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Bono: U2 together until we die - News | MSN Music The comments in this article have nothing to do with it (Stupid and idiot people they are)
Bono: U2 together until we die - News | MSN Music The comments in this article have nothing to do with it (Stupid and idiot people they are)
JamietheEdgefan said:I might as well tell of my first encounter with a real u2/bono hater. It was a girl i was dating recently, and she made it very clear how much she thought Bono was an arrogant, selfish, poor excuse for a human being.
"Bono is such a twat" she'd say.
"Why do you think that?" I'd reply.
"Well, everyone i talk to thinks he's an asshole."
"... right, but what specifically do you hate about him?"
"Well, he's just so arrogant. Constantly telling us to give money to charities, even though he never gives any himself. Plus, nothing he does makes any difference to africa anyway?"
"Really? When was the last time you saw him asking you for money?"
"Whatever, he's just an asshole"
"How do you know he doesn't give any money?"
"Whatever. I don't care. He's an asshole."
"Are you aware of the work he's done with the One campaign, or product red? And you do know that the general public donating money to these organisations would do more good than one rich person throwing all his cash at the problem to make it go away?"
"Whatever. He's an asshole."
I tried to explain that Bono does far more than simply preach about the problem. That he actually invests time, effort and money into real organisations that do real work, some of which he helped found himself. But she hardly even let me finish a sentence without throwing out another insult. She also said that she knows "bono only does it to get noticed. I can't prove it, but i just know".
I wish i was exaggerating, but all the above is almost exactly what she said. She seemed so focused on antagonising him, whilst refusing to look at the big picture. She seemed very much swept up in a 'mob mentality', talking about how her friends told her about the tax issues etc. She could kind of paraphrase and parrot some stuff she heard, but she seemed to almost refuse to think for herself on these issues. She was dead-set on hating Bono, and no information or discussion i offered would sway her.
And the thing is, whilst it was really awful to have this conversation with her, it reminded me almost exactly of the 'haters' you see online - focused on hating Bono simply because everyone else is, parroting some piece of misinformation or slanted information, whilst refusing to look at any positive aspects of Bono's work.
Sad really, but it really does exist in the world. It is 'cool' to hate Bono. And people hate him because he's rich and charitable. Because he's rich and trying to save lives. That's pretty sickening.
I must say, i find it difficult to not take it personally, probably because i love the band so much, and they've been such a big part of my life, that for someone to attack them (just for the hell of it, and without a balanced perspective) annoys the hell out of me. I hope i get to where you are, gvox, so that i just don't care - i know i shouldn't.
I love what you said here man. I am very much the same way when it comes to people making fun of the band. I defend them because they are much like my family. I've got this massive connection with their music. If you don't like their music then that's fine with me but there's no need for the hatred and all the crude name calling.
And ifor the record I'd have dumped the girl for the hate toward Bono. I can't date someone who just madly hates Bono, especially for no reason at all. Which of course affects who gets along with me big time. All my friends know I'm a big time defender of Bono and U2.
I might as well tell of my first encounter with a real u2/bono hater. It was a girl i was dating recently, and she made it very clear how much she thought Bono was an arrogant, selfish, poor excuse for a human being.
"Bono is such a twat" she'd say.
"Why do you think that?" I'd reply.
"Well, everyone i talk to thinks he's an asshole."
"... right, but what specifically do you hate about him?"
"Well, he's just so arrogant. Constantly telling us to give money to charities, even though he never gives any himself. Plus, nothing he does makes any difference to africa anyway?"
"Really? When was the last time you saw him asking you for money?"
"Whatever, he's just an asshole"
"How do you know he doesn't give any money?"
"Whatever. I don't care. He's an asshole."
"Are you aware of the work he's done with the One campaign, or product red? And you do know that the general public donating money to these organisations would do more good than one rich person throwing all his cash at the problem to make it go away?"
"Whatever. He's an asshole."
I tried to explain that Bono does far more than simply preach about the problem. That he actually invests time, effort and money into real organisations that do real work, some of which he helped found himself. But she hardly even let me finish a sentence without throwing out another insult. She also said that she knows "bono only does it to get noticed. I can't prove it, but i just know".
I wish i was exaggerating, but all the above is almost exactly what she said. She seemed so focused on antagonising him, whilst refusing to look at the big picture. She seemed very much swept up in a 'mob mentality', talking about how her friends told her about the tax issues etc. She could kind of paraphrase and parrot some stuff she heard, but she seemed to almost refuse to think for herself on these issues. She was dead-set on hating Bono, and no information or discussion i offered would sway her.
