Every year Lake Superior State University comes out with a list of words to banish (due to overuse or misuse.)
This year, I wish to nominate 'hater'. Etymology of this word can be wrangled from slang dictionaries found online. I refuse to mention any one of them by name.
The demographics of the people who use this word (in earnest or ironically) tend to skew towards the young, the urban, the stupid. So it was with great alarm that I encountered its use in Daniel Negreanu's Poker blog (a blog about Poker, ostensibly).
His blog isn't all that good. For one, his writing skills are 'challenged'. However, I read his blog because he is a good poker player and I like to see how he approaches the game, not because he can write like Nabokov (or even Rincon Phillips).
When he strays from Poker, I tend to not bother reading that entry. This is especially true when he writes about golf.
So a recent entry found him talking about politics. American politics. He is Canadian! Of course he has every right to write about American politics, but its relevance can be compared to the importance of Paris Hilton's opinion on, well anything.
He began this particular blog thusly: "****Ok, before I get into my opinions, et al, I'm going to address the haters right off the bat. If you don't want to read my political opinions then find another blog to read. I have every right to share my views just like anyone else.***"
Haters indeed. Douche-bag.
