International Spoiler Line

The International Spoiler Line (ISL) is an imaginary line on Earth’s surface which defines the boundary between the day it is socially acceptable to begin publicly discussing the details of a given piece of media, and all the days it is not.

I’m talking about drawing a line in the sand, Dude. Across this line, you DO NOT...

— Walter Sobchak, The Big Lebowski

History

Though spoilers have been an issue since time immemorial, the rise of social media in the early 21st century necessitated a worldwide discussion on when it was acceptable to begin potentially spoiling a movie for others.

In most iterations of reality, this results in a simple, informal agreement passed around the internet by self-appointed Guardians of the Experience. In the Earth-616 iteration of reality, however—thanks to the Spoiler Wars—an official treaty was signed by the governments of Earth to avoid global thermonuclear war.

Observance

On Earth, for global releases, the ISL is based on the International Date Line. One week after the release date, it is deemed acceptable to begin sharing and discussing details without hiding them behind a “spoiler warning.”

For staggered releases, the rule is amended and spoilers are unacceptable until one week after everyone in the world has had their chance to consume the media in question.

Related Ethnicities

• Earthling