Behold, the Moffat Stan bingo.
Okay, I don’t know where this came from- if it’s a creation of the OP, or one of those virtually untraceable images that people repost every now and again. So I’m not 100% sure whom I’m even directing my ire at here, but:
What is wrong with the statement ‘His writing saved my life’? I want an explanation as to why it’s emotionally manipulative. Ideally one that doesn’t mention Moffat at all, actually, this argument has little to do with him – you’d be hard pressed to find a work of popular fiction that hadn’t saved someone’s life. Harry Potter, John Green’s stuff, Twilight – god, I could reel off a whole list of problematic things I’ve heard people say ‘it saved my life’ in relation to. No reason why Moffat’s stuff should be any different. (Hell, I’m reliably informed that people can love a work of fiction, love what it did for them, and still feel disdain for the author’s opinions / hate the author as a person.)
So your complaint is…what? If this mysterious hypothetical Moffat-loving strawman is saying ‘his writing saved my life’, how is that any more emotionally manipulative than, well, the regular old emotional manipulation used when people are arguing? (And this is a discussion that includes sexual assault. I think it’s safe to say that emotions, very high ones, will be involved.) No, I think the crux of that snide little remark is that – as usual – any discussion involving depression or suicide is bundled away into a little box labled ‘romanticising’ ‘glorifying’ ‘glamourising’ and naturally ‘emotional manipulation’ so that people don’t have to actually think about it, and can neatly cast the victim as the villain for bringing it up in the first place.
I’d be very interested to see the discussion that inspired that particular piece of bingo card, and I’d also like to say to anyone of a similar buy-your-sanity-from-the-television disposition: fuck that shit. If Moffat’s Doctor Who, or RTD’s Doctor Who, or Teen Wolf or South Park or some terrible old TV show no-one’s ever seen saved your life, you be proud of that, you be very proud, and don’t stop clinging to it. Obviously you need to bear in mind other people’s triggers and fears (please do), but ‘talking about openly’ is very very rarely the same thing as ‘emotional manipulation’.
Jesus Christ, did this really go for over a thousand notes without anyone questioning this? Something mocking the suicidal? Well…I suppose it’s alright if it’s done in the name of ‘Moffat hate’. Comic sans and cruelty! That’ll show him!