And the thing is, whilst it was really awful to have this conversation with her, it reminded me almost exactly of the 'haters' you see online - focused on hating Bono simply because everyone else is, parroting some piece of misinformation or slanted information, whilst refusing to look at any positive aspects of Bono's work.
Sad really, but it really does exist in the world. It is 'cool' to hate Bono. And people hate him because he's rich and charitable. Because he's rich and trying to save lives. That's pretty sickening.
Yeah exactly. It's odd, it's as if they don't genuinely have a reason to hate Bono, they just need someone (anyone) to hate. Like i said before, it's like siding with a sports team - these people adopt a stance opposing bono, and sink comfortably into that stance, attacking him/the band whenever the opportunity arises. Thinking about it, or looking at it from a different perspective, never comes into it.
Not saying sports fans are haters, just that these people appear to have taken a 'side'. And furthermore, emotion is much more important than any kind of unbiased perspective.
I have a feeling that if it wasn't bono around, they'd redirect this anger onto someone else... maybe chris martin?
AGirlLikeTheSea, it's a shame that your friend acts like that when discussing Bono/u2. Sounds like he's more interested in a mud-slinging match than any kind of real discussion. A lot of people i know are like that with Bono/u2 (and other bands). I think it's worth not getting into a conversation like that with them, because nothing good will come out of it!
That´s a childish behaviour ¬¬ , nothing else.
As regards the battle of the bands, some people think that if you like X band, you have to hate another one.
I also read on a Facebook wall that a girl had posted that Bono gives the band an anti-rock image. I think that one thing is no to have a so rock style and another one is to be anti-rock. Besides, there was another girl who said "if I were in USA or Europe, I´d feel like throwing something at Bono when he starts to speak about poverty" This woman lives in Uruguay and....I have to say that I´ve kind of summerized the comments, because these were the ones which annoyed me the most.
Yeah, it's not only U2/Bono he slags off, he often brags about how he good he is to shut-up Christians.
I posted Phil Collins' Another Day in Paradise and he was quick to slag him off as a hypocrite because he's wealthy. That post gave me a hint to the reason he hates Bono; a wealthy person should not talk about poverty.
This doesn't even sound like an argument to me because it doesn't explain why and what the alternative should be. It just sounds like bitter jealousy to me.
I think when a celebrity is charitable, people tend to look at it as a rich person simply demanding everyone else (i.e. non-celebrities) donate money, creating a system where the celebrity gets to look good, and yet its the less wealthy people who have to 'do all the work'.
When you look at it like that, Bono does come off as annoying. But the thing is, it's not like that.
Who's to say Bono doesn't personally donate as much (if not more) than anyone else?
Why does being charitable mean one has to give away all their money? Are these people aware that everyone giving a tiny donation would do more than one rich person giving all their money?
Besides, Bono does far more than simply 'ask for your money'. He's helped found numerous organisations focused on charity, he's constantly fighting to be charitable - it's like his second job. He's clearly not doing it just for fun. He's obviously not doing it to be famous, he's already in the biggest band in the world.
You raise a good question about what the alternative would be. Would it really be better that Bono shut up (so the haters could 'have peace') rather than use his wealth and influence to lobby for charities, and create effective charitable organisations? So what if he's rich - as long as there are results, and people are actually being helped, surely that's all that matters?
I'm so happy to have discovered U2 that I don't care what haters think. Their loss
I can't understand why any of you care what other people think of a band you like. I'm 21, so naturally most my age hate or dislike them and I couldn't possibly give any less of a fuck
That's a good mindset to have Really, i shouldn't bother listening to what any haters have to say. It wouldn't be positive in any way and it's not like they'd do the same for us...
"Blah blah sunglasses blah blah tax blah blah middle of the road blah blah smug blah blah effects pedal blah blah Glastonbury blah blah sell out blah blah Jay-Z blah blah [name of painfully alternative indie band]."
For cryin out loud comparing Bono-hate to Bush-hate is absolutely ridiculous.
Far as I know, Bono isn't responsible for the deaths of thousands of people. Bush is an overall genuine nice guy?
NEXT!
It's actually true.I remember an old comment on the Guardian about the tax protests at glasto
Brilliantly sums up EVERYTHING about hating U2 in 3 lines