Why just saying ‘read the book’ to Outlander questions is considered rude

When Outlander TV series fans ask questions, they’re told to ‘read the book.’ It’s one of the rudest things you can say for multiple reasons.

I get it. You love the Outlander books so much and want fans to get the full enjoyment from reading. But saying “read the book” when TV series fans ask simple questions is actually rude for multiple reasons.

I say it a lot, but I’m a show-first fan. There’s a beauty in being a show-first fan. By watching the show first, I get the chance to see the series told through the showrunners’ eyes and get a footnotes version of the story. Then, I can delve deeper into the world. Other storylines are pulled out and I can get answers to some of my bigger questions.

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But not everyone has the time to read the books. I certainly don’t. It can take me months to read a book the size of Diana Gabaldon’s. I have at least three books on the go for various reasons. Right now, I’m finishing up “Drums of Autumn,” while reading “Good Omens” by Sir Terry Pratchett and Neil Gaiman and listening to “Magic Study” by Maria V. Snyder. There are a few other books that I’m halfway through because of interests or due to work.

Other people may not have time for the books. Or may have got to a point in one of the books they’re not a fan of and have stopped reading. They may want the answer to their questions to encourage them to keep reading.

Saying “read the book” to a question doesn’t offer the answer at all. It adds a superiority to the reply. Reading a book will take time. It could be months before they get the answer they want — or even years depending on the book they’re on and where the answer is revealed. They’ve asked the question because they want the answer.

https://twitter.com/jessleblanc1981/status/1126461237842382848

More often than not, people ask a question because they want a specific answer. For example, before Outlander Season 4, fans may have wondered if Brianna and Roger went through to the past. They wouldn’t have wanted to know why or what happened in the past. They may have simply wanted a “yes” or “no” answer. That’s enough to encourage them to keep reading.

By saying “read the book” to that question, you’re not helping the matter. TV show fans already know they could read the book to get the majority of answers. They don’t need to be told that the book has the answers.

https://twitter.com/colinmcfarlane/status/1089712737763184640

If you really don’t want to respond to a question with a helpful and kind answer, then just move past a question. It really is that simple and that’s less rude than a quick “read the book” response.

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I’ll admit that when I used to ask questions, I got the “read the book” response and it offered absolutely no discussion. More often than not, I wanted to discuss something. Saying “read the book” cut off all chances of discussion, especially if I was sharing my theories with others who were at the same point as me. I’ve stopped discussing things in a lot of Outlander groups on Facebook because of the “read the book” comments, but that shouldn’t be the case — and more often than not, it breaks the rules of the group.

The next time you’re thinking about saying “read the books,” think again. Are you really offering something to the discussion or are you being rude to the person asking the question?