What, exactly, is a "hater"?
In today’s world, it seems as though hate and intolerance are spewed from every crevice and cavity imaginable. Those that emit such negativity are commonly labeled “haters”. But what exactly defines a “hater”?
A new essay from The Chronicle Of Higher Education, titled Be A Lover, attempts to break down the “hater” mentality. “A hater is not simply someone who hates—or rather, the variety of hate has become narrower and more specific. In politics, there are Hillary haters. Tom Brady recently called an ESPN commentator a ‘Patriot hater.’ Anyone who writes in a forum, like this one, that invites comments is advised to ignore the haters. T-shirts admonishing us, ‘Don’t Be A Hater,’ abound.”
“Accusing someone of being a hater is easy,” continues Lucy Ferriss. “When Tom Brady calls Mark Brunell, the ESPN commentator, a hater, he is responding to Brunell’s statement, ‘I don’t believe there’s an equipment manager in the NFL who on his own initiative would deflate a ball without his starting quarterback’s approval. I just didn’t believe what Tom Brady had to say.’ That statement is an expression of Brunell’s lack of belief, backed up by his experience and a certain amount of evidence. To call Brunell a hater is not a defense; it’s an attempt to change the subject by attacking Brunell himself.”
Ironically enough, there will undoubtedly be hate spilled onto the comments of this post through Facebook and Twitter simply because it has nothing to do with music.
In order to truly make change a reality, we need to lace our efforts with compassion, rather than aggression. Where will rebuttal-fueled rage get us? It defines the adage of taking three steps forward, only to take two steps back.
So, the next time you witness an instance of hate being expelled, take a step back and mull over your response. You might find the outcome that much more enlightening.
