Why I Stopped “Hate-Reading”
This popular pastime can have toxic effects.
I love to read, and I truly believe it’s one of the most rewarding hobbies that anyone can take up. There’s one type of reading, however, that I deeply regret ever having done: hate-reading.
For those who have never heard of hate-reading, dictionary.com provides a succinct definition: “to read (a blog, newspaper, etc.) that one professes to dislike, often with the intention to mock or criticize.” Hate-reading is strangely popular these days, with entire forums devoted to deriding blogs and articles.
I used to waste a lot of my time with hate-reading. I didn’t think twice about how it could ever have negative repercussions. When I finally did take time to reflect, I was embarrassed to realize that I had been pouring hours into an incredibly toxic pastime.
Hate-Reading Is Mean
At its heart, hate-reading is a mean-spirited endeavor. I used to read blogs solely because I disagreed with them. In some contexts, this would be a great exercise. I could challenge my world views and learn from the perspectives of people who saw things differently than me. But that wasn’t what I was doing.
When I read these blogs, I was just looking for cheap laughs. I’d scroll through posts from people who I…
