Buzz
Let's be honest—there's something about us humans that makes us love to dislike things. Whether it's a rival sports team, a political party, or anything else, we often can't seem to enjoy life unless we’re angry about something. While it's reasonable to have disdain for the Lakers or the government, there are times when this overwhelming frustration is aimed at things that are completely harmless—or even absurd.
10. Tipping
Tipping is as simple as it gets. When the meal’s done, you glance at your bill and leave a 15-20% tip, or you pay and walk out if the service wasn't great. It’s a small act of social courtesy that doesn't really affect your life in any meaningful way. Yet, just mentioning tipping can set off an unexpected meltdown in otherwise calm people.
It's true that tipping culture sparks some interesting debates. One of the issues is that it lets restaurants pay their workers a shockingly low wage while pushing the burden of labor costs onto the customer. Then, there's the fact that many other low-wage workers get by without expecting extra tips. Yet, the online uproar and furious arguments over something as simple as leaving a few extra coins on the bar make any reasonable discussion nearly impossible. This tiny social gesture has somehow exploded into an online debate that spreads across even the most respected news sites—all because of a small amount of loose change.
9. Vegans
If you want to make an instant enemy in any group, just tell them you're a vegan. On the Internet, there are endless forums dedicated to proving that people who avoid all animal products are either evil, foolish, or both. While some of these may be exaggerated attempts at trolling, many people genuinely believe that being vegan is as bad as committing heinous acts.
Before anyone accuses me of preaching, let me clarify: I once wrote an article titled '9 Reasons to Reject Vegetarianism.' So, yeah, I’m not exactly innocent in this area. But it still seems odd that we’re so quick to judge people for simply making a dietary choice. Do we go after people who don’t eat fries, or who avoid coffee, or even those who refuse to touch cheese, despite all three being delicious? No. So why do so many of us get so worked up just because someone doesn't want to enjoy a big, juicy steak?
8. Public Breastfeeding
Here’s a fact that shouldn’t be controversial: practically every baby throughout history has been breastfed. It’s a natural part of motherhood, and it’s why us straight men and lesbians alike get to enjoy the biological marvel that is breasts. Yet, there’s a small but vocal segment of society who loathe the idea of breastfeeding so much, they’ll publicly shame a mother just to avoid witnessing a quick breastfeeding session.
Seriously. The Internet is full of stories about women being kicked out of public spaces and made to feel filthy for doing something that’s not only natural but also completely legal. And on top of that, many of these stories are met with what we could generously call 'unenlightened' responses. For a culture that can't seem to get enough of boobs in general, we sure are unexpectedly prudish when it comes to breastfeeding.
7. Popular Musicians
What comes to mind when you hear the word “Nickelback”? If you're part of the vast army of online critics, your response probably isn't suitable for a family-friendly site. Any review of the band often includes terms like “talentless hacks,” “idiots,” and even “wankers.” Bring up Justin Bieber, and the disdain intensifies. Despite their massive popularity, these artists are so reviled that admitting you don't hate them would require either immense courage or a serious lack of common sense. So, here’s my bold statement: this hate is uncalled for.
Yes—unjustified. Chad Kroeger may have crafted some rather uninspired tracks, but he’s also helped Nickelback become one of the most charitable bands around. Justin Bieber, on the other hand, has been a vocal advocate in the fight against homophobia and bullying. In other words, both have actively contributed to making the world a better place, which is more than can be said for your typical internet troll.
Does this mean you should love their music? Of course not. Does it mean that writing 15,000 words on your blog to trash them is a waste of energy? Well, you do the math.
6. Adult Gamers
It's always shocking to me. Even though we’re in 2013, and gaming is now a multi-billion dollar industry, and the average gamer is 35 years old and has a successful career, there are still countless individuals who consider it utterly pathetic for an adult to play video games.
This kind of attitude is especially common on 'serious' websites that occasionally bother to write game reviews. In September, the Guardian’s gaming critic had to publish a thoughtful piece just to assure readers that it's entirely possible to be both a mature, liberal adult and a dedicated gamer. Meanwhile, the Daily Mail and BBC were so stunned by the existence of grown women gamers that they hastily published excited reports highlighting just how unbelievable this was.
These outdated stereotypes should have disappeared when the first PlayStation launched, yet even now, people still react to the phrase 'adult gamer' as if you had just told them you suffer from a rare, contagious, and disfiguring disease.
