Downtown Khazan: Ice Cold Utopia

[Beadle]

Ahh, Zsasz. The worst villain in the Batfamily Rogue’s Gallery.

Not on Gotham. Arguably the best on that.

[Beadle]

Overly Sarcastic Productions opens the fridge...

Y’know, there are few tropes in art that are objectively bad, and ‘fridging’ is definitely one of them. It’s terrible writing.

However, and this is not something unique to this YouTuber, criticising people for doing their jobs badly while doing your own job badly is something I find similarly irksome, with the only difference here being that, as a result of most YouTube videos being largely disposable, in two weeks time I will still know that Kyle Rayner’s girlfriend ended up in a fridge and that it was objectively bad and that I have known that since it happened whereas I will completely forget this YouTube video exists.

Given the sponsorship of the video and whatnot, we can safely say this is a monetised channel and this is a professional YouTuber. It’s the creator’s job. Maybe not their only job, but their job nonetheless.

If you are trying to make a video to explain to people why ‘fridging’ is so bad and you speak with such a monotone level at a ridiculously fast pace without ever relenting on that pace or giving the viewer moments with which to process your message, they will hear about 50% of what you say and retain at most 20%. They’ve really taken nothing from it. You’re objectively, therefore, also really bad at your job. Kudos.

All you’ve really achieved is telling everyone how clever you are because look at how many words on this subject you were able to cram into a 20-minute video, when nobody at YouTube is telling you not to make it a 40-minute video.

I know this isn’t the fault of just this YouTuber - it’s an inherent failing of so many YouTubers who pick apart writing, TV, film, music and any other genre.

It’s just something I find inherently really annoying.

[Nik Hasta]

I can relate to some of Beadle's feelings here. There is a strain of YouTube critique or analysis that is frustratingly superficial or banal.

It feels like it feeds into the cultural concept of being able to "solve" media, like there's an objective set of rules for what is good or bad. I find it quite frustratingly limiting in how one can talk about stuff because there aren't, broadly, any real rules and art is fundamentally subjective.

But then, my undergrad degree involved looking at a bunch of postmodernist theatre which, by design, subverts and pushes against classification or easy dissection so I've got form with being quite open to chaotic stuff.

Like, get into something like Dadaism and tropes effectively break down beyond being able to say "Well it's Dada,"

[Postmania]

Eh, it's a stylistic choice which accords the specific medium of video I think.

I think you kind of just absorb and can keep up with that pace after a while when you're on youtube. Also, I think in at least some cases people frankly already know the topic, so they can already know what to expect and then hone in attention when examples that they find interesting come up. Consumption of this kind of video is not intended as some kind of serious tract, otherwise they wouldn't be watching it on youtube for the most part (although some creators can do things differently).

It's not suited to a certain type of thing, but it's right for another type of thing.

[Beadle]

Eh, it's a stylistic choice which accords the specific medium of video I think.

I think you kind of just absorb and can keep up with that pace after a while when you're on youtube. Also, I think in at least some cases people frankly already know the topic, so they can already know what to expect and then hone in attention when examples that they find interesting come up. Consumption of this kind of video is not intended as some kind of serious tract, otherwise they wouldn't be watching it on youtube for the most part (although some creators can do things differently).

It's not suited to a certain type of thing, but it's right for another type of thing.

So you’re saying people aren’t watching it to learn anything but just to have someone else agree with opinions they already have.

Meaning it’s valueless post-truth bullshit.

And you’re saying the people watching it are just people who need the validation of someone else expressing the same opinion they already own and to find other examples they can spout to back up their opinions in future conversations (or more likely social media posts or something).

It’s digital masturbation from two people either side of a screen.

Fine.

(Sorry about the rant, but this sort of valueless, supercilious shite masquerading as informative content pisses me off. And I know it’s ironic, given that I referenced the Riverdale video only a few days ago, but that was actually entertaining, and didn’t just make the same point again and again and again.)

[Nik Hasta]

I like the combo of apology into subsequent doubling down your aggressive position.

Very British Beads haha!

[Guy1]

[Guy1]

Just another day on the job.

