英语阅读：Spoiler alert
Reader question: What does “spoiler alert” mean?My comments: This term comes up more and more in today’s day and age of
leaked Internet downloads and public viewing channels like “Youtube” and
“Yukou.”
In western media, if you pick up an issue of “TV Guide” (a magazine with
television listings and program descriptions) or an entertainment magazine, you
will come across the words “spoiler alert” a lot. It is also widely found on
Internet forums and blogs. Spoiler alert is used when someone is about to reveal
a movie plot or discuss juicy information about a television program that hasn’t
yet aired. In case someone out there hasn’t seen the movie or show yet, they
will preface their writing with: “spoiler alert.” It’s easier than saying, “If
you haven’t seen this film yet, read no further!” or “Don’t read this if you
don’t want to know what happens in next week’s episode of ‘24’!”
A famous movie spoiler was uttered by the late American film critic Gene
Siskel in 1993 on his annual "Memo to the Academy" program, co-hosted by fellow
movie critic Roger Ebert. He announced a key character secret from the film “The
Crying Game”—the lead female character is actually a man. As the film was
gaining quite a bit of press after receiving several Academy Award nominations,
the plot reveal upset the cast and filmmakers, who felt it ruined future
audience’s experience in watching the film.
Since the film came out over ten years ago, I don’t feel it’s inappropriate
to reveal that key bit of information about “The Crying Game” and am not
“spoiling” anything for our readers. Which begs the question: when does the time
come when a spoiler alert isn’t needed? How long after a film or television show
has been aired that we can reveal plot twists? For example, is it okay for me to
say that in the “Sex and the City” movie Carrie and Big get married, since it
came out last summer? Or did I just upset one of our netizens who has been
waiting to watch it? Would it be my fault if I discussed the ending of last
night’s episode of “Lost” because you didn’t have time to watch it?
Bottom line: if you happen to get a sneak preview of a film or TV show,
good viewing etiquette does call for a spoiler alert to be used BEFORE it has
been aired to the public. Don’t “spoil” it for the rest of us!
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