Markiplier - Part 8

[M0nkeeButt2590]

Since MAC popped up, I've noticed a rise in people commenting on the whole thing. There seem to be a lot more posts talking about how Mark does not take charge of the fandom anymore and how he does not properly tell people what is and is not okay with him. As well as the lack of connection now. Naturally there are still tons of fans really bitter and claiming it's all useless hate, but it's encouraging to see that there are actually quite a few people who have noticed what's going on and are discussing it. This has all been said by you guys already, but it's kind of nice in a way.

Well the fandom basically thinks of us as monsters because we talk about things they don't want to hear, so naturally they'd take anything we say as hate speech and ignore it. But now with MAC, a lot of fans who have been feeling the same way we have now can voice their problems. It was like with Squid and Opinion during the Jess fiasco before they were forced into silence. Granted people still think that any dissenting opinion is hate speech, but it is nice to see others agreeing that the fandom is broken and needs fixing. Both from Mark and the fans themselves.

[kei]

@Striker, MAC is my attempt at abbreviating MarkiplitesAreCreepy's blog title, which is accurate but damn long to type. But yeah I'm seeing more people discussing it too. I guess that, while it stayed confined to GG, Tumblrinas were content with the separation. But now that it's actually on "their" turf they're getting more defensive about it. At any rate, despite what Tumblr thinks of MAC, there's no denying they can't hide from the truth that's been staring them in the face anymore...or flood the tag until it goes away. I'm amazed at the number of people so far who have said some tactless, hurtful things aimed at MAC, only to backpedal the fuck out of there with "that's not what I meant" or outright resort to passive-aggressive pettiness when they're taken to task.

As for the photo, Jesus those fangirls/boys never look up from his crotch, do they...a week or 2 ago someone in the tag even pointed out how you can see the outline of Mark's dick for maybe 0.3 seconds in a challenge video. Like that was important enough to point out that a 26-year-old dude happens to have a dick.

[Striker693]

Looks like poor MAC is getting a shit ton of hate thrown their way. It's amazing how quickly these fans take to mud-slinging when called out on their behavior. Granted some of the way it was written could've been interpreted a bit harsh, but that's still not an excuse to call someone a stupid fuck that needs to go back to the trashcan they were born in or claim they are Hitler. So much for the "loving and supportive community" Mark preaches so much about. Stay classy Tumblrinas.

MAC? What/who's that?

That's a new blog on Tumblr that has been showing off the hypocrisy and disgusting behavior of the fandom in a respectful manner called MarkiplitesAreCreepy. Kei abbreviated it because it's a long one to type out. But the fangirls are getting violent towards them comparing them to Hitler and such.

Ugh, so Mark uploaded a pic from the wedding on his instagram and the idiot tweens are going on about how it looks like he's got a boner... it totally doesn't look like a boner at all btw, and I've seen my fair share of them so I'd know LOL!

Yeah I saw that too. Likely it was his phone in his pocket AGAIN. The fangirls have mistaken his phone for an erection in the past, particularly during his fan meetup years ago at one of the Pax events with Wade and Yamimash.

I'm assuming it's the young fans that haven't learnt sex education in school yet, LOL.

As for the MAC thing, the fact that the hardcore scary Markiplier fans are attacking them really only reiterates what they're pointing out in the first place that the community is being ruined/has been ruined by overly obsessed fanatics.

[AquarianHorse]

Well, better for Mark to have a dick than to be a dick (A jerk for those kids that are lurking here and don't know the other meaning).

Eh yeah the community like on tumblr/yt and what not aren't the best. Especially the Mark/FNAF fans...dear god...you can't say ANYTHING anymore without someone being offended. Good luck in the real world kids, you'll do us proud... *sarcasm*

[VioletSparks]

All of that is why I really don't understand why so many fans try to defend how loving the community is. It's not. Like Striker said, a lot of the time their lash-out defending just proves that. Even Mark talks about how nice it is, so it just goes on....

