WHY THE HATE COMMENTS?
Cranky needs
to rant. No big deal, I’m not really
upset, I just don’t understand some comments.
I don’t know why some people are compelled to tell you that they do not
like something that a blogger seems to enjoy or is passionate about. They not only tell you, but some people even
seem to take great pride in their disdain, as if it makes them superior. I just don’t get it. Not liking something should not be something in which to take pride.
I will from
time to time make a joke about women’s love of shopping for shoes. I have never commented
“I don’t care one whit about women’s
shoes.”
I do not like crafts, Oh; I might like the
results of crafting, but the actual hobby, not so much. You will never see me make a comment on a post
about crafting that says,
“I don’t like crafts and I have no
interest in turning a turnip into a coffee table.”
I don’t like
dancing, and I may have said that I would prefer to eat glass than have to
dance, but I will at least admit to watching dancers and to appreciating their
skills and talent.
Now don’t
get me wrong here, don’t get your britches in a bunch, I am just curious why
some people have to comment so negatively on things they do not like?
I am curious;
why when I post about football do I always see several comments that simply
say,
“I hate football so I don’t care who
wins.”
Why, if you
are going to comment at all wouldn’t you say,
“I’ve never been that interested in
football, but I know millions love watching; enjoy the game, I’ll be reading a
good book.”
If you
comment on a post about TV, especially, let’s say Reality TV, why say,
“I hate TV, it is such garbage, I
only watch PBS and the news.”
Why, if you
want to comment wouldn’t a person just say,
“I’ve never watched that show; I
guess I am just not a fan of most television shows.”
I understand
getting all worked up about politics, or religion, or social issues. It is good to be passionate about issues,
though we would all be better off with less vitriol and name calling, but
Sports, or TV…let it go.
If it is not your cup of tea you are not required to comment. It’s ok. I understand. Lots of people are not big fans of sports or TV, but it really isn’t anything to be proud of. It shouldn't make you angry. I hate opera, I hate ballet, and I hate figure skating. If I feel compelled to comment on these subjects I am not proud of my dislike, these things just do not interest me. I will admit that I probably just don’t understand them and that is why I don’t enjoy them.
If it is not your cup of tea you are not required to comment. It’s ok. I understand. Lots of people are not big fans of sports or TV, but it really isn’t anything to be proud of. It shouldn't make you angry. I hate opera, I hate ballet, and I hate figure skating. If I feel compelled to comment on these subjects I am not proud of my dislike, these things just do not interest me. I will admit that I probably just don’t understand them and that is why I don’t enjoy them.
There it is;
there is my rant.
It is very
possible that if you were to take the time to search my posts and comments you
may find that I have in fact stated that “I hate” many topics without applying
any sugar coating.
I hate
hypocrites!
I think people sometimes feel safer behind a computer screen with what they choose to write for a comment and more than likely wouldn't say too much of that in talking with someone face to face but think it is perfectly acceptable to say it on this forum. I guess that's why a lot of people choose to monitor their comments before having the published, to maybe deal with the "haters" and not have the comments be displayed on their blogs. I know I try, but not perfect with it, to leave something encouraging or relevant to what someone writes. Now I'm going back and thinking "did I leave any comments like this here?" If I did, forgive me. I think I would have used "not fond of" instead of "hate" unless we are talking about things I absolutely hate, which would be flying and some things that slither or scurry.
ReplyDeletebetty
Oh no, I wrote a crafting post - you're going to hate it!! Got to admit, I see a lot of this on FB but haven't encountered it on my own blog (so far) and I pretty much think the same. If you haven't got anything nice or positive to say then say nothing (I may also be a hypocrite ...)
ReplyDeleteAs you know, I often write about art, and while most people express an interest, others do not. I even had one commenter tell me if I continued she'd stop reading my blog, and she did. I'll admit that there are blogs that focus on one thing only and this can get tedious, but for the most part I try and find something positive to say. The worst comment I ever received was from a post I wrote about my lack of mathematical ability, and my notion that Math wasn't real anyway. That commenter told me to get off my fat ass and go back to school. My post was intended to be tongue-in-cheek, humorous, but either the commenter missed the joke or I set it up poorly. I can't help but think that people who take time to write only bad comments are unhappy with themselves and are trying to compensate for something.
ReplyDeleteNow I get why Cranky's comment on your post said something about leaving if you keep writing about art. It had me scratching my head.. even though I knew it had to be tongue-in-cheek.
DeleteI am going to check my comments. I love checking...I'm a little OCD.
