It’s oddly satisfying to be a hater. Whether it’s pineapple on pizza, reality TV, or that one coworker who always talks over everyone—it just feels so good to vent about what bothers us.
But according to folks under this Reddit thread, some things get more flak than they deserve and could use a little more love. Scroll down to see what they had to say, upvote the ones you agree with, and let us know in the comments if there’s anything else you think deserves more appreciation!
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People who choose to be child free. Some people just don't want kids, and that's fine.
It is fine, although I am not childless. What's nerve wrecking is the constant bashing from both sides, like it is some kind of religion.
Hate is a powerful and complex feeling. Interestingly, there is no clear consensus among scholars about its exact nature. Some describe hate as an emotion, others see it as an attitude or sentiment, and still others regard it as a blend of anger, contempt, and disgust. While some researchers think hate is simply an extreme form of anger or dislike, many believe it to be a distinct and unique experience altogether.
But why do we experience it? To find out, Bored Panda reached out to Clara Pretus, a psychology professor and researcher in social neurosciences, and the director of the Social Brain Lab.
“We hate things that we perceive as posing an existential threat to us,” Pretus explains. “This could be a physical threat—something that puts our life at risk—or a symbolic threat, something that endangers our values and way of life.”
She goes on to say, “Our response to hate is to either avoid or eliminate the object of our hate because we don't believe it will ever stop being a threat. This is different from anger; when we’re angry at someone, we’re still giving them a second chance, believing they can change. With hate, the sense of danger is so strong that it activates our fight or flight response, preparing us to either attack or defend ourselves.”
People who choose not to drink who aren't recovering alcoholics or pregnant.
People who do drink but have decided they don't feel like drinking that night. Their reasoning being they simply don't want to.
Changing your mind. People act like it's a sign of weakness, but it actually shows growth. Admitting you're wrong or seeing things differently is how you evolve, not something to be ashamed of.
Richard Dawkins told a story which really illustrates the value of this sort of thing. He had a professor who had a certain theory he absolutely loved and was always talking about. Then one day a visiting scientist gave a presentation which proved the theory to be completely wrong. Whereupon the professor went up to him, shook him by the hand and said "Thankyou so much - you've proven I was wrong all these years!"
This defense mechanism is evident in the brain. A neuroimaging study by Professor Semir Zeki and John Romaya of the Wellcome Laboratory of Neurobiology at UCL showed that looking at the faces of people we hate activates areas of the premotor cortex, which prepares us for action. It also activates the insula, a brain region linked to internal bodily states, including disgust. “This area also activates in response to romantic love, which may explain why people say there’s a thin line between love and hate,” says Pretus.
Zeki adds, “The putamen, another brain area, could also be involved in preparing for aggressive acts, even in a romantic context, like when a rival poses a threat. Previous studies suggest the insula is engaged by distressing stimuli, and seeing both a loved and a hated face might trigger such a response.”
He further explains, “One marked difference between love and hate is that, while love deactivates large parts of the cerebral cortex associated with judgment and reasoning, hate only deactivates a small area in the frontal cortex. This might seem surprising since hate can also be an all-consuming passion, like love. But in romantic love, the lover is often less critical, while in hate, the hater may become more judgmental, calculating moves to harm or seek revenge.”
Sleeping in. People act like you're a useless member of society if you sleep past 10.
Sitting idle. I hate it when it's labelled as "wasting time". You need some time for your brain to slow off and just exist. It's not a crime.
I've learnt that ''to sit' and 'to rest' are both verbs, so I AM doing something when I choose these activities (particularly necessary for someone who has chronic fatigue, and particularly difficult for someone who was brought up by a mother who never stopped, and thought sitting except when at the dinner table was the height of laziness. These two facts may or not be related...)
Spiders. They eat things you don't want in your house. Try and leave them alone.
Pretus’s work focuses on how political extremism impacts decision-making, particularly in polarized environments. She studies how extreme social identities and moral values influence political beliefs, the spread of misinformation, and the willingness to engage in political violence.
Another aspect of her research explores the rise of hate crimes. While we understand some factors behind these crimes, what people perceive and experience as “hate” at a psychological level is still a gray area.
In one of her studies, Pretus explored the role of morality in hate. Her team analyzed the language used on prominent hate websites and complaint forums, finding that hate sites contained more words related to morality, not just negativity, compared to the complaint forums.
“Morality guides our decisions and actions because it defines what we believe is right and wrong,” Pretus says. “Our moral values, like honesty, justice, and respecting traditions, are a big part of who we are. When someone acts in a way that threatens those values, it can spark hate because it feels like an existential threat to our identity. Hate then prepares us to either eliminate or escape from the source of that threat.”
It’s clear that hate is a deeply personal feeling, shaped by our experiences and values. But we couldn’t resist asking Pretus if there’s one thing people often hate that she thinks deserves more love.
“I would say Mondays,” she shares. “I’ve never hated Mondays, but maybe that’s because I really like my job.”
Fast food workers. Most of y'all have no idea how hard we actually work, or how horribly y'all treat us for no reason whatsoever.
