Haterade

I absolutely, positively, cannot stand the expression, "Hater."

If you use this term, you are uneducated and idiotic.

Has someone called me a hater recently? No. In fact, probably never.

I think I first started disliking it when I was reading a Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen comment thread on IMDB. Why was I reading a comment thread on a movie that does not even deserve to be watched, much less commented upon? I don't know, I think I'm fascinated when people defend something that I can in no way see the value. Usually, the impassioned defense of a movie like that is, "Hey, man, it's freakin' robots and fighting and Megan Fox and stuff...it's rad!"

Any case, there were a bunch of people writing their disparaging comments of TROFL and someone writes something to the tune of, "All you haters out there just don't get it...look how much money this movie is making..." and so on.

It has gotten to the point where you can no longer dislike anything without being labeled a "hater," and God forbid you hate something popular.

I know what the spirit of "hater" is, and it's very rarely used the correct way, although even then, it sounds like someone who can't stand that someone has a different opinion from them. The spirit of "hater," in its correct use, is a person who just can't accept the success of another person, is unwilling to dole out respect. In other words, arbitrary hate. There are obvious examples of this, when people can't come up with a coherent reason to hate something, they just do.

Whenever I see the usual use of "hater," though, it's like the world is like this:

This is popular, you must love it.

I actually don't like it.

Hater. There could be no other opinion other than sheer like for this popular product, so you're trying to be different or difficult.

No, I think there are some serious flaws.

Look how much money this popular product is making. You are wrong.

So, you either like something, or you like it and can't admit it. There is no such thing as not liking something for any valid reason anymore.

I often wonder when the people who use "hater" actually don't like something, whether they realize they are being "haters" according to their own definition or not.