There are some things in this world that are universally acceptable to hate, including the series finale of How I Met You Mother , any kind of vegetable that ever grew, and airport security lines. I’m not going to ease the blow of those things existing, because there is no way to avoid them. They just happen to you. People tell you that bad things happen so that the good things seem that much better, but they're wrong. Bad things happen because all of the HIMYM writers are part of a government operation that launched ten years ago with the intention of emotionally destroying an entire generation. And it worked.
That being said, there are plenty of things that get a lot of hate that just plain don’t deserve it. Maybe one person somewhere in the world decided to hate some specific thing, and then another person agreed with them, and then, like lemmings, we all followed the hate trail until we were so far deep in the hate forest that we had no idea how we got there in the first place. Well guys, I found you a flashlight. (Has the forest metaphor gone too far? WHOOPS too late.) Here are a few perfectly awesome things that don't deserve all the hate:
Pumpkin Spice Lattes
How on earth is there this much controversy over a flavored beverage? It is a drink. It tastes good to some people, and other people don't care for it as much. Are we done now?
Anne Hathaway
I'm genuinely concerned that I blacked out on the day that Anne Hathaway went on a murderous rampage and dismembered fifteen people, because that's the only way I could make sense of all the rage from the Hathahaters. She's a brilliant actress and an amazing singer and a ridiculously awesome human being. You go, girl. At the very worst, I could understand not caring about her. "Disregard" should be the most intensely negative thing you should ever feel for someone you don't know personally. All of this actual hate for her as a person from complete strangers is weird as hell.
Mondays
Once you get over the fact that you have to wake up at a reasonable hour, is there really anything that makes Mondays so terrible? You get to go out in the world and see human beings, some of whom you like actually like and all of whom make the world less lonely and boring, work or at school. Also, you get to wear all your fun clothes and accessories on Mondays because it's the only day of the week we're all willing to pretend we give a crap.
IKEA Furniture
OK, so constructing this stuff can be a real bitch, and people will back up their hatred of IKEA with all sorts of horror stories. But at the end of the day, you're still furnishing your apartment on the super cheap and everything actually matches. That's about as close to adulthood as I can pray to achieve at this point in my life.
Vegans
I am not a vegan. If I ever tried to be one, I would last approximately until the end of this sentence. Which is why we should probably stop hating on all of them as a group just because a few of them are vocal and annoying about their vegan-ism – they are committed to doing something that is actually great for the environment, and have healthy eating game like I can't even imagine. Our hatred for vegans is, in reality, one of two things:
- A hatred of people who are self-righteous and braggy about some part of their personality, for whom veganism is a boast-worthy affectation that has more to do with aggrandizing their self-appointed moral superiority than it is about health or environmentalism.
- A thinly-veiled self-loathing at our own unhealthy eating habits.
Only one of those two things is a valid reason to hate on someone, and it's the first one, in which case, you should hate on that person for being obnoxious, not for veganism in general for being the unwitting vehicle for their obnoxiousness.
Bees
Guys, in case you haven't heard, WE REALLY NEED BEES. They are responsible for pollinating an estimated 90% of crops that we eat, and we've actually seen a 25% decline in bee colonies since 1990. So as much as it sucks to get stung every now and then, just remember that bees have been total bros about keeping us alive these past few thousand years.
The Notebook
I straight up didn't watch this movie until five years after it came out because everybody was so desperate to seem "cool" by disavowing it that I genuinely thought it would be terrible. Guys. This movie is awesome. Get over yourselves.
Natty Light
It's cheap, does the job, and has never pretended to be anything more than what it is. It certainly does not deserve all the cringes it gets whenever someone pulls it out of a cooler.
John Mayer
Unlike half of the women in Hollywood, I've never actually dated John Mayer, so I can't speak to him as a person until after I become an insta-success movie star. And that could be weeks from now. In the meantime, I'll say that he gets a ridiculous amount of irrelevant hatred for his romantic entanglements, none of which have anything to do with his unquestionably superior songwriting, guitar playing, and performance abilities. Dating a lot of people and writing songs about them certainly hasn't stopped us from liking Taylor Swift and John Mayer is about a billion times better at guitar than she is.
Paranormal Romance Novels
They get a lot of hate for simplistic and overly-dramatic storytelling, but every now and then your brain just needs to not put any effort into functioning, and those days are exactly why these novels were written in the first place.
Overalls
Yeah, these are dorky as hell, which is probably why you were taught to hate and avoid them. But I have one word for you that may change your mind forever: POCKETS.
The Phantom Menace
I'm prepared to get flack for this, but I was eight when this came out, and what I remember is that Anakin was adorable, Ewan McGregor was sassy, Natalie Portman kicked ass, and there was a really awesome pod racing scene. Maybe it's not what everyone was expecting, but it was still a good movie.
*immediately ducks out of the line of fire*
Crocs
Yes, they are perhaps the ugliest thing that has ever happened to the human foot, but that doesn't mean they aren't awesome. They are instant shower and pool shoes, they're still used in the medical community, and they're also sinfully comfortable. Plus they come in every color, so you can find one that perfectly coordinates with your shame. It's okay to hate it when people where Crocs in settings where Crocs are neither necessary nor appropriate. It is not okay to hate these admittedly useful rubber slippers themselves.
Winter
Everybody hates winter because it's long, dark, and cold. But also consider the awesome advantages of having several built-in excuses to not go anywhere or do anything for four to five months. Score!
Russell Crowe's Performance In Les Miserables
Psych, this was possibly the worst thing to happen in the history of ever. Sorry not sorry.
Images: Getty Images; Giphy(15)
