You can’t turn on the radio or T.V. without hearing this term. It’s become a term that is heavily used in pop-culture. Over-used if you ask me.

Celebrities use it to respond to their critics. Rihanna has “no time” for them. Nicki Minaj talks about how mad they are at her success. Justin Bieber refers to them for disliking his music. Who are these people, and why are they such a hot topic? Well, they’re what are known as “Haters”.

Do these people actually exist? Sure. They are the people who are jealous of the lives and successes of others. They are likely unhappy with themselves. You have likely encountered a “hater” in your life–put you down, called you a name, or made a comment about you all because they were secretly jealous of something they saw in you that they lacked themselves. No one is denying that people like this, people who seem dedicated in seeing that you don’t succeed (at least not more than them), do exist

But it seems these days that you can’t criticize anything or anyone without being referred to as a “hater”.

We live in a society that has become so influenced by these celebrities. They have so much power over people, especially youth. Hearing this term proclaimed over a sick beat on today’s hits has an effect on people, whether they are aware of it or not. And I am irritated that this term “haters” has become the go-to for anyone who has a twinge of criticism for someone else.

I would like to be able to say I think Justin Bieber seems to act like an arrogant fool without being called a “hater”. Can I dislike a song by a particular artist without it meaning by some form of twisted psychology that I am secretly jealous of the life they have? Seemingly not.

Rather than used in a context to describe these people mentioned above that are jealous and do not want to see you succeed, now people are using the term “hater” for the sole purpose of building themselves up. “Look how popular I am! Look how jealous everyone is of ME! I am so fabulous that literally everyone wishes they could be like me so much they have to put me down to hide their utter anger over not being me.” By using the term hater, it’s almost as if people are making the notion that they are SO above everyone that people everywhere are plotting and scheming to take them down. That they are the sole object of everyone’s thoughts. Well, let me be the one to write all of you a reality check in the amount of get-off-your-high-horse.

Stop using the term “hater.” If you have true confidence in yourself, you don’t even need to focus on these “haters” that so consume your vocabulary. Ignore and pay no attention to jealous people. Build yourself up in positive ways instead of resorting to an already overused term.

And for crying out loud, if I criticize a movie or a song, it doesn’t make me a jealous “hater”. It makes me have an opinion and taste.