ReplyDeleteI hate--let me think; it will come to me. I hate--damn, it's on the tip of my tongue. I know there's something I hate; perhaps it will come to me. I'll report back.
ReplyDeletePeople just can't help themselves. I try to ignore those comments.
ReplyDeleteI hate post that rant on and on about what other people hate. Bwahahahahahahahahahaha. I know I commented about not caring about football, but I don't hate football.
ReplyDeleteI think some people are so miserable that they hate everything. Bless their hearts.
Have a fabulous day Cranky. ☺
I hated lima beans... a few times.
ReplyDeletesometimes we can be flippant in our commentary and mean no harm. other times, folks can just be creeps. :)
ReplyDeleteI think a lot of people who are very timid in their personal life turn into Internet tigers!!! Had a satellite friend in school, he was relentlessly bullied for being a small bespectacled nerd. I put a stop to this whenever it was done in my presence. He grew up to be a dentist and moved to Texas. He is also the most hateful, vitriol filled online monster you'll ever meet! You'd think he's 10 feet tall and bullet proof. Finally had to de-friend him on FB as I've got enough misery in my life and I sure didn't need a daily dose of his...
ReplyDeleteGood post Joe.
I HATE people who are downers!!
ReplyDeleteI too have noticed this, makes them feel kind of "I know all"
ReplyDeleteWhat Ormerod said is true, some people turn into Internet tigers when they are hiding behind the screen.
Have actually met a guy when I was a part of a group on Orkut. When I finally met the guy he was so timid and submissive.
It is hard to read the comments with mood of the writer because you cannot see their face or if they were talking (tongue in cheek) hear their mood. (I do hate football AND I used to love football.)
ReplyDeleteI think it is this anonymous thing that makes people feel free to get ugly. Even we bloggers are basically anonymous. I've only had one like that early on that was super critical and I just quit following them. They soon disappeared.
ReplyDeleteI hate it when you keep coming up with interesting things to write about. ;)
ReplyDeleteOh...I'm one of those people who don't care about football. Now I'm trying to remember if I ever commented anything hateful. Yikes! I'm not a hateful person at all. Whenever you read my comments, you MUST ALWAYS picture me a bit like this: :-p
ReplyDeleteAnd I agree, sometimes people mean something to be just a little funny or flippant or sarcastic...and it comes across all wrong.
I monitor my comments because one time I had a crazy person throwing out alleged unflattering facts about a regular commenter. Exes can be so cruel!
ReplyDeleteI don't expect yes-men to agree with everything I say. But there's no reason to be so smug from your high horse. Give an explanation for the snootiness.
I may have mentioned a few times that I hate sports, perhaps I should be more polite and say that I dislike sports and prefer to read a book or watch a dvd. I think there are several of your sports posts where I don't comment at all, because I have nothing to say on the matter.
ReplyDeleteI think that if we know our readers well enough, a comment that can be interpreted as unpleasant might well be seen for the harmless remark that it is hopefully meant to be. It's too easy to read irritation in someone's font but we all do it from time to time. Then there are those who just like to hurtfully push buttons. Hopefully those are in the minority.
ReplyDeleteHi Cranky,
ReplyDeleteI hate posts about comments.
:-)
Only kidding! A very nice rant. Can I have my soapbox back now?
:o)
Cheers
PM
I do agree with you that we live among bombastic haters (watched any FOX cable news lately?) who could benefit from your advice. However, I think your faithful commenters are people who come here to relax and laugh and try a hand at being as witty as you are. We feel welcome here and believe that, regardless of what we say, clumsily or not, you'll still love us!
ReplyDeletebtw: I visited your daughter's blog and believe I have an explanation for her chirpy good nature. Anyone who looked in the mirror every morning and saw that exceptionally pretty face smiling back should be happy all day long!
PS (lol) And thank you for visiting my blog and not saying "I hate valentine crafts! Why do you waste your time and money on all that junk!" lol
DeleteDo we all hate hypocrites because we all are hypocrites at one time or another, about something? Anyway, i'll watch my comments, now, because i think you are right about this one.
ReplyDeleteThat's sort of why there are so many blogs out there, isn't it? Not every blog, or certainly not every post on every blog is going to appeal to every person. I think sometimes it can be sort of okay to say you hate something as long as there's something nice in there. If I come across something like a chocolate recipe I might say something like "I don't like chocolate, but my husband loves it, and I think he'd really enjoy it if I made this for him." I think it's fine to say you don't like (even hate, depending on the circumstances) something as long as you can say something nice about it, too, even if it's just that someone you care about likes it.
ReplyDeleteSome people just can't hold back - hate.
ReplyDelete