#ryan steven

[artblogbyhailey]

[the-name-i-want-was-taken]

The most important comment in this whole mess

[crowleys-right-eyeball]

i lied abt only posting abt this situation once, i just saw this lovely person’s comment!! passing it on to tumblr 🫡

edit: SOMEONEE changed the password and ruined it for everybody :/ pls try this version instead!!

edit 2: WATCHER POSTED AN UPDATE

[mikedawwwson]

"The Good War on Terror" written by Christopher Hayes.

I will be producing a print 'zine of this in the coming months. Join my Monthly 'Zine Club to get the first copies automatically sent your way!

[weirdgirlvampire]

Edit: watcher released a new statement apologizing and changing their course of action!

[moonlitdiane]

C'mon don't be losers, instead of doing Watcher subscription giveaways just literally buy esims for Gaza or donate to non-profit charities like Care for Gaza, which actually help affected Palestinians and deliver food and other necessities to them. There's also a bunch for Sudan like the one set up by the ICRC. Don't give $6 just for a man to eat expensive shit on camera when that $6 can do so much for an entire nation of starving people.

[incorrectghostfiles]

Watcher, once they read all the comments to their announcement:

[helpwhatsthis]

steven lim: we actually need more money for higher production value so that you guys have the best! and we're bringing back a super expensive show! for you guys, the fans!

the fans:

[companyissuedbicpen]

Absolutely AMAZING response by Watcher imo.

They acknowledged that they made a mistake, made the wider context more clear, and addressed basically all of the criticisms brought forward by the community as far as I know.

Anyone who already subscribed to the streaming service who no longer wants it gets a refund.

Patrons get a free subscription to the streaming service.

The service now only offers early, ad-free episodes that will still be released on YouTube.

They acknowledged the insensitivity of the original pitch and how the price is not something that everyone can afford.

THIS is how you respond to backlash, especially this widespread. Take time to collect your thoughts, take the criticism into account, and change your actions going forward.

Great job Watcher 👏

[montessori-grad]

Watchergate: 4/19-4/22

[mando-lore]

[terriblepersongreatseamonster]

Just a few of the comments from YouTube that amused me.

[moonbeamdagger]

love that everyone is united in just going “terrible idea. wish you the best. thanks for the laughs. bye.”

[morkhan]

I am just. So weirdly tickled by this Watcher situation. Like yes, initially I was very disappointed and upset but honestly now I just think it's funny. I can't remember the last time a creator or group of creators misread the room this hard. Like they really thought they were cooking with this one. They had a countdown to this. They announced their paywalled streaming service with their whole chests and expected rapturous applause. Instead, there has been a non-stop chorus of boos and thrown tomatoes for days now. They would have probably gotten a better reaction if they had posted a video where they sprayed a dog in the eyes with soapy water.

It's all so pleasantly... low-stakes. The consequences are nonexistent. It's not like the Ned Fulmer situation, where a friend group is destroyed, real life relationships are ended, and young children are potentially subjected to the trauma of divorce. Nah, all that's happening here is three idiots will be making a lot less money than they wanted. Maybe they'll learn something, maybe they won't. Either way, they brought it entirely upon themselves, and that makes it okay to laugh at in my books. So I will!

[prosperousduckscommuteviawaffle]

Do I feel bad about how mean some of the Watcher comments are? Ah, sort of.

But mainly when I see people posting things like 'I no longer have to pretend that anything they did on Watcher was as good as Unsolved' I'm struck by how it just shows that people followed them, and stuck with them, out of love, loyalty and respect. So when the illusion of those feelings being mutual was shattered well, this is basically post-divorce honesty hour. It's the parasocial relationship break up equivalent of 'I never really liked your apple pie.'

[incorrectghostfiles]