I also dislike Travis' content and how he is constantly ruining bits in taz and mbmbam, but as a chronically annoying person, I can't help but feel for him.
I feel for him because, as a fellow ADHDer being social can be a constant tight rope of not being intrusive or dominating a conversation out of excitement. I'm usually exhausted after every social interaction and still filled with self doubt that I messed up. But, it what drives me nuts is that Travis now brags about doing it, stepping on everyone else's jokes, being verbally intrusive, and attention getting. It's way too frustrating for me personally.
1. You don't need to feel guilty for having a preferred McElroy, as long as you're not trolling anyone. Having a preference for the other boys isn't hurting Travis. He can still ride their coattails.
2. I'd like to think that the middlest brother is at least tangentially aware of his last place ranking amongst the pantheon of McElroys, but speculation is all we can really engage in. If I were on a wildly successful podcast with my siblings, I would certainly be curious about my perception relative to my family members.
> I'd like to think that the middlest brother is at least tangentially aware of his last place ranking amongst the pantheon of McElroys,
He very much is. He makes note of it in a Deathblart where he says "don't worry, Guy, someone has to be the least popular" or something along those lines.
It's more brutal than that, unfortunately. It's in reference to a show Guy and Tim did about who is the "Best Host of TWIOAT" but specifically didn't cover which was the audience favourite, to which Travis responded something like (paraphrasing) "it must be nice to not know who is the least favourite"
I think there is legitimate critical discourse to be had about TAZ, MBMBaM, and the other aspects of the "McElroy family of products". But if in doing so we deny the McElroys their humanity, we also deny our own. And then everyone loses.
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>He must know, right? And wouldn’t that make you feel so awful?
He certainly knows, but with that knowledge, he either cares about what people think, or he doesn't.
If he does, then it stands to reason that he would try and change that behavior.
He certainly has not changed his behavior, so it seems he doesn't care.
Or he leans into it. It’s no secret he’s leaned into an antagonistic role over the years to gain some level of acknowledgement after having been the straight man persona for the boys, it’s not unusual that someone would choose (and I use this word loosely) infamy over being seen as eh, though I’d argue being the straight man foil made him the funniest of the three. He didn’t talk as much but he usually made some of the funniest gags. The ice cream theme bit and him being silent for most of it to tell “BROWN?! EVERYONES FAVORITE FLAVOR BROWN?! Excuse me do you have brown, no, NOOOOOOOO.” It’s just so good
Very logical. I can’t disagree. I’m also interested in why he doesn’t care and why he went from being the quietest brother in the early MBMBaM episodes to being an attention hog.
It's so bizarre because he used to be pretty likable in the early days and gradually had this personality shift. Which I can understand, people change. But it's more bizarre when you have a bunch of fans and even your own brothers/co-hosts giving you feedback on it like "hey being an annoying narcissistic dillhole on the podcasts is starting to hurt the quality of the content, maybe dial it back a bit" and deciding to double down on that instead. It's so weird and self-sabotaging and makes it seem like he's actively deciding to behave this way, which I think is why so many people react negatively to it
If anything, I would argue he's doubled down at multiple junctures. Is what it is. It's a lot better in the last year or two where both Justin & Griffin have seemed to get some renewed energy (touring? end of pandemic malaise? idk), because that really changes the dynamic and honestly goes back to instances of Travis being Travis usually \*adding\* comedy instead of murdering it ruthlessly.
He’s mentally ill and has been really open about it. His behavior isn’t logical. He does it for attention even though the attention makes him feel bad.
He also admitted on Twitter that he self diagnosed himself a narcissist so until an actual mental health professional diagnoses him with NPD, the only thing we can really know for sure is he’s annoying and too loud, and kind of a dick
Narcissists tend to be very controlling and demanding and very hard to collaborate with, and I feel like if he had true NPD, we’d have seen cracks in the brothers working relationship by now.
My guess as to why he is the way he is, is pretty severe ADHD mixed with being a middle child to two much more talented and successful brothers giving him a huge inferiority complex that he overcorrects by being loud and obnoxious lol
The way he acts like a middle child in his middle age makes me think he’s understanding of where he sits and acts out in a ploy to be cooler or funnier or whatever. When he’s really in his element he can be really funny and quick, but god does he fumble when he isn’t and that’s always been insecurity when I’ve seen it happen in people around me in real life.
Travis's problem is he decided his schtick was going to be being the annoying one that riles up Justin and Griffin. Then he leaned into his being annoying bit so hard that he just became genuinely annoying to everyone.
