A Short List of Things I Hate

I hate the fact that whenever I say when I enjoy Ryan Adams' music, there is always someone that thinks I am talking about the Canadian no-talent ass-clown Brian Adams. Sometimes they even start singing "Summer of '69" and I just want to die inside.

I hate that whenever I announce that I am atheists in a crowded room, there always seems to be someone that is shocked, even here in liberal Vermont. Some even ask me "don't you need religion as a moral guide."  What like all those rapist Catholic priests? As if I need the guidance of a book, written in the Bronze Age, full of superstition and hokum, to guide my perception of reality and morality. I've got Walt Whitman and Bob Dylan for that. Shouldn't it be more shocking, when an otherwise rational person believes in magical underpants, people coming back from dead and walking on water.

I hate the noise the fans make at Atlanta Braves home games. I hate it so bad, that even though I am a rabid baseball fan, I won't watch or listen to a game when it is at this stadium. The noise is racist and annoying. Considering how close the stadium is the Trail of Tears, I find this particularly distasteful. Because of this, I will always root against the Braves and in my quest to visit all Major League Baseball parks, this stadium will most likely be the last.

I hate that people are so wildly inconsistent. I have a friend that will only each organic vegetables because he doesn't "want cancer" while he smokes a few packs of cigarettes a day. I know a woman that seems to be obsessed in equality, and yet she still wants men to pay for her on a date and open the doors for her. I also hate that they don't seem to understand me when I point these inconsistencies out. To channel Whitman, I realize we are "large" and "contain multitudes." Inconsistencies is all apart of human nature, but they could at least acknowledge some of these inconsistencies as complete bat shit. One wonders how much self reflection is happening.

I hate Republicans. No explanation needed. I really wish they'd stop proving me right on how truly disgusting they are.

I hate that some people call themselves "bad spellers," as if this is a forgone conclusion and cannot be resolved like being tall or short. When someone announces they are a "bad speller," they are just telling me that they are lazy and/or they don't give a shit about what they are writing or trying to communicate. Everyone was once a bad speller. Those of us you aren't, have simply put the effort into not being. Put a dictionary by your keyboard or add dictionary.com to favorites on your browser.  Look up every word after you type it. You can verify that you have the correct word as well as the spelling. Do this for years until you are not a bad speller. I still find myself looking up words for every blog post I write. This is because I give a shit. Confusing "since" and "sense" or "their" and "there" is your problem, not your readers. If you don't give a shit about what you write, why should I, your reader, be?

I hate most poetry. The poetry I like, I love a lot, but most poetry is truly awful with tired metaphors, references to people's hearts and other cliches. I just start zoning out when people start reading their poetry to me. It is the same feeling I get when someone starts describing the dream they had last night or go into details about their fantasy football team. I politely nod and going into la-la land. Thanks for helping finalize my Costco shopping list because that is what I am thinking about while you opine about a fucking flower.

I hate the fact that whenever I mention logic while in any discussion, someone mentions Mr. Spock from Star Trek. This is a red flag. The only exposure to logic this person has is a TV show from the 60's. This is even worse if they actually say "Dr. Spock" who is an entirely different person. This can get even worse, if they pronounce the show "Star Track." You should be able to kill someone for this type of stuff. They are truly lost and should be stopped before they reproduce.

I hate it when I am playing a game with someone, either on-line or in person, and they quit in the middle of the game. This usually happens when I am winning. This is something I learned when I was a child, you start a game, you are in it until the end. The person who is winning the game, has earned the victory and you committed to it when you started the game. This happens to me a lot when I play chess on my phone(Chess with Friends, user name manofwow44).. I make a great move, get my opponent's queen and then they quit. When they quit, I don't get to work on my endgame. My endgame is bad, I really need practice. This is a just another red flag as where we are as a culture, not just Americans because the people I play are from around the world. Respect for one's opponent is a pillar of civilized society. Leaving a game because you are losing, is the ultimate disrespect.

Thank you for reading my list of hate.