Purist
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A purist is one who desires that a particular item remain true to its essence and free from adulterating or diluting influences. The term may be used in almost any field, and can be applied either to the self or to others. Use of the term may be either pejorative or complimentary, depending on context. Because the appellation depends on subjective notions of what is "pure" as opposed to "adulterating" as applied to any particular item, conflict can arise both as to whether a person so labeled is actually a purist and as to whether that is desirable.
Purist in entertainment
In entertainment, a purist is a person, gamer, or audience member who considers modifications to a particular entertainment item unnecessary or even offensive, vehemently so if against the specific wishes of the item's creator. They also may make it a point to correct fanon, which they stereotypically detest. Purists often use the term "butchered" to describe a work that they dislike.- Anime purists tend to vocalize their distaste of dubbed animation, and the dialogue (and sometimes plot) modifications that the dubbing process introduces. They prefer subtitled anime in the original language to the dubbed version. Many of them also object to the availability of anime through mainstream channels such as the Cartoon Network or the Sci Fi Channel, as anime often has to be edited for violence, language and other American broadcast standards. In order to meet the 1980s daily syndicated minimum guideline of 65 episodes, for example, Robotech was created by merging three unrelated anime shows and their storylines rewritten so that they relate to each other. This resulted in possibly the most well known case of anime purist hostility as reportedly, death threats were issued against series creator Carl Macek.
- Comic book and manga purists sometimes vocalize their dislike of conversion of material into television or films, which is allegedly often modified to appeal to a more mainstream audience to varying degrees of skill.
- The Lord of the Rings purists, also known as Tolkienists, were mostly dedicated fans of the LotR novels before the film trilogy adaptation was created, often cite their dislike of at least certain scenes (such as the altered introduction of Arwen into the Fellowship of the Ring). Again, the use of the term varies extremely widely; it is used offensively, in a complimentary way, or neutrally. Loosely, a Purist could be any fan who read the books. Tightly, the definition refers to those who adamantly detest the Peter Jackson-directed trilogy for deviating even in minor detail from the original text. The term's definition varies wildly, as many of the book's dedicated fans also enjoy the films. At the very least, the term is meant to delineate direct opposition to "fangirls. See also:
- Star Trek purists detest the alleged alterations of established Star Trek history in .
- Star Wars purists often decry what Lucasfilm done to the Prequel Trilogy and the changes in special editions of the original films (such as the refilming of the Han Solo-Greedo shootout scene).
- Heavy metal purists, also called "Metal elitists", often show great distaste for more mainstream forms of heavy metal, such as hair metal and nu metal. Metal purists are most prevalent in the black metal scene, often rejecting bands for deviating from the "true" black metal sound, or using non-Satanic lyrics.
Purist in sports
In sports, the term purist is often used to refer to a fan of a sport who dislikes recent innovations or changes in rules of the sport.Baseball purists
A baseball purist (or "traditionalist") heartily dislikes the changes in the sport since 1993, which include regular season inter-league play (prior to 1997, the teams in the American League never played the teams in the National League during the regular season), the addition of a wildcard team in the post-season playoffs, the four new expansion teams (the Rockies, Marlins, Diamondbacks and Devil Rays) added in the 1990s and the reconfiguration of the leagues into three divisions. Baseball purists also usually dislike the "designated hitter" rule, in which the pitcher is replaced in the offensive lineup by a batter who does not play a defensive field position; The American League began using this rule in 1973. Many, if not most, purists also dislike the use of artificial turf instead of real grass on the playing field, which was introduced in 1965, and the use of a domed or other indoor playing facilities (also introduced in 1965).Some purists also dislike other changes which date from the 1960s. These changes including the lowering of the height of the pitcher's mound after the 1968 season - a deliberate attempt to create higher scoring games, and the first reconfiguration of both leagues into two divisions in 1969, which introduced the playoff series between division winners. The expansion of both leagues from the "original 8" teams began in the 1960s with the addition of four teams to each league during the decade. National League expansion teams were the New York Mets, the Houston Colt .45's, the Montreal Expos and the San Diego Padres. American League expansion teams were the Los Angeles Angels, the "new" Washington Senators, the Kansas City Royals and the Seattle Pilots. In the mid-'70s, the American League added the Toronto Blue Jays and the Seattle Mariners as well. Some purists dislike any team which did not exist prior to the expansions of the 1960s.
A smaller set of purists even dislike the franchise relocations which took place in the 1950s and '60s, beginning in 1953 when the St. Louis Browns left St. Louis and moved to Baltimore, changing their name to the Orioles. At about the same time, the Braves left Boston for Milwaukee, from whence they moved to Atlanta in the mid-'60s. The Athletics moved from Philadelphia to Kansas City in the mid-'50s and on to Oakland in the late '60s. In 1961, the original Washington Senators moved to Minnesota and became the Twins, while a new team also called the Senators was added in Washington; this team left Washington in 1972 to become the Texas Rangers. The relocations which bother purists the most may be the 1957 move to California by the Brooklyn Dodgers and the New York Giants. Many baseball purists see the era from 1920-1953 as a Golden Age, in which the two major leagues fielded the same teams with no additions, relocations or major rule changes.
The most extreme baseball purists may view the "Dead Ball Era" as representing baseball in its most pristine form. This refers to the time before 1920, when home runs were a rarity and baserunning, hit and run, and other station-to-station tactics were the norm.
American football purists
American football purists may also dislike artificial playing surfaces, indoor playing fields, instant replay review of calls by officials on the field. More extreme football purists may also dislike the expansions of football which took place in the 1960s and 1990s, and sometimes even the concept of the Super Bowl itself, preferring the old National Football League championships game format. The most extreme football purist would view the "single-platoon" game as superior to the "two-platoon era". Before the two-platoon game became standard in the 1940s, a single platoon game was the norm, where the same players played both offense and defense, each player continuing to hold a position on the field no matter which side had possession of the ball.Other sport purists
Golf purists may dislike the use of new metal materials in clubs, preferring the old wooden drivers and other clubs. Auto racing purists dislike the addition of wings and other non-mechanical aerodynamic additions to the racing cars.Other examples
- In religion, fundamentalists are sometimes labeled as "purists."
- In linguistics, people who stand for preserving purity of a language by disallowing use of loan words are called purists.
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