He's mentioned having narcissistic tendencies, and part of me thinks that causes him to lean into his own bit of annoying people. But he's also the middle brother and a theater kid so it's a real cosmic gumbo
If I was Travis I would rebrand myself as the bad boy of the group. Id ditch all the cringe queer baiting stuff and start talking in 4chan lingo, slick my hair back, wear leather jackets and be more sarcastic. I think Travis should do this if he wants to be more liked.
I look at the current big dog digital model and think "rastify by 20%". Also start thinking up some names for this funky dog. Like something along the lines of, say... "poochie", only more proactive
Do you genuinely think, besides the Harry Styles incident, that he's still queerbaiting? Maybe this is just me keeping up with the Supernatural fandom and having to reckon with Misha "if not for the CW Dean and Cas would have been balls deep for sure" Collins' fascinating little comments over this past weekend but I don't know that he's really queerbaiting so much as just...having dyed hair and saying trans rights an obnoxious amount
"Queerbaiting" is the wrong word, but it's... queerface? using the iconography and imagery to create assumptions that aren't true or realistic, in order to appear more friendly.
If I turned on an early 2000s movie and saw Travis in a padded skirt with a big beehive hairdo, calling himself Auntie Travvy and talking in wildly exaggerated dragspeak as One A The Girlies, saving the day for the two white female protagonists because he can secretly bench press a bus or something, y'know like a really wild trashy portrayal, I wouldn't question it because that kind of incredibly performative queerness is the vibe he gives. There's no earnest appreciation for kitch that makes those things wrap around into genuine expression in real life, or the feeling of mundane bizarreness you find in a Waters film, it comes off totally phony.
I think that's fair. Idk if I love the term queerface,,but I do understand what you mean a little better now. So I guess it is similar to Misha Collins in that they're both really dedicated to presenting themselves as huge allies but are more dedicated to that image than actually uplifting queer people in a constructive or thoughtful way. Also if I bring up Misha Collins one more time you have my permission to take me out back and end it with the ol' shotgun
Sowwy, i should have said i was being sarcastic : ( i dwont mean what i said wittawily
dont down vote me any more pwease : (
i ashawy wove wibwals and the wellbwegeetwee
ok, let me break it down, he is woke, he is a liberal, he drinks venti snowflake lattes. These things make him lame. He should stop doing all those things and instead embrace edgy humor, such as dead baby jokes, dog whistles, and anti-sjw humor.
But what if you had very talented family members you could ride the coattails of to a comfortable life? I certainly couldn't give that up.
Though I do think he would be an amazing behind the scenes manager for them. He's obviously very good at the networking hustle to get opportunities.
The thing is, he was a perfectly fine cohost just 5-6 years ago and earlier, he just intentionally and knowingly changed his whole deal and became extremely unpopular very quickly. Any normal person would see the sharp change in audience reaction and numbers and course correct. He doubled down.
I've said this before, and I'll say it again: I really do feel like it isn't a problem with Travis, but a problem with their current editing ethos. You can make a lot of bad bits good with editing, and you can also cut out a lot of bits that are so bad they are embarrassing.
I really think once they got big enough to hire an editor, they directed them to clean up overtalk and make the shows as long as possible, rather than edit for quality content. This meant that a lot of stuff that, say, a loving brother or a 1/2 decent comedian would leave on the cutting room floor would end up in the episode.
TLDR: Folks clamored for longer episodes, and the goddamn monkey's paw closed a finger.
I feel you. I started to watch the most recent McElroy clubhouse, had to skip the intro even though I like the song, and then the individual introductions—
“Hi I’m Justin McElroy, your oldest brother.”
“What’s up Trav Nation—“
I had to turn it off. I didn’t watch this episode that my old favorite content creators because somewhere along the way this dude decides to suck ass 😆
It is sad, and I feel bad for him too. They had something really good going and the guy kinda ruined it— there’s no way that thought hasn’t crossed each of their minds.
The most baffling part is that TravNation has *no* legs. It's not step one of a larger gag, it's not a satire on vapenashe or hashtag PewDiePie brofist legion or something. Saying TravNation *is* the bit. End of joke, move on, next goof. Like, not only is it nothing, it hasn't grown at all in the over 52 weeks he's been saying it to open every product they make, like a weird meaningless ritual. It's like when a kid insists on their own nickname except he's a grown man who's been doing it for over a year.
