as Harrison Ford speaking out for Star Wars: Episode VII - The Force Awakens (J.J. Abrams) urging fans to keep quiet. I love this because it actually works!! People spread the “don’t spoil” word rather than the deets simply out of respect for the artists’ themselves. The other crazy popular trend is memes, which do a wonderful job of not only genre mashups, but also comically getting the message across. However, these tactics don’t always work...because, well...asshats! Thus, in addition to the quick scroll technique, I recommend a lot more diligence here. Do not, I repeat, DO NOT enter a thread or click on hashtags where the general public (and said asshats) is talking about the realm in question. You will definitely regret it!
Leaks: The lowest of the low…leaks are just that…leaks! So if you don’t want to know, don’t look into it…duh! Personally, leaking is just wrong, dammit…WRONG! Many fans waits months, sometimes even years for something and yet another asshat ruins it with a leak…geez!! And on a whole other level of spoiling, a company called Spoiled.io provided a service that would send a text message to the person of your choice and ruin Game of Thrones episodes every week for only 99 cents/text. I mean…COME ON!!

Final tips: Many franchises like to keep their fans in the know and will give us a juicy taste months or sometimes well over a year in advance. In this case…OF COURSE I want to see the sneak peek. Thereafter, when a full preview is released, my rules kick in, including a two preview limit. This means I will see the sneak peek then the main preview twice. After that I avoid it at all costs, generally because previews are designed to chop up the details yet show you most of the finished product at the same time. I…HATE…THIS!! There are countless times, before my rules, that I would remember a piece of a preview and spend a portion of my viewing time waiting for it to surface or trying to figure out how it will fit in to the overall story, so now I just avoid it all together.

Last, but certainly not least…If you’re binging a series or planning to watch a movie that has already been out for a while, make sure the people in your life know this ahead of time. Keep in mind that just because you waited months, or even years to see something that YOU’RE NOT SPECIAL. Waiting to watch a highly anticipated show or movie really only garners you about a week, maybe two, of shushing people. After that, everything is fair game so deal with it! Be proactive. Seriously, we know about these things way in advance so plan ahead!!! Finally…REMEMBER…when it comes to YOU being the spoiler, DON’T!

References:

All Photos: Courtesy Google Images

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A Guide to Spoiler Etiquette

Written by Juanita (Obi-Juan) Bonner

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