[Len Ikari145]

God, I hope I can afford a PS5 next year.

[Jcogginsa]

Y’know, there are few tropes in art that are objectively bad, and ‘fridging’ is definitely one of them. It’s terrible writing.

However, and this is not something unique to this YouTuber, criticising people for doing their jobs badly while doing your own job badly is something I find similarly irksome, with the only difference here being that, as a result of most YouTube videos being largely disposable, in two weeks time I will still know that Kyle Rayner’s girlfriend ended up in a fridge and that it was objectively bad and that I have known that since it happened whereas I will completely forget this YouTube video exists.

Given the sponsorship of the video and whatnot, we can safely say this is a monetised channel and this is a professional YouTuber. It’s the creator’s job. Maybe not their only job, but their job nonetheless.

If you are trying to make a video to explain to people why ‘fridging’ is so bad and you speak with such a monotone level at a ridiculously fast pace without ever relenting on that pace or giving the viewer moments with which to process your message, they will hear about 50% of what you say and retain at most 20%. They’ve really taken nothing from it. You’re objectively, therefore, also really bad at your job. Kudos.

All you’ve really achieved is telling everyone how clever you are because look at how many words on this subject you were able to cram into a 20-minute video, when nobody at YouTube is telling you not to make it a 40-minute video.

I know this isn’t the fault of just this YouTuber - it’s an inherent failing of so many YouTubers who pick apart writing, TV, film, music and any other genre.

It’s just something I find inherently really annoying.

Your critique is not objective in the slightest, because it's based on two subjective observations

1. She's speaking in a monotone level
2. She's speaking at a ridiculously fast pace.

I disagree with both of those statements. To my ear, she's speaking with a normal range of tones, and her pace doesn't come close to ridiculously fast

[Tami]

Your critique is not objective in the slightest, because it's based on two subjective observations

1. She's speaking in a monotone level
2. She's speaking at a ridiculously fast pace.

I disagree with both of those statements. To my ear, she's speaking with a normal range of tones, and her pace doesn't come close to ridiculously fast

Maybe Beadle's settings on Youtube are off and he has it set to play fast?

[Postmania]

So you’re saying people aren’t watching it to learn anything but just to have someone else agree with opinions they already have.

Meaning it’s valueless post-truth bullshit.

And you’re saying the people watching it are just people who need the validation of someone else expressing the same opinion they already own and to find other examples they can spout to back up their opinions in future conversations (or more likely social media posts or something).

Not exactly. As I mentioned in the first part, I don't find it that hard to listen to/absorb. I wouldn't say it's valueless, I'd say something like this is more a sort of narrated tvtropes dive that people can listen to. Mileage may vary though, yeah

That video reminds me of a

[Guy1]

[Beadle]

I like the combo of apology into subsequent doubling down your aggressive position.

Very British Beads haha!

I feel it’s terribly important to be polite when you’re being unconscionably rude.

[Beadle]

Your critique is not objective in the slightest, because it's based on two subjective observations

1. She's speaking in a monotone level
2. She's speaking at a ridiculously fast pace.

I disagree with both of those statements. To my ear, she's speaking with a normal range of tones, and her pace doesn't come close to ridiculously fast

It’s not about the speed of individual words. It’s about the relentless and unvaried nature of the delivery, without giving pauses to allow any point to sink in. And with the monotone thing it’s more about a complete lack of emphasis on any words or points.

I also failed to mention that some of the examples she was using in the visuals might have helped her to make a point had she actually referenced any of them (apart from the Killing Joke, which she conveniently failed to mention ultimately turned Barbara, despite treating her very badly within the story itself, into Oracle who was a far more engaging version of the character than Batgirl Barb). And sometimes she was describing both fridging and a more positive, arc-concluding and validating form of character death over footage of the same example. For instance, I couldn’t tell whether she was implying that Lisa Tepes’ death in Castlevania was handled well or poorly.

It’s an abject lesson in how not to deliver any sort of information.

But YMMV. If you’re fine with it, great. Enjoy.

I just thought it was execrable.