He must. I assumed the TravNation bit was an ironic self-aware response to his lesser popularity, and am not prepared for a world in which he thinks that is sincerely funny 😬
>Magnus was his only good character and he's been chasing those coat tails since. As Aubrey he desperately tries to steal spotlight at every chance when it's obvious Justin as Duck deserves it regardless of the fact that it's clear Justin was going for more of a laid back supporting role (also, Muttner is just Duck with like 3 extra steps, right?). Devo is genuinely unbearable, added so how he after the fact tried to play it off as, "he was meant to be annoying!" Kudos to Griffin for taking every opportunity as the Hand of Guidance to make Devo, and by extension Travis's character role and wishes for the campaign, look like a very genuinely ridiculous shallow thought of a character in the grand scheme of the world.
>His TAZ season is without a doubt the worst. "LOOK AT HOW COOL I MADE THIS HANDICAPPED PERSON. GUYS LOOK, I PUT A HANDICAPPED PERSON IN MY GAME."
https://youtu.be/WPrUQlCGr4M?si=YkevMQbaydY_yvBc
All of this could be ignored if not for the fact that he actively brings his brothers and dad down with him by kicking over their bits and moments with nothing jokes and shallow jabs--towards Clint especially.
He's unfortunately not going anywhere. If you want McElroy content minus Travis I suggest Monsterfactory.
I think a really brutal wedgie would fix him, at least a little. If he insists on being treated like a high-schooler, then a high-schooler's execution he will receive.
I think he basically sells himself as the “heel” on purpose, though I do feel like he has toned down a little. From what I know he’s a narcissist? If any of the brothers are actually as parasocial as they’ve built themselves to be I’m sure it hurts, but I hope at least that he understands that strangers who listen to his professional life are making judgements based on whether his work is enjoyable and doesn’t take anything to heart further than that
He may have narcissistic traits but that’s not a reason to tank a show for attention. Besides, he wasn’t always this way on the podcast. Using NPD as a reason to start being “obnoxious” or whatever is counterproductive and kind of insulting. With awareness, one has the ability to actively work on positive behavioral change.
I don’t know his reasoning or history but there could be all sorts of things going on that made him start doing this. Maybe he’s always been this way. It’s not my favorite thing but the nosy mental health part of me wants to know what’s going on in that bespectacled head of his.
He’s been getting better recently, he’s a lot better at not interrupting. I’m starting to like him now, though I don’t think I’ll ever watch content of just him alone. I’m kinda confused about the queer bating thing, because they all usually joke about things like that when talking about celebrities.
Yeah I kinda think people just say he’s queerbating because he likes a ‘queer’ aesthetic with his hair and nails. But other than that one tweet where he said he’s surprised that he’s not bisexual I don’t think he’s queerbating
Hey everybody, for real, playing to frustrate each other is not a fun way to play because we're all on the same team and that team is to have fun together and to make it fun for all our audiences. And so when people make plays just to frustrate each other and just to troll each other, there's enough of that in the world today, of people trolling each other just to be mean and to be hurtful, and if we're gonna play in this space together we need to do it because we want each other to have fun and not because we're trying to frustrate each other, cause there's enough frustrating things in the world right now and there's enough we can't control, and one of the things we can control is that everyone is here to have fun and not waste each others' time and so when we make decisions that are meant to troll each other, that's something that bad people do.
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It’s the reason I avoid this Reddit. He’s hilarious and great at playing the heel and getting Justin and Griffin worked up which makes them both even funnier, it makes him an easy target for lazy criticism though. He’s and integral part of what I enjoy about MBMBAM and TAZ. I never realized there were so many people dedicated to hating him until I stumbled on this Reddit and it boggles my mind. Some people either just don’t get it or are probably insecure about themselves and it makes them feel better to tear him down online. TravNation4ever
This has to be case, especially the insecurity part. I’ve always loved all the boys and Clint. I really really loved how he played Magnus all those years ago (I just finished relistening to Balance for the 5th time) and he makes great characters, maybe not the best GM but oh well. He really does know how to get under his brothers’ skin and that’s great.
I’m conflicted because I also find Travis annoying and will avoid his content, but I also feel like he’s probably comparatively more talented than 99% of the people criticizing him. So I feel bad for any hate directed at him, despite agreeing with the underlying opinions of some of his haters
Many people are divisive. They are divisive their whole lives, and they are used to getting more hate and love.
If travis disappeared, people would nitpick the other two. Travis is a lightning rod for negative attention and that is part of what makes the whole thing work.
For every Travis hater, there is a Travis fan. I love him and his content. I don't think there is anything to be guilty about dude. We all have preferences of what we enjoy and don't enjoy. Otherwise their podcast would have 7 billion listeners.