[VioletSparks]

Sorry for the double post. It's not like Mark has not been on Tumblr since this started. There is no way he can't know that some shit is starting to happen. Yet he probably won't say anything about it. He hasn't in so damn long and it's getting so frustrating. Yeah, people may soon just start ignoring MAC and stop making posts agreeing or disagreeing with it all, but it's still going to be there. It keeps coming up. And everyone seems to be bitter over it in some way. The community really does need some sort of structure...guidance....acknowledgement. There is just so much fighting for attention. It's been pointed out that it's basically considered a blessing if Mark actually acknowledges fans in an appreciative sort of way. Or in any way that isn't blowing it off with sass. So the community is really hollow and bitter. hateful. fighting for acknowledgement and he won't do anything about it besides pretend it's not there. It's been like this for so long but now there are many more fans talking about it and it's just becoming more and more frustrating to see.

[M0nkeeButt2590]

Sorry for the double post. It's not like Mark has not been on Tumblr since this started. There is no way he can't know that some shit is starting to happen. Yet he probably won't say anything about it. He hasn't in so damn long and it's getting so frustrating. Yeah, people may soon just start ignoring MAC and stop making posts agreeing or disagreeing with it all, but it's still going to be there. It keeps coming up. And everyone seems to be bitter over it in some way. The community really does need some sort of structure...guidance....acknowledgement. There is just so much fighting for attention. It's been pointed out that it's basically considered a blessing if Mark actually acknowledges fans in an appreciative sort of way. Or in any way that isn't blowing it off with sass. So the community is really hollow and bitter. hateful. fighting for acknowledgement and he won't do anything about it besides pretend it's not there. It's been like this for so long but now there are many more fans talking about it and it's just becoming more and more frustrating to see.

He hasn't been active much on social media in general, which could be due to his hectic schedule, but considering how he's instantly flooded with daddy and senpai messages I could understand why.

And likely he won't do anything about this "drama" either. Chances are he'll sass a bit and walk away like the Tumblrina drama. That seems to be his defense mechanism these days. It's slightly better than demanding a kitten/puppy spam or letting it fester until a breaking point like before, but people won't take him seriously when he appears to be just joking.

But honestly even if Mark came out screaming like a banshee about how much he hates the way his fans have treated him/his friends/each other, I doubt they'd listen.

However it doesn't mean Mark shouldn't try and assume leadership once again. He has been making some effort with the livestreams and the recent Agar.io event, but there needs to be boundaries set. He needs to be firm with them. Look how quickly he back-peddles whenever he says something negative towards the fans. He's always apologizing or wording himself in a way to not sound harsh or mean. He's always on egg shells. That's not healthy. It's one thing to keep your audience's attention and trust, it's another thing to be scared of every little thing you say because your audience has not learned the word no.

[kei]

Actually I think he's been too busy to see it, or it's probably just another Tumblr drama to him. He's getting numb to the constant objectification...you could see it happening after he outright told them how disgusting it was but realized they weren't listening anymore. And not to make it a damned-if-you-do, damned-if-you-don't situation, but as much as I can understand people wanting him to talk openly about it I think we all know (including him) that it won't actually matter. The change has to come from inside the fandom now or there won't ever be a change.

I have to say it's been interesting to see the growth of Mark's and Jack's channels side by side. I'm not saying one is better than the other, just that they handle things so differently. At 9 million subs, Jack still somehow manages to find time to stay connected, conversing quite regularly on Tumblr and doing special vlogs whenever he sees something starting before it ever snowballs into something more. He doesn't ignore the internet's dark side, but faces it head-on like "yes, I see you stirring shit, you stop that now." At 9 million subs Mark was already retreating into himself because he saw the massive wave of batshit crazy in front of him and had no idea how to handle it. Yeah he's always tried to encourage people, but I'm fairly certain he stopped those personal, "I believe in you" vlogs that made him famous right when he realized many fans were coming away with the wrong impression about him. Those vlogs stopped right after his 8 million reaction video, where we all witnessed the beginning of his descent into WTF-ville. There's just no way in hell it's coincidence.

