“That new logo is stupid.”
“Those women aren’t funny.”
“Not MY Ghostbusters.”
“Paul Feig bastardized the originals with his cheap “parody.”
“Sony ruined my childhood.”
“Ghostbusters means something to me.”
“If we don’t go see this, Sony will get the message and stop making shitty movies.”

These are quotes I have read over-and-over again via Ghostbusters’ (and Ghostbusters Fans’) Facebook pages since the reveal of the “new and stupid” logo. And since its reveal, my new, favorite daily routine has been to reverse-troll people who ignorantly hate this movie (even though they haven’t seen it yet). Let me respond to each of the above quotes in a simplified manner for you, and endeavor to explain how your childhood and your memories remain unsullied, and why Hollywood operates the way that it does.

1. “That new logo is stupid.”
Funny, this “new” logo looks EXACTLY like the original logo, save for the border around the red circle, and the overall chroming. It reflects the design sensibilities of the 21st Century, and lends itself to a variety of collectibles, like auto decals and keychains. If you’re bent-out-of-shape over a border and a chrome effect, you may have some other, more serious issues you should acknowledge and deal with.

2. “Those women aren’t funny.”
This is an opinion, and everyone is entitled to theirs. You may not like their styles of comedy for whatever reason, and that’s fine. I won’t dispute anyone over their opinion, as long as it’s well supported and not just “because.” HOWEVER, an overwhelming percentage of the population DOES find these women funny. “Bridesmaids,” another Paul Feig film, made $169,000,000 at the box office on a $32.5 million budget. That’s a little over $137 million in profit for a film that includes both Kristen Wiig and Melissa McCarthy. So, you are welcome to your opinion, but the majority disagrees with you.

3. “Not MY Ghostbusters.”
I was unaware you OWNED this franchise and these characters. Oh, you don’t? So once again, this is an opinion. You prefer the originals. That’s cool. It doesn’t mean this new team of Ghostbusters is going to be bad. Additionally, this new team wasn’t tailor-made for YOU. They are meant as an introduction for new fans to the franchise, with enough familiarity for old fans to enjoy them too (hopefully).

4. “Paul Feig bastardized the originals with his cheap “parody.”
No. Paul Feig brought his vision and sensibilities to a dormant franchise. That’s right. DORMANT. The biggest Ghostbusters-related entry we’ve had since the movies is the game released in 2009, which was met with mostly favorable reviews (80% Metacritic & 8/10 IGN). You wanted “Ghostbusters 3?” That game is your sequel. Much like J.J. Abrams with, “The Force Awakens,” Paul Feig was tasked with reviving a franchise, bringing in new fans, appeasing old fans, and making money for the studio (Sony). That’s a tall order, and you can’t make everyone happy. If you want a “better movie,” why don’t you write a script and pitch it to the studio? Or try to fast-track your way into the director’s chair of a major franchise?

5. “Sony ruined my childhood.”
No. They didn’t. If all it takes is one movie, released after the fact, to ruin your childhood, then I’m sorry you had such a fragile upbringing. Whether you see the new Ghostbusters movie or not, the ORIGINALS STILL EXIST. The release of a new movie doesn’t change that. In fact, both positive and negative reviews of the new movie will encourage new and old fans to revisit the originals, thereby keeping their memory alive. The only entity who can ruin your childhood over a movie is YOU.

6. “Ghostbusters means something to me.”
So what? It means something to me too. Does a new movie change that? Again, this is an issue of self-imposed fan ownership and entitlement. Just because something new comes out that you don’t like (even though general audiences haven’t seen the movie yet), doesn’t mean your memories and feelings change. YOU are in control of that. You are the one projecting your feelings of value onto the movie.

7. “If we don’t go see this, Sony will get the message and stop making shitty movies.”
Despite the opinion that studios exist solely to service fans, they are ACTUALLY in the business of making money. If ticket sales are poor, they won’t assume the blame you’re throwing their way, they’ll simply wait a few years and do something different.

You see, studio execs like to bet on a “sure-thing.” They want to recapture that “lightning in a bottle” every time they do a reboot/remake. It’s because, most of the time, they know they’re going to make money. 100% Originality is hard to sell in today’s cinematic climate unless you are a writer/director with major clout. “New” movies often don’t do well enough at the box office to inform studio execs that the general public wants more of those than CGI sequels and blockbusters. And so they give us more of the same, because that is what we demand when we say things like, “We want a new Ghostbusters movie!” The things is, we don’t. We have a knee-jerk reaction to changes in a franchise we “love.”

Do I like the movie? I don’t know. I haven’t seen it yet. How can I give you my opinion without first being informed? I CAN SAY I’m excited that there has been a resurgence of Ghostbusters media and merchandise (old and new) with the release of this new movie. I’m excited that Ghostbusters is in the lime light once more and I can sit and watch “The Real Ghostbusters” cartoon while drinking Hi-C Ecto Cooler if I wish.

So I pose this question: Do you really love the franchise? Meaning you’re willing to give all characters, stories, components a fair chance? Or is it that you’re afraid something new will infringe upon the “Blessed Holy Saint that is Ghostbusters 1 & 2?” Guess what, those movies have their flaws too, we just accept them more because that is what we grew up with. But a whole new generation of fans is going to grow up with this new, female team of Ghostbusters. They may like them more than the originals. They may consider this new movie an improvement over the originals. And that is perfectly OKAY.