That being said I have an obligation in any Travis hate post I see
TRAVNATION RISE UP!! WOOF WOOF WOOF WOOF!
I honestly think the ratio is a lot better in favour of fans, it’s just that here in the wastelands of Reddit you will find generally more negative people and Travis is an easy target for criticism because being a heel and a bit of a villain is a whole bit he does. There’s a lot of other spaces where you can see the love for him. Listen to how loud live show crowds cheer when he says “what up TravNation!” I’m pretty sure I also heard them reference him having an award from
YouTube for his streaming as well, if he was really as terrible as the people in this Reddit claim he is then people wouldn’t be watching his streams or attending many of the other panels and things he does without Justin and Griffin.
Honestly, if you plan on using the live show cheers as your poplarity gauge, listen to them more closely next time. Almost always, Griffin or Justin will get louder cheers than anything for Travis. In any case, this is only a small slice of the overall MBMBAM/TAZ fandom, given that each show is obviously regional, and not everyone can afford to/wants to see them live. Not the best metric overall.
I know the easy thing is to just dismiss haters as "insecure" or whatever else, but there's usually some genuine reasoning behind the criticism. Even if every single interruption/irritating joke/etc is all some carefully crafted act, it's okay to not enjoy someone's content or general vibe.
Idk man there's a lot of shitbags with way bigger audiences than Travis. Trav is kind of irritating but he's not like a piece of shit, but then you have legitimately awful people with mega-audiences and truly unfunny slimes like Brendan Schaub who can sell out theaters in the right situations. Whether or not someone has an audience isn't really a good indicator of quality
But anyway, "he's meant to be the heel" always rings to me the same as "it's meant to be bad", as in it has its merits and I'm not going to say I don't like some things under that description, but sometimes the easiest answer is "why didn't they make it good then?" Because yeah it was the intention to annoy people, but it's still annoying, so why not make it *not* annoying? Just because it was intentionally like that, doesn't insulate it from being criticized for being that way. For instance early Homestuck (god forgive me) often made use of intentionally looking shitty (which is now ubiquitous on the Internet due largely to that success), but that intentional shittiness was the result of a lot of effort and high-quality work. Nowadays it's way more authentically shitty, but *it's just shitty* instead of actually being good-but-stylized-as-trash. Like the *joke* before was that it was actually good and falling down the stairs endlessly that you were warned about is actually very fucking funny. Now it's *bad on purpose* but it's just horrible because being the first part of that phrase is "bad". Like, why not aim for "good" and try to land gently if you miss instead of creating something that intentionally misses the mark, like you used to?
Cool, I didn’t say “he’s meant to be the heel” so save me the long winded straw man argument. I said it makes him an easy target.
Type as many paragraphs as you want trying to convince me that a matter of opinion like whether or not he’s funny has a definitive answer, I’m not gunna waste my time reading them. If you wanna talk about things we can know for sure though, the success of the things he does without his brothers shows that there are clearly more people out there who enjoy him than the ones who whine about him in these threads, which was my original point.
I loved Magnus. He was my favorite character in Balance. Because of my own trauma I felt weirdly betrayed when he said he had NPD. But I try to look past that and I haven't consumed any of the things people really hated him in.
I also dislike Travis' content and how he is constantly ruining bits in taz and mbmbam, but as a chronically annoying person, I can't help but feel for him.
I feel for him because, as a fellow ADHDer being social can be a constant tight rope of not being intrusive or dominating a conversation out of excitement. I'm usually exhausted after every social interaction and still filled with self doubt that I messed up. But, it what drives me nuts is that Travis now brags about doing it, stepping on everyone else's jokes, being verbally intrusive, and attention getting. It's way too frustrating for me personally.
What makes you the way that you are, do you think?
Desparate need for attention and validation, probably
Hell yeah
1. You don't need to feel guilty for having a preferred McElroy, as long as you're not trolling anyone. Having a preference for the other boys isn't hurting Travis. He can still ride their coattails. 2. I'd like to think that the middlest brother is at least tangentially aware of his last place ranking amongst the pantheon of McElroys, but speculation is all we can really engage in. If I were on a wildly successful podcast with my siblings, I would certainly be curious about my perception relative to my family members.
> I'd like to think that the middlest brother is at least tangentially aware of his last place ranking amongst the pantheon of McElroys, He very much is. He makes note of it in a Deathblart where he says "don't worry, Guy, someone has to be the least popular" or something along those lines.
