I like haters.
It might be an unpopular opinion, but I stand by it.
Haters fill an important role in our society.
Without haters, we’re surrounded by yes-men, and our bad ideas are bounced back and forth by similar minds, strengthening the conviction behind the bad idea without ever improving it.
A hater will say with a maniacal giggle when an idea isn’t worth the air it took to speak it.
Without haters, we become a society that rewards effort over results, where everyone gave their best and that’s OK. A company modeled like that goes out of business due to lack of quality results.
A hater will gladly tell someone that he or she failed.
Without haters, discourse is at a minimum. No one gets up in arms over a controversial decision because there’s no opposing viewpoint or party to care that a decision was made.
A hater will tell anyone who listens when something is horrible (even if it isn’t).
I like haters.
I should — I am one.
When I’m watching sports, I’m a hater. I want my team to win, so I hate on the opposing team. I hate on the referees (doesn’t everyone, though?), and I hate on my own team when they blow a winnable game.
When someone on Facebook can’t be bothered to type out “you” or “are” and result to single letters, I am most definitely a hater. When people online are too lazy to type while respecting the most basic of grammar rules, I want to be a furious hater hell-bent on bringing offenders to justice. Instead, I must resign myself to glaring at a monitor.
When I have to wake up at 7 a.m. for my two-hour microeconomics class, I hate my clock and my past self for picking such an early class. I also thank myself because one soda later, I’m the most alert I’ll be all day, just in time to process all the information.
The hater I was tried to spite me and failed, which makes the rest of my day.
Proving a hater wrong has been a staple of American culture.
Haters are inspiring people. They are inspiring because it is such a rush when they are proven wrong.
Everyone who has made his or her dream come true publicly thanks those who supported him or her the whole way, but I guarantee there is at least one person in the back of his or her mind that he or she is thinking of, that one person who said no, who said they would never make it, who never once had an ounce of faith in his or her abilities.
Haters are useful in the political realm, too. The sheer amount of haters in both major parties makes elections both exciting and entertaining. If one member of a party slips up, the other side’s legion of haters will be on that gaff in a heartbeat. Haters keep politicians accountable.
Critics, whether for movies, music or art, are haters who get paid to be haters. That’s awesome — a whole industry exists in which people are required to be haters. And just as awesomely, people can choose to disregard the haters’ opinions.
Haters make the world go ‘round, and for that, we should be appreciative. If haters are frowned upon, everyone is a hater, and no one wins.
Haters gonna hate, but I show them some love.
Logan Ladynk is a journalism junior at UF. His column usually runs on Fridays. You can contact him via opinions@alligator.org.
