Why do you think having very strong opinions on things that don't really matter in the grand scheme is such a common and fun(?) phenomenon? (e.g., pineapple on pizza, water is wet, etc.)
Because it's fucking hilarious. I always rewatch that video where those two dudes are arguing over The Wizard of Oz and whether the wicked witch of the east's sister is a princess or a witch. The sheer anger and passion that dude expresses over the topic kills me and I 100% identify with it.
Interesting you 'use water is wet' as an example. Pineapple on pizza matters though. It is a matter of taste. Everything that enters my mouth is a matter of taste, so it matters by definition. ;-))
I would say it's because it offers the validation of a bunch of people agreeing with you and applauding you, but without having to invest yourself emotionally or be really informed about a nuanced topic. But it's hard for me to believe any of those people who get deep into that are serious about it. I often pretend to passionately hate dolphins IRL because it makes one particular friend laugh hysterically when I go on a profanity laden dolphin-centered tirade in which I compare dolphins to nazis. No one I've ever met hates dolphins, the person who laughs doesn't hate dolphins, so it's not about me expressing some militant opinion that doesn't matter but is shared by a lot of people. It's just absurd, and because it's so dumb and absurd it's v funny to someone, and I like getting that attention but I also like making that person happy. So maybe that's what this stuff all started out as, someone being absurd intentionally and then it just snowballed bc the internet.
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