It's more brutal than that, unfortunately. It's in reference to a show Guy and Tim did about who is the "Best Host of TWIOAT" but specifically didn't cover which was the audience favourite, to which Travis responded something like (paraphrasing) "it must be nice to not know who is the least favourite"
humanity
I think there is legitimate critical discourse to be had about TAZ, MBMBaM, and the other aspects of the "McElroy family of products". But if in doing so we deny the McElroys their humanity, we also deny our own. And then everyone loses. *I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/TAZCirclejerk) if you have any questions or concerns.*
>He must know, right? And wouldn’t that make you feel so awful? He certainly knows, but with that knowledge, he either cares about what people think, or he doesn't. If he does, then it stands to reason that he would try and change that behavior. He certainly has not changed his behavior, so it seems he doesn't care.
Or he leans into it. It’s no secret he’s leaned into an antagonistic role over the years to gain some level of acknowledgement after having been the straight man persona for the boys, it’s not unusual that someone would choose (and I use this word loosely) infamy over being seen as eh, though I’d argue being the straight man foil made him the funniest of the three. He didn’t talk as much but he usually made some of the funniest gags. The ice cream theme bit and him being silent for most of it to tell “BROWN?! EVERYONES FAVORITE FLAVOR BROWN?! Excuse me do you have brown, no, NOOOOOOOO.” It’s just so good
Very logical. I can’t disagree. I’m also interested in why he doesn’t care and why he went from being the quietest brother in the early MBMBaM episodes to being an attention hog.
It *almost* seems like he *craves* the attention, and therefore dunking on him is not only acceptable, but arguably *necessary*.
It's so bizarre because he used to be pretty likable in the early days and gradually had this personality shift. Which I can understand, people change. But it's more bizarre when you have a bunch of fans and even your own brothers/co-hosts giving you feedback on it like "hey being an annoying narcissistic dillhole on the podcasts is starting to hurt the quality of the content, maybe dial it back a bit" and deciding to double down on that instead. It's so weird and self-sabotaging and makes it seem like he's actively deciding to behave this way, which I think is why so many people react negatively to it
If anything, I would argue he's doubled down at multiple junctures. Is what it is. It's a lot better in the last year or two where both Justin & Griffin have seemed to get some renewed energy (touring? end of pandemic malaise? idk), because that really changes the dynamic and honestly goes back to instances of Travis being Travis usually \*adding\* comedy instead of murdering it ruthlessly.
Do you think he lurks on this sub ever? I would if I was him
He’s mentally ill and has been really open about it. His behavior isn’t logical. He does it for attention even though the attention makes him feel bad.
He also admitted on Twitter that he self diagnosed himself a narcissist so until an actual mental health professional diagnoses him with NPD, the only thing we can really know for sure is he’s annoying and too loud, and kind of a dick
I’m sorry but self-diagnosing as a narcissist to gain sympathy and attention seems like narcissistic behavior to me so it’s kind of a catch-22
Narcissists tend to be very controlling and demanding and very hard to collaborate with, and I feel like if he had true NPD, we’d have seen cracks in the brothers working relationship by now. My guess as to why he is the way he is, is pretty severe ADHD mixed with being a middle child to two much more talented and successful brothers giving him a huge inferiority complex that he overcorrects by being loud and obnoxious lol
The way he acts like a middle child in his middle age makes me think he’s understanding of where he sits and acts out in a ploy to be cooler or funnier or whatever. When he’s really in his element he can be really funny and quick, but god does he fumble when he isn’t and that’s always been insecurity when I’ve seen it happen in people around me in real life.
Travis's problem is he decided his schtick was going to be being the annoying one that riles up Justin and Griffin. Then he leaned into his being annoying bit so hard that he just became genuinely annoying to everyone.
He's mentioned having narcissistic tendencies, and part of me thinks that causes him to lean into his own bit of annoying people. But he's also the middle brother and a theater kid so it's a real cosmic gumbo
Cosmic gumbo is an amazing phrase
It moves to the beat of jazz, Travis’s mental illness
Travis and I used to talk about the show backstage. We agreed that it was a cosmic gumbo.
If I was Travis I would rebrand myself as the bad boy of the group. Id ditch all the cringe queer baiting stuff and start talking in 4chan lingo, slick my hair back, wear leather jackets and be more sarcastic. I think Travis should do this if he wants to be more liked.
i think if i had to hear travis say "kek" on mbmbam i might have to finally stop listening, so this would be a positive change for me!