I'm not one of y'all, or from a country where we say that. I would never dream of being rude to any service personnel. Or anyone who didn't treat me rudely first!
Pineapple on pizza! It gets so much hate, but honestly, the sweet and salty combo is pretty solid. It’s not for everyone, but the amount of outrage it causes is way over the top for a simple pizza topping. Let people enjoy their food!
Pensioners. I’m fed up of defending myself on Reddit for the crime of being old. The venom thrown at pensioners is totally disgusting and would create a lifetime ban if it was directed at any other group/ colour/ religion.
Please stop generalising that all boomers are wealthy. Yeah, some are and I’m as jealous as the next person, with my pathetic pension. I’ve worked all my life, but did not have the means to have a huge pension pot. I did have a house, but was forced out by an abusive ex husband. I’m single but still have to pay full bills and the rent is almost half my income. This year, it’s eating or heating. I’m not moaning- just stating facts and I’m certainly not alone in this situation. It’s hard being poor, but even harder reading the hatred ….
Transgender people. We're not corrupting children or anything, that's just the lie they're trying to use to turn us into the latest political football.
Absolutely... it's fear from misunderstanding and just because you don't understand something does it mean you should be afraid of it and turn your fear into rage against it...I never understood the Bible thumping.
Being kind. Kind people should be looked up to as a good example, not looked down on as "weak".
Absolutely! Being kind costs nothing but it might just be someone's everything when kindness is shown to them.
Long term trauma sufferers ("you should be over it by now", "suck it up" etc).
These people are so f*****g rude and entitled (and possibly narcissists themselves). Who are you to tell me how long or how much I should suffer? Have you been there when it happened? Have you endured the same? If not, don't miss the great opportunity to keep your mouth shut.
Men who are in touch with their feelings and they express them. Men who are sensitive are constantly put down due to toxic masculinity. Both men and women s**t on guys who exteriorize their emotions uninhibitedly in a gentle kindhearted manner and deem them unmanly, describe them as too feminine, plus many other more grotesque words and phrases. And crying is viewed as a sign of weakness.
Women have emotions. Men do too. It’s indisputable that all humans have emotions. High emotional availability is something that should absolutely not be seen as exclusive to any specific gender, age or race. It’s a universal human condition. It’s nothing to be ashamed of and NO ONE should be belittled or bullied for having or displaying completely valid and sincere emotions nor for possessing the ability to communicate them.
I am one of those men... Always have been! My solution to the way others perceive it?! Only surrounding myself with friends and family that accept it and see it as something normal! It does not change the world, but it changes MY world!
Cats and specifically how they’re often considered to be less affectionate than dogs! My kitty is a total sweetheart and is way more personable and affectionate than my dog was (to be clear, he wasn’t mean or anything, he was mostly just concerned with finding his next meal).
Just watched two hour-long Nova specials about dogs and cats. There's actually been a fair amount of research - various behavioral tests, MRI's etc. The result was clear. Dogs care more about people than cats do. Which is not to say that cats don't care, but they are actually more motivated by food. They are also closer to their wild ancestors than dogs are. And wild cats are all more or less solitary, while dogs' wolf ancestors are of course pack animals. The MRI's actually showed the approval and affection are more important to dogs than food is. It's not hard to believe these results if you think about the differences between dog and cat behavior.
Skunks
They're actually pretty cute and fun to watch if you don't harass them.
Gen Z. There's nothing wrong with them they're just being young and immature because they ARE young. They're not "doomed" again they're being young and participating in fads just like you did. The stuff you did when you were their age was just as dumb, just as cringeworthy and made the older generations "lose faith" in. Then what happened? You grew up and matured.
The stuff that's catered towards them isn't dumbed down or soulless or basic or mind numbing. It's just catered towards a young demographic, which you are not. You aren't the target audience, that's why you don't get it. You're not meant to as it's not for you.
Millennials got the same hate, as did Gen X and Boomers and so on. And they all grew up, eventually Gen Z will and then everyone will hate on Gen Alpha for [damaging] whatever industries and being entitled and not knowing what real work is and whatever buzzwords people always use to hate on the latest generation of youths.
Also while I'm at it, people "glued to their phones" there's this weird assumption that if I or any other person under 40 is on their phone they're just rotting their brain or d**king around or are on social media. First of all everyone looks at their phones not just Gen Z and Millennials. Second of all a phone these days is an everything in one device. It's a calender, it gives you the time, it gives you news, it allows you to send important emails, read books, look at timetables, write notes. Someone "glued to their phone" could be doing any of that kind of stuff.
If you didn't give people in the past s**t for constantly reading books, reading a newspaper, writing their schedule for the day. looking at their watch and so on, why are you giving people, particularly young people, s**t now for it? Because the platform they do that stuff has changed? Everyone still does that stuff. The only thing that's changed is the platform: It's all now on a phone. Think about that the next time you're on a bus or subway and see everyone "glued to their phones".
Honestly- overweight people. Not dating one is fine but the way people talk about us or treat is just mind blowing in the worst way. I’m a person with feelings not an ogre.
