Case
Well-known member
Do you hate a certain TV show? I mean really hate it?
Do you hate certain sounds, tastes, or sights?
Do you hate certain people, their clothes, their hairstyles?
Have you ever been called a "hater?"
Everyone from my friends, to my exes, to my relatives have used one word to describe me. That word is "nice." It's comforting to know that almost everyone around me thinks I am a good person, generally agreeable, and good to be around. However, I recently realized that my personality might be taking this "nice" thing a bit too far. Why?
You see, I have chosen to remove the word "hate" from my daily vocabulary. Let me explain.
I just don't like (hate?) using the word. To me, "hate" describes an emotion so extreme that I cannot think of a single thing in my life that I can realistically use that word to describe accurately. Also, when I think of the word "hate," I have images of the Nazi Holocaust, prison gangs, anti-Western jihadists, screaming talk radio hosts, and rabid sports fans who resort to violence over some ball game.
Every time I have the urge to use the word "hate," I (hate?) am repulsed by the fact that the use of the word associates me with groups that I (hate?) never want to associate with. Therefore, I consciously replace "hate" with the word, "dislike," or some other variation, as seen above.
My problem? I wonder if this is healthy.
I suppose this is my way of being mindfully positive; the idea being that if you rephrase something in positive-sounding language, whatever you say sounds more respectful, more kind, and encourages less negativity in your own life.
But ever since I've chosen not to use "hate" to describe anything I'm feeling, I have noticed more acutely that the people around me say the word "hate" all the freaking time. Quite a bit more than I realized, actually. They say it almost too much. Either they hate a band, or a TV show, or an actor, a fragrance, the guy driving next to them on the freeway, or the way someone is breathing, etc.
I hear it so much that it's almost comical.
"Oh, I hate that brand of coffee."
"Really? Would you march on the streets against that coffee brand? Would you not vote for a politician who uses that coffee brand? Would you disown a son or daughter who DARED to like that coffee brand in your presence?"
I'm not saying that the word doesn't have its uses or that it should be removed from our dictionaries. Not at all. I love words and language, and I love following word origins. However, I wonder if a simple change in our word usage might create less friction and less (hate?) divisiveness between people, or am I simply wasting my time on a needless effort when it's perfectly fine to "hate" anything I like?... Or, don't like, as it were.
Do you hate certain sounds, tastes, or sights?
Do you hate certain people, their clothes, their hairstyles?
Have you ever been called a "hater?"
Everyone from my friends, to my exes, to my relatives have used one word to describe me. That word is "nice." It's comforting to know that almost everyone around me thinks I am a good person, generally agreeable, and good to be around. However, I recently realized that my personality might be taking this "nice" thing a bit too far. Why?
You see, I have chosen to remove the word "hate" from my daily vocabulary. Let me explain.
I just don't like (hate?) using the word. To me, "hate" describes an emotion so extreme that I cannot think of a single thing in my life that I can realistically use that word to describe accurately. Also, when I think of the word "hate," I have images of the Nazi Holocaust, prison gangs, anti-Western jihadists, screaming talk radio hosts, and rabid sports fans who resort to violence over some ball game.
Every time I have the urge to use the word "hate," I (hate?) am repulsed by the fact that the use of the word associates me with groups that I (hate?) never want to associate with. Therefore, I consciously replace "hate" with the word, "dislike," or some other variation, as seen above.
My problem? I wonder if this is healthy.
I suppose this is my way of being mindfully positive; the idea being that if you rephrase something in positive-sounding language, whatever you say sounds more respectful, more kind, and encourages less negativity in your own life.
But ever since I've chosen not to use "hate" to describe anything I'm feeling, I have noticed more acutely that the people around me say the word "hate" all the freaking time. Quite a bit more than I realized, actually. They say it almost too much. Either they hate a band, or a TV show, or an actor, a fragrance, the guy driving next to them on the freeway, or the way someone is breathing, etc.
I hear it so much that it's almost comical.
"Oh, I hate that brand of coffee."
"Really? Would you march on the streets against that coffee brand? Would you not vote for a politician who uses that coffee brand? Would you disown a son or daughter who DARED to like that coffee brand in your presence?"
I'm not saying that the word doesn't have its uses or that it should be removed from our dictionaries. Not at all. I love words and language, and I love following word origins. However, I wonder if a simple change in our word usage might create less friction and less (hate?) divisiveness between people, or am I simply wasting my time on a needless effort when it's perfectly fine to "hate" anything I like?... Or, don't like, as it were.
