I agree it is case by case - Edit 1
Before modification by imlad at 12/08/2011 09:10:45 PM
Even for me it is case by case. There have been some spoilers that I wasn't happy to get, but I can't say one has ever ruined a story (whether show or book) for me.
The worst case of spoiler I've ever seen was a friend giving away the fact that Saul Tigh was a cylon to another friend who was only just halfway through season 2 of BSG. In a situation like that, it kills so much that the writers are working towards in season 3.
One spoiler (and I'm gonna be vague) that I got for aDwD that I didn't look for (found it by accident reading an entry in the Wiki of Ice and Fire for a certain character) was about a switcheroo that was done. I knew it was done, and when I read a certain scene I noticed clues Martin gave us, but what I didn't get spoiled (and was indeed a surprise to me) was WHO did the switcharoo.
The worst case of spoiler I've ever seen was a friend giving away the fact that Saul Tigh was a cylon to another friend who was only just halfway through season 2 of BSG. In a situation like that, it kills so much that the writers are working towards in season 3.
One spoiler (and I'm gonna be vague) that I got for aDwD that I didn't look for (found it by accident reading an entry in the Wiki of Ice and Fire for a certain character) was about a switcheroo that was done. I knew it was done, and when I read a certain scene I noticed clues Martin gave us, but what I didn't get spoiled (and was indeed a surprise to me) was WHO did the switcharoo.
A spoiler is learning about a plot occurrence from an outside source before seeing/reading it in the actual story. When the story itself tells you something, then that's how the author intends you to learn about it.
And that's great that you would still read the last Wheel of Time book if you knew all the details of how it ended, but surely you don't think you speak for everyone, and that's exactly my point. Not everyone is okay with spoilers. It's a very individual and case-by-case thing, and so there is no one size fits all solution except the status quo, where spoilers are marked and people can either choose to read them or look the other way.
And that's great that you would still read the last Wheel of Time book if you knew all the details of how it ended, but surely you don't think you speak for everyone, and that's exactly my point. Not everyone is okay with spoilers. It's a very individual and case-by-case thing, and so there is no one size fits all solution except the status quo, where spoilers are marked and people can either choose to read them or look the other way.