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So Bad It's Horrible Cleanup

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So Bad, It's Horrible is one of the more flame-bait-y parts of the site, so a cleanup thread is needed to ensure that works aren't added simply because someone doesn't like them.

If you want to list a work under this, keep the following in mind:

  • The work must have very few fans or defenders (both genuine and ironic). It should fail to appeal to any type of audience.
  • Being offensive in its subject matter isn't enough.
  • It isn't horrible just because a certain critic disliked it, though their reviews can be used as sources and citations.
  • The work should have notably poor reviews (e.g., less than 3/10 on IMDb, or single digit scores on Rotten Tomatoes)
  • For a Moral Substitute to qualify, it cannot even appeal to its target demographic.
  • Please be polite while writing and as much as possible, avoid falling into Complaining About Shows You Don't Like. Instead, focus on explaining why the work is horrible.

In addition, per No Recent Examples, Please!, a work must be at least one month old before it can be added, to prevent knee-jerk reactions.

Edited by GastonRabbit on Oct 6th 2024 at 3:34:45 AM

MisterToodleoo Since: Jul, 2018 Relationship Status: Waiting for you *wink*
#4076: Mar 11th 2022 at 11:23:38 PM

I am concerned about how the entry for the Elf Bowling movie mentions “pandering crap to kids” without explaining what that means. (I’m pretty sure that’s how Mr. Enter described potty and butt humor.)

AlmightyKingPrawn I can chase the wind, I can race the rain from Down at Fraggle Rock *clap clap* Since: Oct, 2019 Relationship Status: I love you for psychological reasons
I can chase the wind, I can race the rain
#4077: Mar 12th 2022 at 6:56:19 AM

[up] I agree, that should be fixed.

She/her. Profile pic is by Richard Michael Gomez @StarmansArt. Please watch Fraggle Rock: Back to the Rock. https://youtu.be/Vm92JNgPbqk
MisterToodleoo Since: Jul, 2018 Relationship Status: Waiting for you *wink*
#4078: Mar 12th 2022 at 8:28:45 AM

[up]Should it be replaced, or is that phrase taking the aforementioned humor too seriously?

AlmightyKingPrawn I can chase the wind, I can race the rain from Down at Fraggle Rock *clap clap* Since: Oct, 2019 Relationship Status: I love you for psychological reasons
I can chase the wind, I can race the rain
#4079: Mar 12th 2022 at 12:52:39 PM

[up] replace. The childish jokes in the movie seriously fall flat.

She/her. Profile pic is by Richard Michael Gomez @StarmansArt. Please watch Fraggle Rock: Back to the Rock. https://youtu.be/Vm92JNgPbqk
MisterToodleoo Since: Jul, 2018 Relationship Status: Waiting for you *wink*
#4080: Mar 12th 2022 at 1:36:18 PM

[up]Thanks, I used your comment as the basis of my edit and fixed the grammar while I was at it!

TheLivingDrawing Lucas the Dreamer from The Town of Clayton Since: Apr, 2019 Relationship Status: Yes, I'm alone, but I'm alone and free
Lucas the Dreamer
#4081: Mar 12th 2022 at 2:59:55 PM

[up][up] Not to mention that they clash horribly with the adult jokes in the movie.

Once Upon A Time.
AlmightyKingPrawn I can chase the wind, I can race the rain from Down at Fraggle Rock *clap clap* Since: Oct, 2019 Relationship Status: I love you for psychological reasons
I can chase the wind, I can race the rain
#4082: Mar 15th 2022 at 3:45:40 PM

Just added to Advertising:

  • In 2005, KFC's UK arm released an advert which holds the record for the most complaints (over 2000, to be exact) submitted to the UK's Advertising Standards Authority - though the ad remained on television, surprisingly enough! - for a very British reason; viewers felt it promoted bad manners. Someone at KFC's marketing department evidently didn't see it this way, as "Mouthful" depicts a group of office workers who probably can't sing even without a mouth stuffed full of KFC salad try to extoll the virtues of the aforementioned salad, barely on-tune and heavily muffled by the salad they shoved in.

I've only heard things about the ad in regards to the reason why it was the most complained about ever being absolutely ridiculous. It's harmless, annoying as many ads that try to be funny but fail are, but harmless. Even if it does qualify, this entry could explain it better.

Edit: Here's another upload with nothing but positive comments.

Edit 2: Per my research, it's not even the most complained about ad anymore. That goes to the "It's Oscar Time" Paddy Power ad that is deservedly already on the page.

