This email arrived during a long period of Joxer-bashing in the Xenaverse. Initial reactions to the introduction of Joxer in Season Two were strong, and many folks got really worked up about the issue, pro or con.

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Tyldus wrote:

I've stayed out of this for a while, but now certain Joxer-Slammers have decided to start insulting Joxer-Lovers on a personal level. This certainly seems to indicate that those Joxer-slammers are less mature than the character they hate.

Okay, people, it's great to have opinions, but let's not be jerks over it. The idea of a sisterhood/brotherhood of mutually supporting Xenites has certainly been turned to mush. A lot of intolerance is all I'm seeing lately. I didn't like it when people were insulting each other over gender preferences and I don't like it now. The hypocricy is getting a little thick.

You don't like Joxer; fine. You love him; great. You "get" him; cool. You don't "get" him; whatever. If that means you don't want to watch the series because of one character; it's regretable, but bye bye.

Joxer serves a purpose. Not just in the writing, but in the series as a whole. Ted was hired because (in the words of one) "He makes me laugh". He was NOT hired because of his relationship with Sam. The character Joxer was created before Ted came on the scene. Accusing us of nepotism with Joxer is, at best, naive. But, in most of the cases I've read, just angry ignorance and a thinly veiled attempt to insult.

I'm not even going to bring ratings and demographics into this because half of you will argue that we are ignoring the fans and the other half will argue that we are bowing to demographics. And you'd both be wrong.

I applaud those who have expressed their opinions, pro or con. Healthy debate is good. But those who are into insulting people who don't share their same views, go away. That's the one intolerance I wish we all shared.

You may flame me; answer me; compliment me; it doesn't matter. I won't respond on this issue. Why? Let me pick just one quote from one of you:

On 2/25/97, bb07953@binghamton.edu (Glaurung) wrote:

(((Whenever J---- appears on Xena, I feel like my beloved show has been filtered through the putrid brain of whatever bacterial colony it is that types (one can't say writes) the scripts for Beavis and Butthead))

And that would be me.

Steven L. Sears
Supervising Producer
Writer

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