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<blockquote data-quote="Celebrim" data-source="post: 8705594" data-attributes="member: 4937"><p>Why should you be baffled?&nbsp; That's the way the word &quot;toxic&quot; seems to be used in modern conversation.&nbsp;&nbsp; When I introduced my thesis I argued that it appeared &quot;toxic&quot; had been defined to mean only &quot;things I don't like&quot;.&nbsp; So fans are &quot;toxic&quot; when they criticize things I don't think are legitimate complaints, but not &quot;toxic&quot; when they do criticize things that I think are legitimate complaints.&nbsp; Or, maybe even more to the point, fans are &quot;toxic&quot; when they are critical of things I do like.&nbsp; As such it's just become a well-poisoning ad hominem attack of little use in conversation.&nbsp; It's just an attack on the person and not the argument, and an attempt to guilt by association all legitimate complaints.&nbsp; Don't like the Star Wars sequel trilogy?&nbsp; Well you are a &quot;toxic fan&quot;, and why you don't like it doesn't matter.</p></blockquote><p></p>

[QUOTE="Celebrim, post: 8705594, member: 4937"] Why should you be baffled? That's the way the word "toxic" seems to be used in modern conversation. When I introduced my thesis I argued that it appeared "toxic" had been defined to mean only "things I don't like". So fans are "toxic" when they criticize things I don't think are legitimate complaints, but not "toxic" when they do criticize things that I think are legitimate complaints. Or, maybe even more to the point, fans are "toxic" when they are critical of things I do like. As such it's just become a well-poisoning ad hominem attack of little use in conversation. It's just an attack on the person and not the argument, and an attempt to guilt by association all legitimate complaints. Don't like the Star Wars sequel trilogy? Well you are a "toxic fan", and why you don't like it doesn't matter. [/QUOTE]

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