Edited by AlmightyKingPrawn on Mar 15th 2022 at 6:55:51 AM

She/her. Profile pic is by Richard Michael Gomez @StarmansArt. Please watch Fraggle Rock: Back to the Rock. https://youtu.be/Vm92JNgPbqk
MurlocAggroB from the second-most ridiculous province of Canada Since: May, 2015
#4083: Mar 15th 2022 at 4:26:36 PM

[up] If it really did receive a lot of complaints, then it can stay for that reason. However, the entry needs to be completely rewritten to be less snarky and not bury the lead. Here's a stab at it:

  • In 2005, KFC's UK arm released an advert titled "Mouthful", which depicts a group of emergency helpline workers singing an off-tune and muffled song about KFC's new salad... while their mouths are stuffed full with it. For a time, it held the record for the most complaints (over 2000, to be exact) submitted to the UK's Advertising Standards Authority, for a very British reason; viewers felt it promoted bad manners.

regulation pigeon
AlmightyKingPrawn I can chase the wind, I can race the rain from Down at Fraggle Rock *clap clap* Since: Oct, 2019 Relationship Status: I love you for psychological reasons
I can chase the wind, I can race the rain
#4084: Mar 15th 2022 at 5:03:34 PM

[up] As the entry itself states, the complaints were from Moral Guardians who thought it was bad manners. Most Youtube uploads show a positive comments section and bafflement over the complaints.

She/her. Profile pic is by Richard Michael Gomez @StarmansArt. Please watch Fraggle Rock: Back to the Rock. https://youtu.be/Vm92JNgPbqk
TheLivingDrawing Lucas the Dreamer from The Town of Clayton Since: Apr, 2019 Relationship Status: Yes, I'm alone, but I'm alone and free
Lucas the Dreamer
#4085: Mar 18th 2022 at 6:37:11 PM

Has The Turner Diaries been suggested for this trope? Am surprised it wasn’t already listed.

Once Upon A Time.
WarJay77 It's NaNo, Bay-beeee! (8,356/50,000) from My Writing Cave (Troper Knight) Relationship Status: Armed with the Power of Love
It's NaNo, Bay-beeee! (8,356/50,000)
#4086: Mar 18th 2022 at 8:08:46 PM

Works aren't added solely for being offensive. They have to be completely awful quality-wise.

Working on: Author Appeal | Sandbox | Troper Wall
BKelly95 Tame Racing Driver (4 Score & 7 Years Ago)
Tame Racing Driver
#4087: Mar 18th 2022 at 8:28:41 PM

I saw that someone readded Cut the Crap to Horrible.Music Albums. Was that approved?

AlmightyKingPrawn I can chase the wind, I can race the rain from Down at Fraggle Rock *clap clap* Since: Oct, 2019 Relationship Status: I love you for psychological reasons
I can chase the wind, I can race the rain
#4088: Mar 18th 2022 at 8:49:50 PM

[up] I don't think it was.

She/her. Profile pic is by Richard Michael Gomez @StarmansArt. Please watch Fraggle Rock: Back to the Rock. https://youtu.be/Vm92JNgPbqk
Zuxtron Berserk Button: misusing Nightmare Fuel from Node 03 (On A Trope Odyssey)
#4089: Mar 18th 2022 at 9:43:33 PM

The Turner Diaries does have a fair amount of fans, even if these fans are all awful people...

Cut the Crap was deleted because "This Is England" is considered a good song, which disqualifies the whole album from counting as horrible.

TheLivingDrawing Lucas the Dreamer from The Town of Clayton Since: Apr, 2019 Relationship Status: Yes, I'm alone, but I'm alone and free
Lucas the Dreamer
#4090: Mar 19th 2022 at 8:15:33 AM

The Turner Diaries is considered terrible on its own merits and I’m fairly certain that its “fans” like the book more because they agree with its message and less because they think its a good work of fiction.

Edited by TheLivingDrawing on Mar 19th 2022 at 11:16:36 AM

Once Upon A Time.
Piterpicher Veteran Editor IV from Poland, for real (Series 2) Relationship Status: Armed with the Power of Love
Veteran Editor IV
#4091: Mar 19th 2022 at 8:18:29 AM

I agree. From what I can see of the reviews that go after the book and not just the message (like Thoughtslime's), the story and characters are considered abysmal.

Currently mostly inactive. An incremental game I tested: https://galaxy.click/play/176 (Gods of Incremental)
SeptimusHeap from Switzerland (Edited uphill both ways) Relationship Status: Mu
#4092: Mar 19th 2022 at 8:37:36 AM

I'd like a citation on "its “fans” like the book more because they agree with its message and less because they think its a good work of fiction"

"For a successful technology, reality must take precedence over public relations, for Nature cannot be fooled." - Richard Feynman
TheLivingDrawing Lucas the Dreamer from The Town of Clayton Since: Apr, 2019 Relationship Status: Yes, I'm alone, but I'm alone and free
Lucas the Dreamer
#4093: Mar 19th 2022 at 9:02:35 PM

It was a guess, considering that the plot and characters are generally considered completely terrible beyond them being a wet dream for neo-nazis. Also both Racial Holy War and Ethnic Cleansing have similar followings among Nazi groups but still received horrible entries.

