On the subject of downvoting · 6:47pm May 6th, 2015
Dunno why, but this crossed my mind, so I figured I'd take my opinion on downvoting, wrap it up in a neat little box, and throw it out there into the void where maybe three people will spot it if they happen to be looking in the right place at the right time. Standard disclaimer: these are my opinions. If you disagree, say why in the comments; I'm more than willing to hear out your points, even if they won't necessarily change my thinking.
For me, downvoting is something done when the story is too flawed to properly enjoy. Maybe the premise is a load of shit right from the get-go, maybe the writing gets in the way enough that I can't focus on what's actually being said, or maybe the author completely failed at putting enough thought into the story to make it convincing, it doesn't matter. What does matter is that I don't judge based on personal preferences, but on standards of quality. I don't really like slice of life stories all that much (FiM itself included; see previous blog post on the subject), but I don't automatically downvote slice of life stories. Just because it's not the sort of thing I'd enjoy reading doesn't mean that it's bad, it just means that I don't want to read it, and there's a huge difference.
If you dislike something because of your own personal tastes, that's not a reflection of the thing you dislike, but of yourself. For instance, I really hate playing Dark Souls, not because I think it's a poor game, but because I can't enjoy the way the game is set up. Dark Souls and its sequels have received near-universal critical acclaim, and for good reason. Should I score the game poorly just because I can't have fun playing it, completely ignoring everything else?
Similarly, I've been running across a lot of Displaced stories here on this site. I tried reading one or two of the most highly-rated ones, but I quickly got bored, and stopped early on. I couldn't find any glaring flaws in the writing, grammatical or otherwise; rather, the issue was that the way the story was laid out simply didn't catch my interest. Does that mean I should downvote any Displaced story I see, since they all have the same underlying concept?
I'd say not. I love watching content for Dark Souls, Dark Souls 2, and Bloodborne, whether it's livestreamers like MANvsGAME, speedrunners like Elajjaz and Cirno_TV, or lore analysts like VaatiVidya. I don't like playing those games, but I can see the care and attention to detail that From Software have put into them, and I've fallen in love with that even though I can't experience it firsthand. With Displaced stories, I can see the potential that might come from the concept, and I can heartily respect and endorse that, even if I dislike nearly all of the stories personally.
So next time you downvote a story, think about why you're doing it. Every downvote tells the author and everyone else that you don't think the story should be seen. If you can't convince yourself that your opinion is solid, then maybe you shouldn't express it.
Well I for one agree with you. There are just some things you just don't feel like reading, everyone has at least one.