Why do they hate us?

T

themacko

Barking at the moon.
I just do not understand why people hate Apple. Why? What is it about Apple that causes so many people to come out and publicly bash the company, it's products and it's users?

Most of the time, hatred is created through jealousy or theat. Are Windows users threatened by the Macintosh? I would hope not, Apple computers only make up about 5% of the market (which I find hard to believe, but I digress), if this is so then why do Macs garner so much attention?

Are Windows users jealouse of Apple and Mac users? This could be for some, but certainly not most. Mac users do not go around and bash Windows. Mac users don't scoff at Microsoft (most of us) every chance we get. I personally don't mind Microsoft. I think they're sneaky and I don't like the way they are trying to rule the internet, but I have bought the last two versions of Office from them and use Internet Explorer. I think they make decent software and I can respect them for that.

Why can't Windows users respect Apple for making decent computers and a good OS? Where's the harm? Someone please LOGICALLY explain this to me...

Maybe I'll just give up, get myself a Dell with Windows XP. Sign up for Passport, MSN and .NET and be happy with a mediocre OS that gets hundreds of virus threats. Hmmm....
 
"Maybe I'll just give up, get myself a Dell with Windows XP. Sign up for Passport, MSN and .NET and be happy with a mediocre OS that gets hundreds of virus threats. Hmmm...."


This is why, the arrogance of mac users, claiming superiority, it's very snob like...
 
Maybe it's because Apple actually INNOVATES! Who does the whole package? Nobody else!

Maybe I'll just give up, get myself a Dell with Windows XP. Sign up for Passport, MSN and .NET and be happy with a mediocre OS that gets hundreds of virus threats. Hmmm....
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Yes, go sign up for all those services and sign your personal information and privacy away!

When was the last time you ever saw on TV or the web a huge security exploit alert or extremely harmful virus alert for a MAC?!
 
Mostly, what you are saying is negative, there is enough promotional material from Apple. BTW The harddrive in your Dell can be used in a mac.
 
You probably could have put up a poll; there's so many possible answers, a few of which you mention.

One that you didn't mention though, is my personal theory: Ignorance. That is, most people are not at all familiar with Apple, Macintosh or the notion that a community can still exist around something that is so mundane, so everyday as a desktop computer. The Windows userbase is largely made up of folks that may like using Windows, but they certainly don't love using it, and are generally painfully and personally aware of crashes, viruses, and other assorted nastiness. How could we be so mislead as to actually have something of an emotional attachments to our machines???

Another reason, unfortunately, is the Mac community's apparent belief that we have to vocally disagree with every little barb, misstatement, uninformed opinion or outright lie shot in our direction. You'd think that after all this time, we'd have collectively learned to pick our battles, but there's an embarrasing number of us who have not.

Combine these two, and it's much like the schoolyard bully: the smaller kid is known to cry and whine at the slightest provocation, and the bully doesn't know why, but it's so much fun to pick on the smaller kid. And, of course, the fear of the unknown (through ignorance) may very well invoke some feeling of being threatened, as you've mentioned.

If there's a sure-fire solution, I'm not sure what it is, but I've found that discussing the merits of Macintosh, without even mentioning Microsoft (except to discuss Office or IE) or Windows goes a long way to getting a more receptive ear.

Unfortunately, I don't think that this medium is very useful for swaying new Mac users. The whole PC vs Mac debate has raged on so long that the bulletin-board/usenet arguments have all been played. I think that a more face-to-face approach is far more effective. I've a friend that plans to buy a 'Book sometime in the spring, and he's repeatedly attributed this decision on the things that we've discussed and that I've demonstrated. I don't think this would have worked nearly as well if we'd conversed in an on-line forum of some kind.
 
Originally posted by Jadey
For the same reason Americans trash Canadians on this board - jealousy :p
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I am American and I love Canadians! :) They created an awesome sport and the innovators are still better than the Americans at it...

BTW, It is really hard to follow certain threads which "that dumbass" posts in since he is now on my ignore list, so how's about nobody address anything he says ? That will make it better around here anyway. I refuse to EVER click on any of his posts because when I did read them they were just trash.

Feel free to reply/flame (insert name here (we all know who I speak of)) because I wont read it anyway...

...Regardiong this actual topic- I dont mind that "they" hate us - I think its funny that they are so arrogant and think we are the jaded ones. It says alot that we are the minority and are yet so militant in our support and "cause" if you will. Ive never given a rats ass what anyone thought of me or my actions and this remains true in my Mac circles.
 
Kenny, I would like to shake your cyber hand. You really made me happy today when I read your responce to this thread. I opened it expecting a lot of Manic bashing and going back and forth like we usually do but your post was intelligent and insiteful, especially about the bully and the smaller kid. People always want to win. It doesn't matter if they know they have a losing team, if they gang up with the majority they will win. I am going to expose myself here and aknowledge my mistake this past week. My university, CU played in a bowl game against Oregan. I wanted to win and was sure that was going to happen because we have had a pretty good year beating Nebraska and all. Oregan stomped us and Miami stomped Nebraska. I spoke out against playing Oregan because I thought we should play Miami but in reality, neither us nor Nebraska were really fit to play in the bowl games we did.