5. Charity Workers
It’s undeniable that charity fundraisers on the streets can be quite frustrating. You’re rushing through the streets, trying to get to work or grab lunch, only to be stopped by a conversation about the struggles of river otters or something equally distressing. However, there’s a stark difference between finding someone mildly annoying and being overwhelmed with intense anger just at the thought of them.
Especially in the UK, this situation can quickly spiral into something borderline insane. Street fundraisers, often called “chuggers” (a mix of “charity” and “mugger”), are viewed by many as worse than a rat infestation, with any mention of them stirring up an explosive reaction. The link I shared earlier, by the way, leads to the Red Cross blog—a respected charity organization—which currently has over 100 comments calling for chuggers to be eradicated.
Despite the backlash, statistics show that street fundraisers truly contribute to a better world. In the UK alone, they raise around £120 million annually for charities such as Amnesty and the Red Cross. Surely, this justifies a brief moment of inconvenience on your way to work?
4. Women Drivers
If you're searching for an easy stereotype, few are as worn-out as this one: A significant portion of the Internet claims that all women are inherently terrible drivers and should be ridiculed at every chance.
In fact, the sheer number of videos created just to provide men with a target for mocking women behind the wheel is staggering. Even well-known sites like Gawker and the Telegraph have wasted space pointing out how supposedly inadequate women are due to an overabundance of estrogen. But here's the thing: There's no factual evidence to support this wild claim. In contrast, The New York Times covered a five-year traffic study showing that men caused 80 percent of fatal crashes in New York. Similar findings have emerged from national studies.
It might be easy to dismiss most of this as mere ironic humor designed to provoke political correctness. But then you come across things like this and this and realize that some people are just filled with mindless hostility.
3. Gay Animals
Here’s an intriguing and perhaps surprising tidbit: A considerable number of animal species are known to engage in homosexual behavior. We’ve covered the topic of bisexuality in bonobo apes before, but there have also been widely-publicized reports of everything from gay dolphins to gay penguins. And every time such stories emerge, it’s as if the world goes into a frenzy.
Go ahead and search for 'gay animals' on Google. As long as your Safe Search is turned on, you’ll stumble upon an overwhelming number of articles filled with furious rants—written with the intensity only someone truly unhinged could muster—claiming that these animals are somehow being coerced, are morally wrong, or just plain don’t exist. Pause and think about that for a moment. Due to our own bizarre biases, we humans are willing to dedicate hours of our time and heaps of paper to criticizing random creatures for simply following their natural instincts.
It’s almost as if we, as a collective, can’t help but get upset over the simplest, most natural occurrences, even when they have absolutely no effect on us. And you know what? When the time comes to write the epitaph for the smoldering remains of the human race, I’d bet that will probably be the final note.
2. Walmart People
Now, just to be clear, only a borderline sociopath would actually get upset at the notion of people going to Walmart, so let me explain what I mean. When I refer to 'Walmart people,' I’m mostly talking about lower-income, everyday folks who shop at discount stores and—putting it as delicately as possible—don’t quite meet the stereotypical image of what society considers 'attractive.' I bring them up because there’s an entire online subculture devoted to making us repulsed by their mere existence.
If you search for 'Walmart People' on Google, you’ll be bombarded with page after page of sites that exist solely to mock peculiar-looking individuals from economically disadvantaged neighborhoods. And while it might be tempting to think this is all in the name of lighthearted fun, a significant portion of the commenters seem to genuinely despise these anonymous, quirky characters.
Look, I understand that the Internet thrives on mocking people. But it seems odd to direct so much anger toward someone you’ll never meet, who hasn’t impacted your life in any way. Yes, even if their butt is hanging out of their jeans.
1. Customers
Alright, this is sort of a follow-up to the 'Tipping' section above, but it’s worth addressing. There’s a sizable group of people in the service industry who see anyone who walks into their store as an idiot who deserves to suffer.
To be clear, I’m not talking about people who get frustrated with abusive or rude customers. I’ve been in retail, so I know how it feels to be threatened over something trivial like running out of discounted donuts. What I’m referring to are the waiters and clerks who seem to take these jobs just to make life harder for regular people. The ones who post things like this or engage in vile behavior like this. The ones who would be the obnoxious customer in another life, complaining their service wasn’t fast enough. Please, no matter how bad your job is, don’t become that person.
