The Franchise That Shall Not Be Named

After I graduated from high school, a series of children's books came out. I had no interest in these books because I was already an adult.

Some folks loudly denounced this series because it conflicted with the narrative in their own favorite series, frequently published as a single volume of 66 books. One would think that it's okay to like more than one thing.  But I strongly suspect that loud disapproval of this series made the books even more popular.

This is the problem with trying to kill an idea, even a bad idea. You can't even do it in your own head. Try to not think of a blue rhinoceros. The more you try to not think about it, the more you end up thinking about it. The more you try to actively discourage other people to not try that entertainment product, the more they will want to try it.

I never, ever read that series. I never intend to. From what I've heard from other people, you weren't suppose to say the villain's name because it gave him power. This is somewhat true in real life: talking about controversial movies, books, games, and public figures only serves to boost their popularity and give them more power.

The best way to reduce interest in something that you dislike is to promote the things that you do like. Feel free to do so in the comments section.