Believe the Hype

Nate Smith

Since the dawn of time there have been crazes, and there have been dissenters to said crazes. Sometimes justified, most of the time…not so much. There will always be people that hate things because everyone else likes them.

The thing is, everything isn’t for everybody. Everybody can’t be a champ like myself and brave through 40 years of Doctor Who. It’s okay. Everybody can’t be a champion. But to say it “sucks” without actually trying it? That’s just whack. Fraudulent.

Some things sound worse than they actually are. It’s a fact. If I hear the words trance-pop and hip-hop used for describing a band, I’m immediately turned off. However, I’ll try it at least once. In the case of one group that fit that description (Black Moth Super Rainbow) I was rewarded. And really that’s what it’s all about, taking that chance. If you say you don’t like something without actually seeing, hearing or tasting it, you’re lying.

There are so many people who hate so many things without experiencing them that it makes my head hurt.

“I hate Harry Potter!”

“Have you read it?”

“No…but…”

“Shut up.”

That’s how every conversation of the sort should go. Unfortunately, more often than not it’s more drawn out than that. I don’t understand how this happens. I just want to say that if you don’t understand something completely, then you don’t have the right to have an opinion about it. This accounts for every aspect of life. If you don’t know everything there is to know about it, shut up. That’s it. There’s nothing to talk about if you don’t know the subject. You’ve lowered yourself to the level of the worst people on the internet. Think about every horrible YouTube comment you’ve ever read. You’re that person right now. Stop talking.

The thing is that if everyone made a consorted effort to try the things they “hate” the world would be a very different place. There would be so much more understanding when it comes to the way people approach things.

There would be no outlandish internet rumors, no outspoken morons that pose as public figures. The world would be so…quiet. I like quiet. But maybe the silence is to much for more normal people. Maybe we need people that hate things for no reason. Maybe they aid with the ebb and flow of life. If it wasn’t for these people, people might take liking things too far and, I don’t know, have a good time or something.

Now that I think of it, these people are actually essential to surviving in today’s world of blandness. In fact, think of these people as the first defense. Before you even have a chance to experience things, they already hate it. So you already have a negative opinion about it before you even try it. That means when you try it, if you like it it’ll be that much better! Mind you I’m not saying take these people’s opinions seriously but, you know, acknowledge their existence. You never know, they could be the one thing that keeps you from listening to One Direction or watching any of the Star Wars prequels. Stranger things have happened.

The bottom line is, take everyone’s opinion (besides your own) with a grain of salt. This includes critics and best friends. They’re not you and there’s not way to know if they’ll like what you like. If you keep listening to everyone’s opinions on things you’ll never know what you like. Take a little note from the band Take That and “Do what you like!”. Look up the video, you won’t regret it.

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