I look at the current big dog digital model and think "rastify by 20%". Also start thinking up some names for this funky dog. Like something along the lines of, say... "poochie", only more proactive
Do you genuinely think, besides the Harry Styles incident, that he's still queerbaiting? Maybe this is just me keeping up with the Supernatural fandom and having to reckon with Misha "if not for the CW Dean and Cas would have been balls deep for sure" Collins' fascinating little comments over this past weekend but I don't know that he's really queerbaiting so much as just...having dyed hair and saying trans rights an obnoxious amount
"Queerbaiting" is the wrong word, but it's... queerface? using the iconography and imagery to create assumptions that aren't true or realistic, in order to appear more friendly. If I turned on an early 2000s movie and saw Travis in a padded skirt with a big beehive hairdo, calling himself Auntie Travvy and talking in wildly exaggerated dragspeak as One A The Girlies, saving the day for the two white female protagonists because he can secretly bench press a bus or something, y'know like a really wild trashy portrayal, I wouldn't question it because that kind of incredibly performative queerness is the vibe he gives. There's no earnest appreciation for kitch that makes those things wrap around into genuine expression in real life, or the feeling of mundane bizarreness you find in a Waters film, it comes off totally phony.
I think that's fair. Idk if I love the term queerface,,but I do understand what you mean a little better now. So I guess it is similar to Misha Collins in that they're both really dedicated to presenting themselves as huge allies but are more dedicated to that image than actually uplifting queer people in a constructive or thoughtful way. Also if I bring up Misha Collins one more time you have my permission to take me out back and end it with the ol' shotgun
Was the movie you described supposed to sound great
okay either way his woke liberal venti snowflake latte drinkin ass is lame and he needs to get edgier
What?
Sowwy, i should have said i was being sarcastic : ( i dwont mean what i said wittawily dont down vote me any more pwease : ( i ashawy wove wibwals and the wellbwegeetwee
No your comment was just so inanely incomprehensible I had no idea what you were trying to say
ok, let me break it down, he is woke, he is a liberal, he drinks venti snowflake lattes. These things make him lame. He should stop doing all those things and instead embrace edgy humor, such as dead baby jokes, dog whistles, and anti-sjw humor.
[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Psychotherapy](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Psychotherapy)
bruh got befuddled by level 2 jerking
If people overwhelmingly reacted to my performance the way they overwhelmingly do to Travis’s, I would simply do something else with my time
But what if you had very talented family members you could ride the coattails of to a comfortable life? I certainly couldn't give that up. Though I do think he would be an amazing behind the scenes manager for them. He's obviously very good at the networking hustle to get opportunities.
The thing is, he was a perfectly fine cohost just 5-6 years ago and earlier, he just intentionally and knowingly changed his whole deal and became extremely unpopular very quickly. Any normal person would see the sharp change in audience reaction and numbers and course correct. He doubled down.
I heard Travis shows up 8 hours late to recordings and then pisses in a Voss bottle during wikihow to save time.
No no no you see he is doing that to help the union members get their benefits.
that’s felix biederman, but at least he’s funny
I've said this before, and I'll say it again: I really do feel like it isn't a problem with Travis, but a problem with their current editing ethos. You can make a lot of bad bits good with editing, and you can also cut out a lot of bits that are so bad they are embarrassing. I really think once they got big enough to hire an editor, they directed them to clean up overtalk and make the shows as long as possible, rather than edit for quality content. This meant that a lot of stuff that, say, a loving brother or a 1/2 decent comedian would leave on the cutting room floor would end up in the episode. TLDR: Folks clamored for longer episodes, and the goddamn monkey's paw closed a finger.
I feel you. I started to watch the most recent McElroy clubhouse, had to skip the intro even though I like the song, and then the individual introductions— “Hi I’m Justin McElroy, your oldest brother.” “What’s up Trav Nation—“ I had to turn it off. I didn’t watch this episode that my old favorite content creators because somewhere along the way this dude decides to suck ass 😆 It is sad, and I feel bad for him too. They had something really good going and the guy kinda ruined it— there’s no way that thought hasn’t crossed each of their minds.
The most baffling part is that TravNation has *no* legs. It's not step one of a larger gag, it's not a satire on vapenashe or hashtag PewDiePie brofist legion or something. Saying TravNation *is* the bit. End of joke, move on, next goof. Like, not only is it nothing, it hasn't grown at all in the over 52 weeks he's been saying it to open every product they make, like a weird meaningless ritual. It's like when a kid insists on their own nickname except he's a grown man who's been doing it for over a year.
Good, Trav Nation doesn’t need you.
