What is KISSED OFF, you ask???
Let me begin by making it clear that this movement is not simply a group dedicated to the love/hate of a specific GH couple. That's too short sighted, too confining for us. GH is more than one super couple, more than one storyline, much more!! Unfortunately, in the past several months, we've seen our favorite soap plummet in the ratings, and while it is currently making a comeback, it is being done at the expense of many favorite characters, and the rerouting of many formerly intriguing storylines.
So what, you ask, is KISSED OFF? What does it mean? A kiss is usually regarded as a gesture of love or affection, but a Kiss Off is an insult, a betrayal of trust. The term will henceforth be used to indicate how we feel devalued, disregarded, and disrespected by the writers/storyline people, or, as commonly referred to, TPTB.
What makes us feel KISSED OFF? How about being set up for an exciting storyline, being given one of the most deliciously complex characters in a long time, Stefan Cassidine, and watching him be destroyed in one night, the night that GH aired Twist of Fate, or, as we've come to think of it, Twisted Fate. Formerly a man with a mission, a man so dedicated to one woman, one cause, one love, and watching him as he accidentally shoots another woman with whom he becomes instantly enamored. Did we buy any of this?? No, but we were subjected to countless flashbacks, fatiguing fantasies, and Stefan's endless remorse over his current situation. How can this be explained?? Unless we say that Stefan had a breakdown, it can't be, storyline wise. What is obvious to one and all is that tptb thought that since SN and MBE had great chemisty as Patch and Kayla, a couple I never watched, that this chemistry should extend to and be celebrated at General Hospital. Sorry, folks, this doesn't work here. Stefan isn't Patch, nor is Kat Kayla, yet TPTB seem bent on cramming this down our collective throats. No thanks!!
What else makes us feel KISSED OFF?? Try the ongoing insults to our intelligence, the apparent belief that our memories are as damaged as Jason Morgan's. Many of us have watched GH for a long time—I started watching in my teens, quit, then began watching again during the Aztec Princess Adventure. There are many fans who have watched the entire time that GH has been on the air. In short, we know this soap, the history of the characters and we would like to think that TPTB are aware of that. Yes, we can be flexible regarding the occasional flight of fantasy that the writers give us—the Alien storyline was a little much, but what the heck? It was fun, anyway. What many of us object to is the manner in which a storyline is begun, clues are thrown out, and then the thing is left dangling for months, or dropped outright. Take the Miranda/Cassidine thing. Miranda kept hiding every time the Cassidines came around, and then, when Jax told her to hit the road, that whole thing vanished with her. Or, how about Tom Hardy's sudden, abrupt departure?? This is the man who was working with Luke, who believed that the Cassidines were responsible for his father's death?? Where was his son?? This, too, was dropped like a hot potato, and while I was rather glad to have Tom leave, his exit was wretched, and Matt Ashford has every right to feel KISSED OFF.
I'm going to borrow a few lines from a previous post—GH Fans as Quality Control Board, to further make our points. "Okay, I've given us an elevated title, but I feel that it's time TPTB get the understanding of just where many of us feel we fit in the whole scheme of things. WE are the CONSUMErs of a product, one that is produced and delivered five days a week. WE SPEND roughly five hours a week on it, less, if we ff commercials and the boring stuff. That said, let me go on.
"……. we are the consumers. This means that the product, (GH) is produced and, in a very real sense, sold to us. We consume. We take it into our homes and, by virtue of the fact that we INVEST our time in it, we are buying it…… If I buy a product that is no longer a quality product, I'll either ask for a refund, or now and then, I'll call the manufacturer.
Having said that, just because we don't pay actual dollars to watch GH doesn't mean that we don't pay for it. WE SPEND TIME WHICH IS MONEY!!! If we don't find that we're getting satisfaction for the time spent, then we have a couple of choices. We either alert the manufacturer that the product is either defective, or that the quality is slipping. Our other resort is to quit the investment of that time, and spend it elsewhere. Time cannot be saved. We're going to spend it somewhere….
"Therefore, in my estimation, TPTB should be grateful to have viewers who will air their thoughts, either positive or negative, in response to their programs. WE ARE THE QUALITY CONTROL BOARD!! Because of us, they either get more or fewer advertising dollars. THEY NEED US FAR MORE THAN WE NEED THEM!! If we stop watching, our lives go on. We still work, live, etc. If they can't sell us their product, they lose viewers which means that they lose advertising dollars which can translate into job loss, etc."
Let me wrap this up by saying that we have enjoyed GH for years, and would love to go on enjoying GH, but that there are problems that need to be addressed. To TPTB—your fans aren't a bunch of unintelligent people who have nothing better to do than sit on our tails and lovingly lap up anything you toss us. Many of us are hardworking, well educated, creative people who have grown up watching this show. We want quality writing, and well thought out, well conceived and well executed storylines. We're a demanding lot, but that should only serve to make you work harder, achieve greater things in the world of soap writing. Listen to us!! We're your audience!!
Sign us Seriously KISSED OFF!!
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