We all have that one thing, that one movie or song or artist that we just don’t like while everyone else does. Maybe it’s Frozen, or maybe it’s Beyonce, or maybe it’s the fact that “Don’t Stop Believin’” is played at every single school function. No matter what it is, we all have that one thing that we think is overrated. But why does something that other people enjoy while you don’t have to be criticized simply for the fact that it’s popular?
I’m no stranger to the word “overrated.” I remember thinking that football games on T.V. were overhyped, that Justin Bieber was never worth a listen on the radio. But I’m also someone who happens to love a lot of “overrated” things. I still love Harry Potter, I still love listening to Taylor Swift, and I still love watching Disney movies. There are a lot of people out there who love all of the above and that’s O.K. There are a lot of people out there who don’t, and that’s O.K. too. So why does it matter how popular something is?
A lot of this hatred for popular things comes from the very fact that they are popular, which doesn’t really make much sense at all. Is it really that aggravating to love watching Star Trek while everyone else prefers Star Wars? Is it really so wrong that everyone else loves dogs while you prefer cats? If you feel so strongly about something, why should it matter what everyone else thinks?
People also seem to have this generalized view that liking “overrated” things makes others seem like they’re unoriginal or they’re just copying what everyone else does instead of thinking for themselves, but I don’t think that’s necessarily true. You have to give people the benefit of the doubt. We’re all capable of forming our own opinions. Maybe they’re based on the opinions of those around us, but maybe they aren’t. Two people liking the same thing doesn’t always mean there was some level of influence involved. There’s a lot of people in the world, so there is bound to be overlap in shared interests.
The word “overrated” gets tossed around so often it begins to lose all meaning. More and more I find that people use it simply to talk about things they dislike, or worse, things they haven’t even experienced themselves. I’ve encountered people who talk about how “overrated” Frozen is, but haven’t even seen the movie itself. I’ve known people who think Beyonce is “overrated” but have hardly ever listened to her music. While it’s perfectly O.K. to dislike something, it’s a little unfair to call it overrated when you don’t know anything about it.
Everyone is entitled to their own opinion. You don’t have to like something that everyone else likes, but you also shouldn’t have to feel ashamed if you do. It’s perfectly acceptable to like unpopular things and it’s just as fair to like things that are popular. Because if you ask me the only thing that’s truly overrated is the word itself.