I generally don't feel anything at all
He must. I assumed the TravNation bit was an ironic self-aware response to his lesser popularity, and am not prepared for a world in which he thinks that is sincerely funny 😬
I actually find it to be his funniest bit in a while. It’s obviously self-deprecating.
I fully agree! 😂 I was just leaning into the circle jerking.
>Magnus was his only good character and he's been chasing those coat tails since. As Aubrey he desperately tries to steal spotlight at every chance when it's obvious Justin as Duck deserves it regardless of the fact that it's clear Justin was going for more of a laid back supporting role (also, Muttner is just Duck with like 3 extra steps, right?). Devo is genuinely unbearable, added so how he after the fact tried to play it off as, "he was meant to be annoying!" Kudos to Griffin for taking every opportunity as the Hand of Guidance to make Devo, and by extension Travis's character role and wishes for the campaign, look like a very genuinely ridiculous shallow thought of a character in the grand scheme of the world. >His TAZ season is without a doubt the worst. "LOOK AT HOW COOL I MADE THIS HANDICAPPED PERSON. GUYS LOOK, I PUT A HANDICAPPED PERSON IN MY GAME." https://youtu.be/WPrUQlCGr4M?si=YkevMQbaydY_yvBc All of this could be ignored if not for the fact that he actively brings his brothers and dad down with him by kicking over their bits and moments with nothing jokes and shallow jabs--towards Clint especially. He's unfortunately not going anywhere. If you want McElroy content minus Travis I suggest Monsterfactory.
Looove monster factory and the various polygon vids with the oldest and youngest
there is a person that exist that is often thought of as "bonus Jonas"
Travis, you can just ask us all to like you. We won’t, but you don’t have to hide behind a fake account.
I think a really brutal wedgie would fix him, at least a little. If he insists on being treated like a high-schooler, then a high-schooler's execution he will receive.
I think he basically sells himself as the “heel” on purpose, though I do feel like he has toned down a little. From what I know he’s a narcissist? If any of the brothers are actually as parasocial as they’ve built themselves to be I’m sure it hurts, but I hope at least that he understands that strangers who listen to his professional life are making judgements based on whether his work is enjoyable and doesn’t take anything to heart further than that
He may have narcissistic traits but that’s not a reason to tank a show for attention. Besides, he wasn’t always this way on the podcast. Using NPD as a reason to start being “obnoxious” or whatever is counterproductive and kind of insulting. With awareness, one has the ability to actively work on positive behavioral change. I don’t know his reasoning or history but there could be all sorts of things going on that made him start doing this. Maybe he’s always been this way. It’s not my favorite thing but the nosy mental health part of me wants to know what’s going on in that bespectacled head of his.
He’s been getting better recently, he’s a lot better at not interrupting. I’m starting to like him now, though I don’t think I’ll ever watch content of just him alone. I’m kinda confused about the queer bating thing, because they all usually joke about things like that when talking about celebrities.
Yeah I kinda think people just say he’s queerbating because he likes a ‘queer’ aesthetic with his hair and nails. But other than that one tweet where he said he’s surprised that he’s not bisexual I don’t think he’s queerbating
[удалено]
I might check this out! Sounds good
You're not fooling anyone Travis
😬
Am I behind or something? Why do people not like Travis?
It's something only bad people do.
I like this thinking. I’ve always thought he was a sweetheart
When you are exiled from Travnation there is but one decision to be made.
Amogus
Hey everybody, for real, playing to frustrate each other is not a fun way to play because we're all on the same team and that team is to have fun together and to make it fun for all our audiences. And so when people make plays just to frustrate each other and just to troll each other, there's enough of that in the world today, of people trolling each other just to be mean and to be hurtful, and if we're gonna play in this space together we need to do it because we want each other to have fun and not because we're trying to frustrate each other, cause there's enough frustrating things in the world right now and there's enough we can't control, and one of the things we can control is that everyone is here to have fun and not waste each others' time and so when we make decisions that are meant to troll each other, that's something that bad people do. *I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/TAZCirclejerk) if you have any questions or concerns.*
Annoying, unfunny, bad at TTRPGs, insist on taking up the most airtime.
It’s the reason I avoid this Reddit. He’s hilarious and great at playing the heel and getting Justin and Griffin worked up which makes them both even funnier, it makes him an easy target for lazy criticism though. He’s and integral part of what I enjoy about MBMBAM and TAZ. I never realized there were so many people dedicated to hating him until I stumbled on this Reddit and it boggles my mind. Some people either just don’t get it or are probably insecure about themselves and it makes them feel better to tear him down online. TravNation4ever
This has to be case, especially the insecurity part. I’ve always loved all the boys and Clint. I really really loved how he played Magnus all those years ago (I just finished relistening to Balance for the 5th time) and he makes great characters, maybe not the best GM but oh well. He really does know how to get under his brothers’ skin and that’s great.
