A Haters Guide to the Universe

Being a hater is not for the weak. As we embark on this journey of exploring the everyday norms and expectations we despise, we have to acknowledge upfront that being a genuine hater is difficult and takes years. It is a monumental effort to undo everything society spent your entire childhood drilling into you. We are surrounded, especially at the micro level, by an anti-hater culture. From the moment we are old enough to understand language, we are socialized into a world that instructs us to be polite, not judge others, embrace self-help, be a better version of ourselves, use therapy to excavate the root of our problems, and generally pretend we enjoy one another. Every single day we are exposed to stickers, car decals, tattoos, books, media pundits, music, art, and bumper-sticker philosophy telling us to "be kind," "love each other," "coexist," and "don't judge." It is exhausting. I want to be clear: it is entirely possible for me to respect you as a human being and simultaneously hate your actions, your attitude, your personality, and the specific way you stand, walk, and breathe in my direction. I hope you enjoy The Hater's Guide to Life, because I know that many of you, deep down in the furthest depths of your inner being, feel the exact same way. So let's be free. Let's embrace our disdain for society together.