Edited by TheLivingDrawing on Mar 19th 2022 at 12:03:50 PM

Once Upon A Time.
SeptimusHeap from Switzerland (Edited uphill both ways) Relationship Status: Mu
#4094: Mar 20th 2022 at 2:34:30 AM

The problem I have with this line of thinking is that the trope requires no genuine audience whatsoever, and these attempts to exclude people who agree with the work's message is a little too No True Scotsman like. Especially since this trope has always had an issue with people trying to shoehorn works with unpopular messages.

"For a successful technology, reality must take precedence over public relations, for Nature cannot be fooled." - Richard Feynman
nrjxll Since: Nov, 2010 Relationship Status: Not war
#4095: Mar 20th 2022 at 6:15:56 AM

[up][up]Games are a lot easier to judge quality independent of morality, IMO. By all reports "Racial Holy War" is not merely abhorrent, but also close to or outright unplayable even if you are a Nazi. That's not as easy a judgement to make when it comes to a book.

Zuxtron Berserk Button: misusing Nightmare Fuel from Node 03 (On A Trope Odyssey)
#4096: Mar 20th 2022 at 7:58:42 AM

Yeah, RAHOWA's player manual is lacking many important game rules such as basic combat mechanics, making it literally unplayable even if you wanted to, and Ethnic Cleansing sucks not only on a moral level, but also in terms of gameplay and graphics.

WarJay77 It's NaNo, Bay-beeee! (8,356/50,000) from My Writing Cave (Troper Knight) Relationship Status: Armed with the Power of Love
It's NaNo, Bay-beeee! (8,356/50,000)
#4097: Mar 20th 2022 at 11:10:35 AM

And I must always remind everyone of the child abuse manuals that have some unironic readers, but are so legitimately dangerous to children that we had to make an exception for them.

Poor writing is one thing, but that's not quite the scale of "poor quality" that can make up for having a niche. A niche of Neo-Nazis, but still.

Working on: Author Appeal | Sandbox | Troper Wall
SeptimusHeap from Switzerland (Edited uphill both ways) Relationship Status: Mu
#4098: Mar 20th 2022 at 11:16:50 AM

And I must always remind everyone of the child abuse manuals that have some unironic readers, but are so legitimately dangerous to children that we had to make an exception for them.

Hmm? Why did we "have" to? I doubt that people check the SBIH pages before taking in a work and it's not their purpose, anyway.

"For a successful technology, reality must take precedence over public relations, for Nature cannot be fooled." - Richard Feynman
WarJay77 It's NaNo, Bay-beeee! (8,356/50,000) from My Writing Cave (Troper Knight) Relationship Status: Armed with the Power of Love
It's NaNo, Bay-beeee! (8,356/50,000)
#4099: Mar 20th 2022 at 11:25:12 AM

Well, obviously not. I'm just saying that we determined the books qualified as being horrible because they're legitimately dangerous and tell you to do things like beat babies with sticks for crying. Those books are panned universally across the board except for people who are just as batshit insane as the people who wrote them, because they were written by extreme Christian fundies for other Christian fundies.

I'm just naming it as another example where the work's objective quality is so far into the extremely bad end of the spectrum that the small fanbase it has is irrelevant, because that fanbase doesn't like it on any merits other than the fact that they think what they're reading is OK.

...Besides, that "can't have a fanbase" thing is sort of incompatible with the fact that half of these works are also on So Bad, It's Good. You'll never find a work that nobody dislikes, but there are cases where the quality is so dismal that it's obvious the fanbase only likes it because they agree with it on some ulterior, politically charged level.

I can't really say that's the case for Turner Diaries.

Edited by WarJay77 on Mar 20th 2022 at 2:26:31 PM

Working on: Author Appeal | Sandbox | Troper Wall
Zuxtron Berserk Button: misusing Nightmare Fuel from Node 03 (On A Trope Odyssey)
#4100: Mar 20th 2022 at 11:55:08 AM

I think the difference is that Michael Pearl's books are meant to be educational, while The Turner Diaries is meant to be entertaining. For entertainment, the metric of quality is whether or not people like it; for educational material, the metric is whether or not the information contained is accurate, regardless of how many people like it.

If a book claims to teach you how to raise a happy, healthy child, but instead gives advice that leads to a traumatized wreck, the book has failed in its purpose. If a book claims to be an entertaining story about racists murdering black people, and some people read it and go "that story about racists murdering black people sure was entertaining!" then it succeeded in its purpose.

Edited by Zuxtron on Mar 20th 2022 at 2:56:02 PM


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