He's trying to reclaim some of that connection with his viewers now, but I'm not sure he'll ever be able to get back to a point where that connection is genuine. And I used to think it was just an impossible task when he has so many subscribers, but tbh Jack is proving it is possible even if it isn't easy. But again, unless the fandom itself understands the need for change, I think it may be too late. There are too many people spamming his tag with NSFW Septiplier or pics of his own crotch with comments like "dayum" or "Daddy" or "kill me now plz". They're both good people, I'm not discounting that at all, but Jack seems to have better foresight when it comes to channel growth IMO.

Edit: M0nkee beat me to it again.

[M0nkeeButt2590]

Well really the "drama" isn't all that widespread. Yeah I've seen a few people complain about the "hate blog" in the tag or voicing their concerns about the state of the fandom, but mainly everyone's too fascinated with Mark and Jack in a suit or Chica's Photobomb video to notice. Mainly it's just been staying on MAC's blog or any of their more vocal followers who aren't afraid of the backlash.

I'm guessing Mark is busy with celebrating his mom's bday (and thankfully hospital free this time) to notice, but even then I doubt he'll even see it, let alone react to this.

Why is it Mark is so timid about addressing conflict? I'm not saying he needs to be exactly like Jack, but he has drawn inspiration and support from the green haired Irishman before. Surely he sees how Jack has gone about things, as well as Wade and Bob, and would try to implement some of that into his own process. Not copy directly, but twist aspects of how Jack has handled things and turn it into a process that works for him.

Granted he never expected to be in charge of nearly 12 million people and making a living off of playing video games, but after nearly four years building up his confidence and skills, shouldn't he be more willing or prepared to stand up for himself? I doubt his entire channel will vanish in a blink of an eye if he asserts his boundaries and concerns to his abusive fanbase.

[Striker693]

I think the big difference between Mark and Jack is that Jack isn't afraid to put people in their place when they're overstepping the boundaries, whereas Mark tries to be a people pleaser to the point of exhaustion and will only put his foot down when it's absolutely necessary. That being said, Jack seems to enjoy actively keeping himself in the loop to keep a handle on things, whereas Mark seems to prefer to step away from the internet when he's not working... as far as I can tell it doesn't seem like Mark really uses social media etc much beyond work purposes. Jack also has the added bonus of witnessing what Mark's fandom (and other big YT'ers fandoms) have grown into and can recognise the warning signs and try to prevent it from escalating.

I do wonder why Mark chooses to ignore it though. Obviously none of us know the guy personally, but this sort of thing always makes me question whether it's nature or nurture. Is he just naturally the type of guy that doesn't handle conflict well? Or is it a result of past experiences? For example, maybe witnessing his parents arguing so much leading up to their divorce led him to actively avoid conflict throughout his life (he mentioned in his draw your life video that his mom got angry with his dad a lot, which made his dad sad, which in turn made him and his brother sad) and then years down the line perhaps those conflict avoidance tactics became reinforced during his time in the physically abusive relationship he was stuck in for a while. It could be any number or combination of things, I guess.

[Striker693]

Just watched his Chica face warp video, it was pretty cute! There's definitely been a noticeable improvement in his mood over the past few weeks and it seems to be having a positive effect on his content and his attempt to reconnect, which is a good sign. Here's hoping things will continue to run smoothly for him.

He's definitely the type of person who's mood can be felt even if he's putting on a brave face or trying to act happy. I also feel that we (the users in this Markiplier thread) are the type of people that seem to be exceptionally perceptive and intuitive to emotions, which is why we've picked up on it when something feels "off" with Mark (even prior to the year long shit fest in 2015) whereas the vast majority of the fans took things at face value and assumed he was fine until signs of a problem became unmistakeably obvious... I suppose it also helps that we don't put him on a pedstal so we're more receptive to the fact that he's only human.

