# What is the rule on spoilers? Is there a time limit? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [December 26, 2020, 7:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-rule-on-spoilers-is-there-a-time-limit/928942 "2020-12-26T07:42:44Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 8\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![cochrane](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cochrane/32/10441_2.png) [@cochrane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cochrane)\ **Post date:** [December 26, 2020, 4:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-rule-on-spoilers-is-there-a-time-limit/928942/21 "2020-12-26T16:10:25Z")
> [@RivkahChaya](#): > > I’m super-careful. I give a warning for anything that isn’t part of the collective consciousness, or vernacular, like “Jekyll & Hyde,” “Picture of Dorian Gray,” “Romeo & Juliet,” or “Ruby Slippers.” In other words, I wouldn’t feel a need to give a spoiler warning for any of the works that those things reference (the last, of course, referencing the movie, not the book). > > But unless a work has both age and extraordinarily wide-spread popularity, I wouldn’t count on it not being possible to spoil it for someone. I probably don’t need a spoiler alert for \*To Kill a Mockingbird," but I would probably use one anyway. I know that the book is taught in high schools across the US, and in some 7th & 8th grades as well, but that doesn’t mean that someone who grew up in another country, or was home-schooled, won’t complain when you spoil it. > > You wouldn’t think you’d have to alert for _Star Wars_ either, but I do. There might be a 20-something reading who hasn’t seen it, as unlikely as that it; it happens that I worked with one. She was 24, and had never seen any Star Wars movie. She said she wanted to see it (or “them,” I don’t remember) but never had time. When she got married, I gave her a boxed set of the original movies (ie, IV-VI) from the 1970s & 80s as a gift. About 3 months after her wedding, she ran up to me at work, and said something like “Oh my gawd! Star Wars is so great! I can’t believe I’d never seen it until now! Thank you!” > > So, it could have been spoiled for her, but it wasn’t. Somehow she managed to avoid that. > > Better safe than sorry. I haven’t even figured out how to use the “blur” on this forum, so I just announce [SPOILER], and even that takes very little effort. You can still use the [spoiler] tags too, and it will blur anything you want to hide. ---
**Author:** ![Thudlow\_Boink](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thudlow_boink/32/320_2.png) [@Thudlow\_Boink](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Thudlow_Boink)\ **Post date:** [December 26, 2020, 4:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-rule-on-spoilers-is-there-a-time-limit/928942/22 "2020-12-26T16:18:53Z")
> [@BigT](#): > > I’ve never understood the idea that spoilers should have a time limit. The reason why some older works are sometimes considered unspoilable is just that the twist is so widely known that it seems unlikely that people hadn’t heard of it. It’s never been about time elapsed. Totally agree—not just the quoted part but the whole response. ---
**Author:** ![Teuton](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/teuton/32/3864_2.png) [@Teuton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Teuton)\ **Post date:** [December 26, 2020, 4:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-rule-on-spoilers-is-there-a-time-limit/928942/23 "2020-12-26T16:35:42Z")
> [@Whack-a-Mole](#): > > How “The Graduate” ends? I haven’t seen The Graduate. I wouldn’t go into a thread specifically about The Graduate, and if I did I would do so knowing I may have it spoiled. However, I might be mildly miffed if I went into a more general thread and it was spoiled. ---
**Author:** ![Whack-a-Mole](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/whack-a-mole/32/141_2.png) [@Whack-a-Mole](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Whack-a-Mole)\ **Post date:** [December 26, 2020, 4:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-rule-on-spoilers-is-there-a-time-limit/928942/24 "2020-12-26T16:39:46Z")
> [@Teuton](#): > > I haven’t seen The Graduate. You should watch “The Graduate” at your earliest opportunity. Just saying. If you’re in Chicago swing by and I will lend you my DVD of it. (really) ---
**Author:** ![What\_Exit](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/what_exit/32/10652_2.png) [@What\_Exit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/What_Exit)\ **Post date:** [December 26, 2020, 4:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-rule-on-spoilers-is-there-a-time-limit/928942/25 "2020-12-26T16:41:55Z")
But if it was a thread about famous scenes from Hollywood movies, you will have to expect that there be spoilers ahead. However if it is a thread about the Simpson’s movie, a spoiler about the Graduate should be blurred for sure and noted as such. Like this, Spoiler for Graduate: This isn’t an actual spoiler to play it safe. I used the [spoiler] [/spoiler] tags on that one. (minus the leading spaces) . Could also get it from the gear button and selecting blur spoiler ---
**Author:** ![digs](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/digs/32/14889_2.png) [@digs](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/digs)\ **Post date:** [December 26, 2020, 5:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-rule-on-spoilers-is-there-a-time-limit/928942/26 "2020-12-26T17:56:03Z")
> [@RivkahChaya](#): > > I’m super-careful. I give a warning for anything that isn’t part of the collective consciousness THANK YOU! I really appreciate when an OP puts “Spoilers” or “No Spoilers” in the thread title. Doesn’t take that long, and it’s handy for someone who’s a few years behind in their viewing habits. I have a friend who arrogantly assumes everyone’s seen all the movies… (no, excuse me, he watches _films)_ that he has. I, on the other hand, have a few glaring holes in my Classic Film Consumption. For example,I really should see the Godfather movies before everything’s spoiled just due to cultural osmosis (I mean, I’ve picked up enough to know I don’t want to watch Sofia try to act…). But a curse on anyone who spoils movies that are a lot more fun without knowing the spoiler. I’m so glad I saw Fight Club before I knew how they made soap… And I loved seeing The Sixth Sense before I even knew there was a spoiler… (even decent child actors can be annoying) So go ahead and spoil films, but I’d appreciate it if you could put, as someone did a while ago, “Spoilers Inevitable” in the thread title. Huge thanks from those of us who just didn’t have time to see that movie yet! ---
**Author:** ![Northern\_Piper](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/northern_piper/32/5304_2.png) [@Northern\_Piper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Northern_Piper)\ **Post date:** [December 26, 2020, 8:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-rule-on-spoilers-is-there-a-time-limit/928942/27 "2020-12-26T20:11:04Z")
I don’t think you can assume that everyone knows all literature / movies. I bought a mystery book from the Folio Society, several decades old. Started reading the forward, and it revealed the mystery, right there. I sent it back. ---
**Author:** ![DigitalC](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ebca7d/32.png) [@DigitalC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DigitalC)\ **Post date:** [December 26, 2020, 9:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-rule-on-spoilers-is-there-a-time-limit/928942/28 "2020-12-26T21:59:56Z")
> [@stuccosuperstar2020](#): > > Common sense needs to also come in play. The series finale of Mandalorian Season 2 streamed on Friday 3am last week, and assholes were already posting spoilers at 4. It is pretty unreasonable to ask even the biggest Star Wars fans to stay up that late to watch the show especially on a work night. I mean… you’d have to be awake to read the spoiler too. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-rule-on-spoilers-is-there-a-time-limit/928942.md?page=1)