I came across this commentary from Edward Collier at the Guardian about the phenomena of haterz. Why, he wonders, do some people hate Coldplay so very much?

I can understand people hating Tony Blair or Margaret Thatcher because politicians have a direct effect on our lives, but how does [frontman Chris] Martin affect anyone? If his music comes on the radio, turn it off. If he’s interviewed in the paper, turn the page. It’s not hard to ignore Coldplay; and yet to judge by the haters they are permanently camped out in all our living rooms, hijacking our sound systems and forcing us to name our children after fruit.

I used to be one of those people, but since I became part of a fandom, I’ve completely mellowed. I figure if there’s a pop artist who makes me smile, then why should I frown upon those who enjoy the work of other artists?