A DYING BREED......(aka A Dissertation On Haters)

What the hell is a Hater?  Our friends at Urban Dictionary define the term as:

hater	5596 up, 1373 down
	A person that simply cannot be happy for another person's success. So rather than be happy they make a point of exposing a flaw in that person.

It goes on to say about the term, 

Overused word that people like to use just because someone else expresses a dislike for a certain individual.

I am utterly tired of the term because it gives people who produce wackness a shelter for being irresponsible artists. The visual arts, as a craft, can only be improved upon through practice and dedication. Often times people can't deal with this, so they cut corners and attempt to sell (as genuine) a watered down version of something that is, in and of itself, Cool as hell!!!!

After money has been made and accolades garnered for the rip, then the bad taste of buying inferior products begins to permeate the pallet. As the aforementioned "perpetrator" (as we called these types in the 80's) attempts the same ole tired formula for maintaining his or her dwindling fame and status as an artist a bewildering thing happens. The artist finds that his or her efforts meet with quickly diminishing marginal returns. Ultimately, this person and his or her works will fade into obscurity and be forgotten as quickly as their meteoric rise. 

However, during this person's fiery ascent, anyone who calls this poser out on his merits and that of his or her artwork is considered a HATER!! Why? Because a concept (being a hater) which once was reserved for people who disliked anything that they as the mainstream couldn't readily touch and take, is now turned on its ear to mean something new.

Now a hater is anyone who has a legitimate gripe about the organic nature, authenticity and/or social proclivity of a work, and who is not willing to congratulate the author for making such an effort. But, isn't wack still wack? When did that change? 

I notice that especially when art is corporatized to the extent that art forms such as music find themselves radically altered. Then the people in the boardrooms force the taste down your throat via control of distribution channels. Often, people who are truly talented in their field, e.g. Vanilla Ice (yeah I said it), are forced by the corporatocracy to allow themselves to be Terraformed by the corporate B.S. and become a tool of the very things they hate. 

Often times it's the money (an all-powerful motivator) that drives otherwise talented people into mediocrity. After all, who is going to turn down millions of dollars in exchange for something as ethereal as artistic integrity? No matter what the reasons, society seems to believe that if you're rich, no matter how you got there, you should be celebrated. Anyone who dissents on this notion is viewed as a "Hater," a person jealous of another's fame and wealth, even if their reason for "hating" on the artist's work is academic and not personal.

I personally refuse to not speak my educated opinion on anyone's art. I can take the criticism as a creator as much and maybe more than I can deliver it. If you don't like my work that doesn't make you a hater, because it could simply not be your aesthetic cup of tea.

I also reject the assertion that everyone who envisions something and puts it out there for all to see is an artist. All ideas aren't good ideas and knowing how to best display your ideas is an important part of art. In comics I have seen a plethora of malformed ideas from people who don't possess the necessary skill sets at that time to help display these ideas properly. They usually  get clowned on by other more accomplished artists, only  to erroneously  brand the more accomplished art a HATER. This has become so prevalent that accomplished artists seldom want to comment on such weak displays for fear of being branded a hater.

Where I am  going with this is ultimately: just because I don't like your work doesn't make me a hater. If you ask me I will tell you, and expect anyone with issues with my work to do the same. Art is subjective, not everyone is going to like everything. However, everyone can appreciate skills. If you see a guy with damn good skills and you continue to not respect those skills, then not only are you a Hater in the true sense of the word but you're also and enabler of  wackness. You should end this practice immediately for the sake of all art forms. 

Mark