The Meaning and Usage of 'Haters Gonna Hate'

It's an expression of pride or a response to a hateful comment

On YouTube, Facebook, Twitter, Reddit, and other online comment threads, you are
bound to see the expression "'haters gonna hate." You may also see the expression
used as a caption on photos of people and animals performing outlandish stunts and
strutting moves.

An Expression of Pride and Individuality

The phrase means "I'm just going to ignore the cruel and hateful comments of other
people." The "haters gonna hate" expression is commonly used when a person performs
some kind of peacocking behavior that demonstrates individuality, and that person
wants to shout, "I don't care what other people think!"

A Response to a Hateful Post or Comment

The phrase is also used to counter hateful comments posted on social media or in
comment threads about an individual. In these cases, a person expresses an opinion
or posts an image, a "hater" posts an ugly response, and the original poster
responds only "haters gonna hate." Haters are people who are malicious and vocal
and who likes to post insults online whenever they disagree with something someone
posts.

Young people use the expression as a part of their everyday language. Teenagers
regularly say "haters gonna hate" as a vocal response to cruel and hateful
judgments by others, although the term has gained broader cultural appeal. Former
congressman Aaron Schock of Illinois said it to the press when he was confronted
about the costs of his office renovation in the style of the TV show "Downton
Abbey."

Modern meme photos heavily use the "haters" expression. Expect to see photos and
animated gifs of people expressing themselves with a disregard for the negative
opinions of others.

When Haters Go Too Far

Sometimes it isn't so easy to blow off someone who posts a hateful comment. You may
encounter people who post bigoted, racist, or militant comments. This type of
behavior can damage a social community, and it should be flagged for review by the
social network or thread administrator. If a hater ever threatens or stalks you, it
is time to notify the authorities for your own protection.

Origin and Examples

The origin of the "haters gonna hate" expression is claimed to be a 3LW music video
from the year 2000. A cartoon from artist Omar Noory drew a captioned version of
the haters-gonna-hate phrase in 2008.

Online Example of 'Haters Gonna Hate' Usage in a Game

Tha-tch: wtf, that imperial is yelling at me because I pushed him over the side of
the bridge.

Kandance: lol then he shouldn't be playing a combat game. tell him to try bejeweled
instead

Tha-tch: hahaha

Tha-tch: haters gonna hate

Example From Reddit
obnotlupus: dude, seriously? you painted your car by wrapping it in duct tape?

tokomini: don't get butthurt obno. the guy is exercising his freedom to express his
taste in cars

obnotlupus: taste? you mean "idiocy." that guy is a f*ing derpus

gramathy: haters gonna hate. Obno: go take a chill pill or move to a country that
doesn't have democracy. Leave the guy alone and let him paint his car the way he
wants to.

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