So I was thinking about posting this rather long question on Yahoo! Answers (answer.yahoo.com). Yahoo! Answers seems to attract people of all opinions who usually don’t have nice things to say:

[color=”blue”] Who hates me?

First of all I am a male. The ruling class of the patriarchal society. I get paid more for the same work. I get preference over promotions. My gender holds the vast majority of CEO’s, governorship, Senators, and all Presidents of the United States. Not only that but I believe in a traditional family where the husband is head of the household and head over his wife and children.

Next, I’m half Jewish. My people occupy Palestine. My people shell innocent Palestinian and Lebanese civilians — never mind the fact that Hezbollah and Hamas fired rockets at my people first and the civilians are willing to be martyrs to make my people look like war criminals. My people killed Jesus! My people are tightwads and hoarders of money. My people *own* your people. We manage your bank accounts and retirement portfolios. Don’t you wish you got *all* of us in the Holocaust?

I’m one quarter African American. My people accuse your people of being racist by using the term “you people.” My people call each other niggas than turn around and call you racist when you use the same terms. My people see racism as a one way street. You are evil for hating us for being black, but we are justified for hating you because you are white. My people want the government to take care of us from cradle to grave. My people cause crime in your inter cities. My people celebrate killing cops and raping women in our music. Gee, I bet there are a lot of skinheads right now salivating at the thought of curb stomping me…

I’m from New York State by birth. One of those “Yankees” that won the civil war. Yep, I’m one of them who has no manners and no appreciation for God and country. Impatient and self centered. And I feel I’m the only one who has any class or sophistication. My people elected Hillary Clinton to the Senate twice.

But now I’m a Texan. One of those Confederate flag waving, deer killing Southerns — never mind that *I* don’t own a Confederate flag or hunt Bambi. Big Oil rules, oh, and we *love* George W. Bush. We love big cuts of beef and football on Friday nights. We believe in individualism and reject all this “global community” stuff. Our Railroad Commissioner said “It doesn’t take a village to raise a child. It takes a family and a home to come back to.” We drive gas guzzlers and want to kill Arabs and drill oil all for the Glory of Jesus.

Speaking of Jesus, I’m a Christian. And not just any Christian, but a Born-Again Christian. I believe that the Bible is the inerrant Word of God. I believe the world was created in six 24-hour periods known days 6,000 years ago. I believe that Christianity is the only way to heaven. Not Islam, not Buddhism, not any New Age philosophy. You don’t go to Heaven by being a good person but by the Blood of Jesus Christ. Yep, I’m one of those narrow minded people that think abortion is murder, homosexuality is a sin, and that marriage should be kept between one man and one woman. My people are the one who’s passing out those pamphlets debunking the DaVinci Code. My people leave Jack Chick tracks in rest rooms and put fishes without legs on our cars. My people actually morned the death of Jerry Falwell.

Not only that, but I’m a Republican. I don’t keep my religion to myself. No, I’m for “violating the separation of ‘church and state'” by allowing Ten Commandment displays in our courtrooms and prayer in our public schools. I boycott Ford and Disney. One friend described me as one of Pat Robertson’s “puppets” or an “idiot that listens to Bill O’Reiley” — which is funny since I’ve never seen an episode of the O’Reiley Factor or the 700 Club in the last decade. I subscribe to the Dominion Theology and contend that the United State is a Christian nation founded on Christian principals. Have I ticked off all you liberals yet?

I abuse the environment and animals. I drive a car that isn’t a hybrid. I throw away my newspaper and metal cans. I get my electricity from traditional sources. I eat meat–oh I love eating the flesh of cows, chickens, and pigs. I have a leather jacket and leather shoes. And I oppress a cat as my pet, since even owning a pet is cruelty to animals.

I’m sure I pissed off a lot of people. So go ahead, call me a moron, an idiot, and a Cretin. Send me your death threats in all caps, wishing that my God would send me to my Hell, or that I would leave the country, or just die, or something. I’m actually looking forward to them. Fell free to use all the profanity you want. In fact, I’ll even let you have my home address where you can send your package bombs.[/color]

But then, the more and more I thought about it, this question is pointless. It’s really narcissistic of me to take this anti-popularity pole. I was thinking of even posting a “Who likes me?” where I basically state the same facts about me in a positive light.

Why should I care, after all? Life is not all about me. Rick Warren states that from a Christian point of view in “The Purpose Driven Life,” and Ben Stein from a secular point of view in “How to Ruin Your Life.” You stand for something bigger than you are going to offend other people. That’s just the way it is. Having everyone like you is just some lie that makes us miserable.

Even more so were talking about Internet trolls. They hide behind a screen name and an advitar to hurl insults at people. They are cowards not even man or woman enough to give you their e-mail address. They are the Internet version of that punk that mooned you in the locker room or spread rumors to his buddies at the lunch table that you and your best friend were in a homosexual relationship when nothing could be further from the truth. They are the internet’s juveniles, and yet I give them so much power on how I view myself as a person.

As far as people hating me for what I believe, I remember what Jesus said in Luke 10:16: “He who listens to you listens to Me; he who rejects you rejects Me; but he who rejects Me rejects Him who sent Me.” It’s not just me they reject, but God Himself. But God is big enough to handle their rejection, and His acceptance is, or at least should be, enough for me to overcome my rejection.

Rejection hurts. People not liking you hurts. You used to be close friends with someone in high school, now eight years later they join your MySpace and then unjoin a day later. You sigh at the fact that they accepted who you were but not who you are. Friends come and go, leaving you stuck in the ditch on the side of the Road of Life. It happens. Maybe I am a bull in a china shop when it comes to my opinions, but should I be afraid to express myself because I might loose some friends?

Honestly, I don’t really know for sure… Yeah, the Truth is not popular and Jesus said families would dissolve on account of Him (Mt. 10:34-35). But part of me still doubts, still wonders if I changed my tone a little and wasn’t so passionate I’d be better off. I guess part of me still wonders if I am that moron, that bigot, that pinhead… After all not even ten years ago I was one of those bleeding heart liberals. I guess I’ve changed so much *I’m* trying to catch up.

Well, but anyway, who hates me?

Joel