When did it become cool to hate things? Specifically popular things. Entire articles are written about why UGGs are the ugliest shoes known to man and how Starbucks is overrated. I know people who will not listen to certain artists or genres of music because they “feel obligated to dislike them because everyone else loves them.” They literally said that, not exaggerating.

I have heard other people saying that they did not want to start watching a certain show because so many other people were into it. They are avoiding popular things to seem “cool” or better than others.

Basically, I am talking about elitist hipsters. Notice I said elitist hipsters, if obscure music, back alley coffee shops, and vintage/thrift shop fashion is your jam then kudos to you, do what you enjoy. But liking obscure things and being “different” from the mainstream does not make you a better person. At all. You are not “more cultured” or “more special” than the person who enjoys Starbucks, listens to One Direction, or watches (insert current popular TV-Show.)

Not that you can’t dislike things that are popular. For example, I prefer to listen to more folk type music over listening to pop and country music; simply because I don’t like pop or country’s sound and often shallow lyrics. But I am not a better person than someone who does enjoy pop and country music. It’s simply my personal preference.

Personal preferences aside, it does no good to hate something simply because it is popular. Let people enjoy things. Hating on popular things takes too much time and effort because it requires a constant assessment of what gets too popular to be liked “acceptably.”

Often, the hating of popular things is done by the very same people who are trying to “spread good vibes” or be “chill” and “cool.” Which creates a paradox between their negativity and their assumed positivity. How does disliking popular things, and putting others down and making them feel less than for liking them, make someone cool? Hating popular things for the sake of their popularity leads to a very negative outlook on life. The hater also blocks themselves off from possibly enjoying something.

Anyone who has ever been judged for liking something knows that it is not a good feeling; and it often sets up a barrier that closes them off from opening up to the judger. The judger might feel “cool” and “better than” for a short time, or they may walk around with a feeling of superiority. But this is foolishness. Putting others down to lift yourself up is an artificial confidence booster.

In a very real way, hating popular things and mocking those who like them is the “adult” version of playground bullying. The taunting/mocking is directed at someone because of their appearance, race, size, and general differences, and is meant to make the abuser feel better about their own insecurities.

If you need to feel special and individual, you are. You are an individual who has experienced a certain mix of things in certain ways that no one else will ever experience in exactly the same way. You are unique the way you are; and so is everyone else. So mocking people for the things they like or just generally hating popular things for the sake of their popularity without actually deciding if you like something or not is stupid. Let people enjoy things. Enjoy things yourself, even popular things. Life is much easier and simpler when you don’t spend your energy being negative and hateful.