I certainly hate the movie under discussion (Robert McRuer has a great article about its awfulness, which is reprinted in his book Crip Theory) -I first saw it in the company of a guy with OCD and ended up apologizing for having taken him to see a movie that so trivialized that problem- but am charmed by the Nicholson-as-arsehole first two thirds of it. I mean, I get putting the term “acting” in scary quotes -he’s been a caricature of himself for way too long- but that film was the start of a more restrained phase, IMHO.

What scares me is the hatred some otherwise gentle people bear toward Sean Penn and Martha Stewart.

I also hold his annoying Famous Person Lakers Fan Self against him, actually. And his perpetual indoor sunglasses, creepy commercial about why he doesn’t like baseball (no cheerleaders) and needless Oscars for the overrated The Departed. So, er. I’m with you on that one. Even if you stop hating him for the sake of the greater good.

As to Brent, though–as you said–the stereotype is the meek person seeking refuge through anonymity, I don’t think that’s entirely accurate. It’s one of those artifacts of older psychology, when the reverse is true: Inner inferiority (or feelings of such) doesn’t breed the kind of confidence required to lash out at someone else. And I’d argue it does require confidence.

(There’s also been suggestion in recent research that the growing aversion to physical contact in our society is what breeds disrespect; without the threat of acceptable physical consequence, people feel freer to be confrontational. Whether that’s true or not, it is food for thought.)

Surely you jest? As Good As It Gets is one of the many many reasons I have Nicholson issues. If I have to endure his “acting” I find him much more tolerable when he’s the baddie.

Personally I try not to hate people, except of course the English rugby team.

The stereotype of the “hater” is a person who is socially meek in real life so they become a cyber bully. It’s safer; no one is going to reach through their screen and punch them or push them off the swings on the playground.

Also as Bill said above, a lot of it is a cry to be heard by those that are ignored or too introverted in real life to speak out.

But it’s not just the internet. The internet is the most safest and most prolific place to find haters, but it’s hardly the only place. People used to be far more courteous to one another in public. Now it’s not unusual to get cursed at by another driver, or someone who bumps into you at the store, or just a randomly angry person that doesn’t like your age/sex/race/clothing/etc.

Specifically for celebrities; I think a lot of it is jealousy. People LOVE to hear the garbage about celebrities for some reason. Some celebrities earn their success, others just seem to get it through nepotism or luck.

Paris Hilton is a good example. She is famous because her parents have lots of money. She has no demonstrated artistic talents, yet she has bought herself a music and film career and regularly appears next to famous actors and musicians that actually HAVE talent. Is it any wonder that people who struggle to pay their bills, work a bazillion hours at hateful jobs, or get ridiculed over being poor would dislike her? Is it unreasonable to assume that they’d vent those feelings on the internet where there aren’t any consequences for doing so?

It doesn’t help that most of these celebrities behave as if they believe they ARE better than everyone else. Nobody likes arrogance.

P.S. Justine, if Jack Nicholson would play more good guys, perhaps he wouldn’t be so easy to hate. I recommend watching “As Good As It Gets” to help with your not-hating-Jack therapy.

I also like Aden’s position that it’s really only one troll being such a bitch around the place.

Regarding hating bloggers who are strangers, my take is that it’s because of the way we read (and conversely how writers write). There is no way for a writer to describe a character completely: a novel or a short story can only hold a limited number of words, and they have to do more than just describe one person. So a writer gives us salient details about that person — ones that matter and that make us understand the character. And as readers we figure we know the person completely as a result. But we don’t really. Not completely.

A blog is also written medium, but this time with even more personal details, many, many more than any short story or novel. And so, as readers, we assume that we understand the blogger. They are as familiar as the character in a book. And like a character in a book, we feel free to hate them.Not that this is right, but the medium gives us this impression.

It seems almost like two sides of the same coin–two responses to the same set of stimuli. One takes the basic deception of anonymity and turns it into a confessional; the other is just as liberated, but instead of attempting sincerity and earnestness, goes for empty aggression and venom.

(That is, I’d agree with Bill that some people are just jackasses, but disagree in enumerating the specifics of jackass-dom.)

I think many inflammatory commments are code for “I’m so lonely and powerless in my real life that this is all I have left. Won’t somebody even *pretend* to talk to me?”

Then again, some people are just jerks who believe that anyone who disagrees with them must be *fixed*. They’re crusaders, wielding their QWERTY sword of righteousness against the forces of evil. Ignoring injustices (like a misplaced comma or incorrect Star Trek reference) would be shirking their sacred duty.

Now please excuse me, I’ve got to go set this Scalzi fellow straight on a few things.

Why do you hate me Justine? WHY? WHY? What have I done to you? :weeping: