Why "It Gets Better" Is A Stupid Argument -.-
When watching a show or movie that already gets off to a rough start, it's perfectly reasonable to call it after you can't take it anymore. Yet after sharing your thoughts on your negative experience, you get that one comment that insists that it gets better and that you should stick with it a little more. I know I've received this comment more times than I would like, and I've always questioned whether or not the commentor has had their patience tested like yours truly. This post will dissect this stupid argument and why it's actually not helpful.
When people use this argument, this implies that they watched the show or movie in full and have seen it's ups and downs to the very end. While their commitment is commendable, this doesn't mean everyone else is going to be as patient. When watching a show, the first couple of episodes are crucial to hooking the audience. Likewise the first act of a movie needs to be a solid foundation to get the audience invested. Failure to make a good first impression leads to frustration and disinterest from the audience. The notion that "it gets better" fails to grasp that there are no second chances to make a good first impression. The audience checked out after too many red flags popped up and its now a stain on the show/movie's reputation.
Another issue with this argument is, depending on the viewer, it's simply not true. Sure, perhaps the show got better for you, but too me it only got worse. Case in point, Summer Camp Island. The first episode was a slow, expository slog with dull humor and one note characters. I also was not on board with the designs of the characters or the fact that everybody else has a proper name but Hedgehog. Naively, I hoped it would get better and that I could grow to be a fan of it. 39 episodes later, I grew to absolutely despise this show and thought it was among Cartoon Network's worst cartoons. The animation got worst, the characters became more hatable, the world building became creepier, the jokes became more cringe, and each episode became just more tedious to sit through. It was because of how bad this show turned out that I swore off giving shows a whole season to hook me. Eventually that was shortened to half a season, then a quarter, than just 4-5 episodes before I finally stopped giving new cartoons a chance altogether. Because as someone on Reddit pointed out, if it takes a while for a show to get good, it's probably not good.
There's also the variation of this argument which is "it gets better on rewatch" which only works for movies that were already good on the first viewing. My hate for KPop Demon Hunters is already known, but if I were to watch it again, I guarantee you I'd only double down on my negative thoughts. I already watch it once and it was a tedious and frustrating experience that worked on my nerves. I'm not going to subject myself to that again just for the hypothetical chance that it might win me over. This is the biggest issue with "it gets better." It implies that movies and shows have to be watched more than once to be enjoyed. In reality, movies and shows have one chance to hook you, one chance to maintain your attention and one chance to get you to comeback for more.
This argument ultimately is a waste of space because the commenter wants other people to be patient with the show like them when it simply doesn't work like that. Everybody has their limits and assuming everyone is gonna give a whole season of television a watch after the first few episodes were so awful is just naive at best. If someone decides to call it after a few episodes, that's their decision. They're not missing out on something good when what they already saw wasn't worth it -.-