I am date one. His is due to medication. He is actually the sweetest, caring person you could be with. I call him a big cuddly teddy bear even. His weight has nothing to do with who he is.
Other people's interests. People love to just ***HATE*** things like they're a movie hero with a vengeance. My boy, it literally doesn't affect you, f*****g chill.
Androids. People with iphones think they have some diamond when most of the time they have a phone android has already had for years.
Never had an Apple phone and I don't intend to! i don't need a phone that can mostly only get paid apps! I'm surprised Apple isn't charging a cost for the Calculator or alarm clock on those phones! Plus, their phones cost waaaay too much and don't offer anything more than an Android phone.
Bees! we will die out within like 10-20 years without bees!!!
Late-diagnosed autistic women.
It’s become very chic to poop on “hOw tRenDy aUtisM Is lAteLy!!! Stupid TikTok making awkward a*****e women think they have something they don’t!”
But like… girls and women have had autism just as much as men and boys have… they’ve just been horrendously under-diagnosed for decades, meaning we haven’t had access to resources like appropriate forms of therapy, much needed school and work accommodations… many of us were incorrectly diagnosed with mood disorders, with treatments which DO NOT WORK for autistics and often cause harm…
So yeah, you tell ‘em - go berate these often traumatized and struggling women, who are finally getting access to the self-knowledge to better accommodate themselves!!! :(.
ADHD and the d***s that treat it, they are unbelievably helpful for a mental illness that people dont rly appreciate for how bad it can be.
Vegan food. It doesn't taste as horrible as people make it out to be. And alot of "regular" food is vegan and people don't realize that.
I still don't really get why being considered woke is bad or why something being woke is bad. I don't really get how when a black person appears in a TV show, now it's considered "woke" but in the 2000s it wasn't? For example how is current day Power Rangers woke but Mighty Morphin Power Rangers not when it had the same kinda diverse cast? I genuinely just don't get it.
It's like those people on Youtube ranting about X-Men 97 "It's woke!!! ITS WOOOKKE!!" Yeah? And? It was still pretty good. Everyone I know who watched it liked it too. And on top of that what the f**k did you EXPECT from the X-Men? They did no different to any previous X-Men stuff regarding the mutant thing. Only cause now it's 2024 it's "woke"
In fact, I don't really know what "woke" even is I constantly get a different answer every time. Feels like it's such an overused buzzword now that's used as basically "I don't like it" I think I've seen everything get called woke at this point.
Seriously, you afraid you're gonna burst into flames if you watch something woke?
People in their 20s who choose to have pets instead of kids.
It seems like when people imagine an adult who lives with their parents they just picture some unemployed unattractive balding fat guy who plays video games all day like what cartoons and sitcoms would have you believe. I've seen people literally raging in reddit posts about adult children who live at home with hundreds of people calling them "pieces of s**t" and "moochers" in the most casual way I've seen. Some of the adult children mentioned in the posts aren't even 20 yet and expected to already know how to do everything on their own. It's so weird to me that the first assumption people have is that they must be lazy and entitled or coddled, and not that they could be going through something mentally or need the right kind of guidance.
Me, my brother and my father built our house for the last 20 years... When it finally got finished, it was only my parents living in that big a*s house by themselves! I'm 40 and moved in with them, living on an entire floor and I'm not a mooch, nor am I a fat balding guy! I did this to help them out financially and physically, as they're growing older and they also have a vegetable garden and some chickens! I pay almost all the bills, buy more than half of the groceries and do half of the cleaning and cooking! Now tell me how is that to blame?!
Picky eaters.
People take it waaay the f**k too personally.
There are polite picky eaters and they don't bother me at all. But there's also picky eaters who just yell "ew" loudly at every sign of food they don't like, and that's just rude.
Any hobby, movie or book series that is particularly popular amongst women and girls.
Guy Fieri. He actually does quite a bit of charity work!
Steak is cooked properly when it is cooked the way the person eating it wants it.
Load More Replies...Sports teams. Like, “I’m a fan of sports team A, therefore I hate sports team B.” Why? What did they do to you? Did they burn down your house? No? They just throw the ball the other way. One person I met, her parents said they wouldn’t pay for her schooling if she went to a certain university because they were fans of their rival
Riding a bicycle. So many people hate you. Oh no one less car on the road. Bikes were invented before cars so suck it cars.
I live in the "German capital city of the bike" and I love it. People of all ages move around by bike. It's healthy, cheap and environmentally friendly. And you get faster where you wanna go.
Load More Replies...Steak is cooked properly when it is cooked the way the person eating it wants it.
Load More Replies...Sports teams. Like, “I’m a fan of sports team A, therefore I hate sports team B.” Why? What did they do to you? Did they burn down your house? No? They just throw the ball the other way. One person I met, her parents said they wouldn’t pay for her schooling if she went to a certain university because they were fans of their rival
Riding a bicycle. So many people hate you. Oh no one less car on the road. Bikes were invented before cars so suck it cars.
I live in the "German capital city of the bike" and I love it. People of all ages move around by bike. It's healthy, cheap and environmentally friendly. And you get faster where you wanna go.
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