Speaking of perception, something i've noticed that's become more apparent over time is that "Markiplier" is becoming a completely separate entity to Mark. What started out as the two being one and the same has gradually manifested into Markiplier becoming a persona of sorts, still very much an aspect of his personality but only a very small piece amplified x10 to which Mark can hide behind. I don't know if this was a conscious decision or if the separation was a subconscious occurrence attributed to his growing fame, but I think it functions as a way to keep his personal life private without the uber-obsessed fans laying claim to every little piece of him as public property. It's very interesting!

[ORZ]

I think that's what's being said, though? Keeping it private is certainly one thing. No one's image is actively being harmed in that, and the more low-key Septiplier fans get that. They're not the ones posting stuff in the public tags. But once you start sharing with the world and getting upset when the world doesn't think it's the greatest thing ever, that's when feathers get ruffled and you get people spamming tags with 50SOG-related photoshops with the insistence that Mark's silence means it's okay. That "Punish me Daddy" aesthetic photo? Not okay.

IMO I think shipping anybody that's a real person is creepy anyway, and even more creepy when people try forcing them into a different sexuality than they say they are just because it's "hot". But I know others enjoy it, and I refuse to rain on their parade just because I don't get it. But anything posted publicly is open to scrutiny and criticism, which I think is MAC's point.

Ah, right)) Apologies, I was super tired when I read the posts and I got the "over generalized Septiplier opinion" impression.
I'm not even going to comment on the 50SOG manip, cause that really pissed me off It's a whole different beast of utterly crazy fangirl/boying.

[ORZ]

On the topic of MAC, I've seen a popular Markiplier fan artist's post on Tumblr yesterday, which summed up to "I don't know what drama there is in the fandom?? Why do people think Mark needs to stand up and guide/save us? There is no problem in the community, no drama, nothing we need to be saved from. Really, it's just the haters that make up the opinion that there IS drama."
I almost choked on my coffee when I read that. Do people really believe that everything is hunky-dory? Are they so far up their assess that they can't see the huge, gaping holes?

[Striker693]

On the topic of MAC, I've seen a popular Markiplier fan artist's post on Tumblr yesterday, which summed up to "I don't know what drama there is in the fandom?? Why do people think Mark needs to stand up and guide/save us? There is no problem in the community, no drama, nothing we need to be saved from. Really, it's just the haters that make up the opinion that there IS drama."
I almost choked on my coffee when I read that. Do people really believe that everything is hunky-dory? Are they so far up their assess that they can't see the huge, gaping holes?

The fact that a large bulk of the fandom have a pack mentality and will actively seek out and attack anyone that dares to have a difference of opinion is so obvious it may as well come with a neon sign and marching band to announce it's arrival, LOL!

[ORZ]

I do wonder why Mark chooses to ignore it though. Obviously none of us know the guy personally, but this sort of thing always makes me question whether it's nature or nurture. Is he just naturally the type of guy that doesn't handle conflict well? Or is it a result of past experiences? For example, maybe witnessing his parents arguing so much leading up to their divorce led him to actively avoid conflict throughout his life (he mentioned in his draw your life video that his mom got angry with his dad a lot, which made his dad sad, which in turn made him and his brother sad) and then years down the line perhaps those conflict avoidance tactics became reinforced during his time in the physically abusive relationship he was stuck in for a while. It could be any number or combination of things, I guess.

I think you're right. On top of that, it seems that Mark is a genuinely a nice guy who wants to be on good terms with everyone. Looking back at the "trans" backlash during his old drunk minecraft days, I'd say that he got even more self-conscious about being politically correct, because it was not his intention to hurt anyone, yet his drunken jest was taken in a way-over-the top serious manner and people ended up offended. That was sure to dig him further into his shell, because if he believes that he is an intrinsically nice person, he will do anything to uphold that image of himself — for himself.

