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My thoughts exactly.
I just say fop sometimes because I like saying it. It sounds funny and all!

Oh, and by the way, I was quoting my favorite line to Emma, and I did it like this:
Fop 1: *dances out onto the stage*
Reyer: You're fired!
Raoul: *smiles*

So there!

Here's my two cents. I don't hate Raoul. He has his good points. I have read the book, and must admit I like the play version of him better. As he was raised by women, he would be more open to emotion, and more sensative to his feelings. That doesn't make him a wuss, just sensative. I never considered a guy willing to risk his life to save a girl a fop. He doesn't seem to be a metrosexual. In those days, men were very concerned about looking proper in public. Raoul wants to keep up good appearences. The relations between men and women were quiet a bit different.

Erik is a complex character. I believe his murderous tendencies is due to the fact that he really doesn't know how to act around people. His father and mother abused him and shunned him, so he's really never known parental love. The only two people who have shown him any kindness was Christine and Madam Giry. He is still stuck in a stage where he can't sort out his emotions. His jealousy overtakes him and brings out his animal like tendancies to defend what he belives to be his. He feels extreme emotions of love, passion, lust, and anger. He doesn't have a "gauge" like most of us do. He doesn't know how to act in social situations. I like him, but also believe his loneliness and abuse of his past make him have the sociopath tendencies he does.

Raoul on the other hand has had a lot of expierance with society and how to act. He knows how to control his emotions. Raoul is more feminine than Erik. And crying doesn't make a man unmanly.

*nods at Artemis's post* I can't really say I agree with you on Raoul's looks opinion, but I do agree about the love. Being in love with Raoul is like having a sweetheart in high school, holding hands, kissing, purring sweet things to each other. But if you were with Erik you would definetly feel like a goddess, I mean, having a guy (hot guy..) obsess completely over you, and watch you protectivly (I always overlook the 'peeping-tom' aspect) for your whole life. Him loving you is much farther then simply kissing and such, it's raw, untamed passion. Complete seduction and pretty much utter devotion. Yet, I would NEVER want to make Erik angry...*looks at Punjab* Definetly not... I am still in complete utter Erik devotion, wanting more than just a boyfriend, to feel real passion. From the bottom of your soul. Dark characters turn me on also.... It just makes you want to hug him! Shunned by society, having to hide under a friggin opera house and not kill yourself before long after, it's so sad. I admire the genius in him also, not just the heavenly voice and such. I mean, if you beleive that he DID build the opera house, and all of the hidden traps and such, quite impressive. I still Raoul a fop, but that's only because of the movie and how I personally portrey him, no offense to anyone. I just do it to poke fun. But, just to make a point, I never liked it in the 2004 movie that when Christine had to choose between the two of them, he never said anything like....
'Christine, choose your life! Don't worry about me! Save yourself!'
I do admire most of your guys points on the matter though.

I second that. You can do it in all fun and whatnot, but here in the Guild we do respect Raoul. Some members may not like him persay, but we do discourage the namecalling. It's not fair to those who support Raoul and we don't need Guild civil war.

Everyone always forgets Raoul's lines. *sigh*

If people were making fun of a flaw Raoul actually had, it'd be a lot less annoying. I don't think any Raoul fans have a problem with people teasing him for being headstrong and emotional, because it's true and it is funny when you exaggerate it and make him barrel blindly into danger all the time. The damn 'fop' thing is just so out-of-left-field and OOC that it's annoying.
Imagine if 95% of the phans you talked to were completely convinced that Erik was a flamboyantly gay transvestite, and were constantly ragging on him for it and you'll get an idea of just how annoying.

I agree. he cries too much. Plus he's too girly. (the long hair? come on! Most guys do have long hair, but that's a bit insane. He pulls it into a ponytail for crying out loud!)

Geeze. ONE version he has long hair and suddenly he's an all around fop? In the book, he didn't. He had blonde hair and a mustache. Even if he did, it was not uncommon. It's absolutely ridiculous that the "phans" (the quotation marks saying they are not true ones and this is NOT pointing to anyone directly) base their opinions solely on what certain ideals are thought to be today. In fact, it's the only arguements they have for Raoul. He's girly by TODAY'S standards. He's a wimp because he cries and men crying openly today is obviously wrong.

ERIK CRIES. Everything Raoul does that makes him girly ERIK DOES TOO. People forget this because "omg, Erik is awesome and Raoul's a noob!!!!111" For God sake no he isn't. Erik was designed as the villain of the book as well as an aside pitiable object. Leroux wanted Erik to be more human than "the big bad ugly who stole the hero's girl". He wanted Erik to be a character you could say "poor thing" to and then think logically about the whole plot. Not just "oh, he's bad. Kill him!"

It makes no sense to side with Erik because he's a whiny little thing. Yes I said whiny. The man clings to Christine's skirts and kisses the hem for God sake for pity. He cries when he gets a kiss on the forehead. He is basically a child and acts every inch of it beyond his logistics and IQ. Raoul is the basic Knight in Shining Armor that every girl wants. He is the ideal man, he was made to be. So why, again, do fangirls find the need to bash a man they themselves would 99% of the time go with if put in the same situation?