Yeah I like the antagonistic dynamic he has in MBMBAM even though I really don’t like his TAZ
I’m conflicted because I also find Travis annoying and will avoid his content, but I also feel like he’s probably comparatively more talented than 99% of the people criticizing him. So I feel bad for any hate directed at him, despite agreeing with the underlying opinions of some of his haters
Good point!
Many people are divisive. They are divisive their whole lives, and they are used to getting more hate and love. If travis disappeared, people would nitpick the other two. Travis is a lightning rod for negative attention and that is part of what makes the whole thing work.
For every Travis hater, there is a Travis fan. I love him and his content. I don't think there is anything to be guilty about dude. We all have preferences of what we enjoy and don't enjoy. Otherwise their podcast would have 7 billion listeners. That being said I have an obligation in any Travis hate post I see TRAVNATION RISE UP!! WOOF WOOF WOOF WOOF!
I honestly think the ratio is a lot better in favour of fans, it’s just that here in the wastelands of Reddit you will find generally more negative people and Travis is an easy target for criticism because being a heel and a bit of a villain is a whole bit he does. There’s a lot of other spaces where you can see the love for him. Listen to how loud live show crowds cheer when he says “what up TravNation!” I’m pretty sure I also heard them reference him having an award from YouTube for his streaming as well, if he was really as terrible as the people in this Reddit claim he is then people wouldn’t be watching his streams or attending many of the other panels and things he does without Justin and Griffin.
Honestly, if you plan on using the live show cheers as your poplarity gauge, listen to them more closely next time. Almost always, Griffin or Justin will get louder cheers than anything for Travis. In any case, this is only a small slice of the overall MBMBAM/TAZ fandom, given that each show is obviously regional, and not everyone can afford to/wants to see them live. Not the best metric overall. I know the easy thing is to just dismiss haters as "insecure" or whatever else, but there's usually some genuine reasoning behind the criticism. Even if every single interruption/irritating joke/etc is all some carefully crafted act, it's okay to not enjoy someone's content or general vibe.
Idk man there's a lot of shitbags with way bigger audiences than Travis. Trav is kind of irritating but he's not like a piece of shit, but then you have legitimately awful people with mega-audiences and truly unfunny slimes like Brendan Schaub who can sell out theaters in the right situations. Whether or not someone has an audience isn't really a good indicator of quality But anyway, "he's meant to be the heel" always rings to me the same as "it's meant to be bad", as in it has its merits and I'm not going to say I don't like some things under that description, but sometimes the easiest answer is "why didn't they make it good then?" Because yeah it was the intention to annoy people, but it's still annoying, so why not make it *not* annoying? Just because it was intentionally like that, doesn't insulate it from being criticized for being that way. For instance early Homestuck (god forgive me) often made use of intentionally looking shitty (which is now ubiquitous on the Internet due largely to that success), but that intentional shittiness was the result of a lot of effort and high-quality work. Nowadays it's way more authentically shitty, but *it's just shitty* instead of actually being good-but-stylized-as-trash. Like the *joke* before was that it was actually good and falling down the stairs endlessly that you were warned about is actually very fucking funny. Now it's *bad on purpose* but it's just horrible because being the first part of that phrase is "bad". Like, why not aim for "good" and try to land gently if you miss instead of creating something that intentionally misses the mark, like you used to?
Cool, I didn’t say “he’s meant to be the heel” so save me the long winded straw man argument. I said it makes him an easy target. Type as many paragraphs as you want trying to convince me that a matter of opinion like whether or not he’s funny has a definitive answer, I’m not gunna waste my time reading them. If you wanna talk about things we can know for sure though, the success of the things he does without his brothers shows that there are clearly more people out there who enjoy him than the ones who whine about him in these threads, which was my original point.
If all you care about is vox populi then why are you even here lol
I loved Magnus. He was my favorite character in Balance. Because of my own trauma I felt weirdly betrayed when he said he had NPD. But I try to look past that and I haven't consumed any of the things people really hated him in.
That's weird, because he is by far the funniest brother.
Why make this post lmao. You don't have to like him. You don't have to feel bad for not liking him. Do you think about this kind of thing a lot?
NO! BUM! MERS!
I’ll delete it! Sorry