Remember that old adage, "If you don't have something nice to say, than don't say anything at all?"
Well, so much for that.
Haters, or "non-supporters" as i like to call them, have existed since the beginning of time. Throughout history, successful individuals or people with large ambitions have had to deal with opposition & others trying to foil there objectives. But I'm of the belief that hustlers, successful people and the like need non supporters around to help them achieve their goals. Here are my reasons why.
Motivation. It seems that the more you do, the more people will recognize WHAT it is your doing. For some, that may be starting a fashion line, pursuing an acting career, becoming a professional athlete after signing that rookie contract, or just doing something you see as positive or productive. With that being said, as your recognition grows, so does the pool of individuals (society) that will form opinions about what it is you are involved in. We all have opinions, and we all show support for things that we believe in. We are also a very vocal & outspoken society in which when we are not in unison or support of something, we will let that be known as well. With this basic understanding of how people work, I see non-supporters as necessities because it tells me that my audience is growing. Its all about the 80-20 rule: 80 percent supporters, 20 percent haters. That's a good ratio to me. For example, say out of a pool of 1000 people, if 998 of them approved of what I do, I would tend to think that I'm not getting an authentic opinion or vow for support from this group, because NOBODY is loved by 100% of everybody (or 99.8% in this example). I would think that people aren't keeping in real. On the other hand, if only 2% of that pool were supportive, that would not be "a good look" either because that would indicate that I'm wack to the highest degree, and whatever it is I'm doing, needs to stop ASAP. So 80/20, or even 70/30 is a realistic and comfortable ratio to me. Simply put, I'd rather have an audience of 100,000 people, 80k of them as supporters and 20k as non supporters, than an audience of 1000, with 900 supporters and 100 non supporters. Why? Because with the second example, I just missed out on 79,100 people that will not only support what I'm doing, but spread the word to others and help strengthen my brand. Interesting enough, the non supporters will do the same thing, even though they're talking negatively about me; but at least they're keeping my name in their mouth. But think of it this way, if Barack Obama can get elected President of the United States with 57,212,032 registered "non-supporters", then what does that tell you?
Perspective. Sometimes, a non supporter can bring to light valuable information that you may find useful to improve your product, career, image, etc. Sometimes, people "VOICE" (no pun intended) their opinions about things they disapprove of solely for the purpose of bringing about a change they would like to see. Whether or not that change is feasible, reasonable or realistic is another discussion, but constructive criticism isn't always a bad thing. Id like to think that I can always improve with Catch 22 Clothing, with my graphic design & branding strategies; and I need those who disagree with what I do to help shed light on those things. The sad thing is, people often misinterpret constructive criticism for hate or non-support, when in actuality its support in disguise. Now please understand me, I understand the difference between criticism and slander, which is what a lot of celebs and others deal with daily. But there are also a lot of us that confuse criticism with hate. To understand the difference to me is key.
Comfort. Interesting, huh? You're probably thinking to yourself how can anyone find comfort when dealing with non-supporters. Well, I look at it this way: As long as the 80/20 rule is in effect, that tells me that the world is not about to end, that society is in balance, that I'm being effective in what I'm doing, and I'm on my way to success. Nothing better than knowing that you got just the right amount of non-supporters lol. But all jokes aside, this brings comfort to me. If I don't have enough non-supporters, I must be doing something wrong.
So in conclusion, "Haters?" Yeah, we need you. You help bring us hustlers & successful people motivation, perspective, comfort, and faith. Bet you weren't expecting that right? Well now since you know how appreciated you all are, I encourage you to continue what it is that you do so very well; it keeps our society in balance.
Thank you Mr & Mrs Non-Supporter, thank you.
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