[Striker693]

Sure Mark doesn't HAVE to stand up and "save us", BUT it is HIS community and for someone that frequently talks about wanting to make the world a better place and build a community that can "do good in the world" you'd think he'd rise to the occasion and reinforce those ground rules. "You don't know the power you hold" - THEY may not, but HE does. He also knows the power he himself holds over his community, it's high time that he stood up and put those words into action.

That being said, perhaps the reason he hasn't addressed it is due to all the unforeseen problems and obstacles that have been going on behind the scenes in his personal life, even prior to 2015 there was likely shit going on behind the scenes in some aspect of his life (especially if his ex really does have all the issues people say she has). I think it'll be this next year that change will attempt to happen IF he really is a man of his word and IF he can put on his big boy pants and lay down the law... is it too little too late? Probably, but he could at least try to restore order.

[Striker693]

I do wonder why Mark chooses to ignore it though. Obviously none of us know the guy personally, but this sort of thing always makes me question whether it's nature or nurture. Is he just naturally the type of guy that doesn't handle conflict well? Or is it a result of past experiences? For example, maybe witnessing his parents arguing so much leading up to their divorce led him to actively avoid conflict throughout his life (he mentioned in his draw your life video that his mom got angry with his dad a lot, which made his dad sad, which in turn made him and his brother sad) and then years down the line perhaps those conflict avoidance tactics became reinforced during his time in the physically abusive relationship he was stuck in for a while. It could be any number or combination of things, I guess.

I think you're right. On top of that, it seems that Mark is a genuinely a nice guy who wants to be on good terms with everyone. Looking back at the "*no gender slurs, ty" backlash during his old drunk minecraft days, I'd say that he got even more self-conscious about being politically correct, because it was not his intention to hurt anyone, yet his drunken jest was taken in a way-over-the top serious manner and people ended up offended. That was sure to dig him further into his shell, because if he believes that he is an intrinsically nice person, he will do anything to uphold that image of himself — for himself.

Absolutely. It sounds like someone needs to sit him down and help him work through some of those issues. He strikes me as the type of guy that has a bit of a hero complex and as a result takes it upon himself to help/heal everyone else at the expense of his own health/issues, he's so busy being strong for everyone that he's creating weakness within himself by hold himself to such impossibly high standards. The paradox of the matter is that if he was more forgiving of himself and lowered his own self-standards he'd be in a better position to help others, which sounds counter intuitive but the way he is with himself currently isn't sustainable and that's why these breakdowns occur.

[Striker693]

I was just thinking about the fandom in general and I get impression that the bulk of the super obsessed fans (and the ones that call him daddy and treat him like a piece of meat) are the ones that are newer to the fandom that have found him since he's been supernova. Whereas the ones that were around from the start and the ones that watched him before he got super huge tend to be more respectful. You can see the huge split down the middle between those that treat him like a human being and those that treat him like a piece of meat/demi God/dancing monkey.

[kei]

Not a lot of time to write at the moment and I'm probably forgetting something I wanted to say, but has anyone else noticed he's regularly linking back to his older videos (before summer 2014) at the end these days? He used to link to fairly recent stuff, with his older videos making an occasional appearance. I'm honestly not insinuating anything by it, I just thought it was interesting because it stood out to me as unusual lately.

[AquarianHorse]

Yeah Kei I noticed that too I think that's nice, a bit of nostalgia kinda, since I only been a fan of Mark's for year and a half-ish It is nice to watch his older stuff Maybe he thinks people don't know he has much older stuff or he thinks new fans would want to see them?

It would be nice if the fandom can chillax a bit with how they treat Mark, and each other. I just don't think it will happen. :/ I think the only thing you can do is to keep away from all the toxicity of the fandom and stick with the nicer guys like on here on GG

I was on reddit, looking at the threads on there. I go there more often now too but I am not even signed up. I just lurk