I rambled a lot more than I had hoped but my point is that people say things so that they feel better, but we all loose sometimes and if 95% of the market share would admit it, they would be a lot more productive on a Mac. (actually in a perfect world it would be 45% because there always needs to be competition.)
 
No, of course not everybody does. But search around the boards - it's depressingly common. Still, I think that PC people are jealous. :)
 
I'm probably the one who's responsible for bad mouthing Candians, but really, it was meant in jest. I've got nothing against the country as a whole, it 's just I used to live/work in New Hampshire, and had to deal with Montreal/Quebec folks alot and found them to be almost completely rude and arrogant. Probably not a real barometer for the people of Canada. From what I understand, the rest of Canada isn't too thrilled with Quebec's threats of succession from the nation....

Anyway...

I'm just very proud and egotistical about where I live. I know most foreigners get very upset with American's arrogance, but I can't make any apologies for it. It's the greatest country on this earth, bar none. That said, if I couldn't have been born an American, my second choice would have been Canada.
 
For the same reason Americans trash Canadians on this board - jealousy
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i'm not even jealous of those people who live in parts of the usa where snow covers the ground and especially not canadians. the real reason canadians get bashed is because manic claims to be one. this is basically the same reasons that americans get bashed everywhere abroad. because we have too many self centered uncaring representatives of our country in contact with peoples of other nations. so a combination of experience and ignorance leads to this kind of bs.

hey, i've got news for you guys. this war, this hate thing you talk about. it's really a geek war. i have never encountered anyone who hated macs in particluar outside of the tech industry. actually outside of the internet!!! really, everyday people could care less. in the end this whole attacking thing is a 'my computer's bigger than your computer' thing. too bad computers aren't naturally phallic because that would complete the analogy beautifully. but maybe that is part of it. maybe macs are too feminine looking and threaten the masculinity of those who are trying to maintain theirs on a thread.
i will add that i think several other points that have been made so far are truthful and contribute to this adolescent debate between platforms. nothing like this ever boils down to one thing or another.

again manic - take your lithium before you get hospitalized.
 
let me clarrify one thing -

i am not talking about rational, growth oriented discussion of the pros and cons of each platform between two or more passionate computer owners. i am talking about the emotionally fueled tirades of name calling and benchmark pressing that seems to follow posts by manic and others like him. there is no real hate that takes place between humans who take the time to understand each other. differences can be resolved. but only if both parties are willing to work at it. those who are blinded by their own sense of importance (or lack thereof) will always attempt to reduce any attempt at negotitiation to a level they can manage. too often this is simply a dominate or submit strategy played at a schoolyard level - the last place this person actually succeded at anything in the eyes of their peers.
so i don't think that themacko had it quite right when he asked 'why' windows users hate macs. most don't know enough about macs to do anything but nod when you mention them. the question should be: who are these windows elitists who feel a need to be better than others? what is it about them that makes them so miserable inside that they need to make others suffer as they do?
psychological research has shown that thses people generally suffer from low self-esteem. in order to compensate for this they attempt to project an air of self confidence. generally they fool almost no one but themselves. theya re always the last to know how others really see them. they have very strong defenses against anything that would allow them to acknowledge their own vulnerability.
and i used the word adolescent in the last post because this is a normal stage in adolescense that must be passed thru to grow into a healthy adult. but it is not normal in a full grown adult unless they never successfully completed that stage of development.
 
serpicolugnut: you hit it on the head (about Quebec). There is a minority of Quebecers who think a linguistic identity is enought to form a new country. Hello, look at what happened to Ireland fighting over petty shit (pardon).


Scott.
From Canada.

Notice the similarities? Most canucks love the US, but there is also striking paralells between Canada/USA and Mac/Windows. Canada/Mac: much smaller popularity, but has excellent features. Windows/USA: Also good features, but worldwide reliance and image of monopolistic bad boys.
 
on the "geek war" reference...

95% of the time, when I find someone dissing the Mac, I will find through questioning them that they have NEVER even used one. Their arguments are (usually) based on old information, misconceptions and half truths.

Most Mac users who have a bias for their Macs have a least used a PC, or continue to use a PC when forced to. But when it comes down to putting their money where their mouth is, they buy Macs.

When 99% of PC users buy a PC, they never even consider the Mac, mostly because they have never seen what it can do, how elegant the interface is, etc. They just hear the stupid misconceptions from the pimple faced CompUSA employee who tells them there is no software for the Mac, that Apple is going out of business, etc, etc, etc.

I have made it my goal to introduce the Mac to as many people as I can. I don't try to force it on them, because I don't have to. Once an intelligent person see's what can be done with the Mac, logic and reasoning kick in and they see that, for most tasks, the Mac is better. Notice I didn't say all tasks, as there are some areas where a low cost el cheapo PC makes sense.

But in the last year, just from people at work (all PC's there) seeing me use my Titanium PowerBook G4, I have gotten three people to switch to the Mac. All of them are very happy to be off the Microsoft farm. I didn't have to hem and haw about why the Mac is better. I just showed them how I use it, and they "saw the light".

So do yourselves a favor. Don't break a sweat over the rantings of a 13 year old boy like maniacdvln. Just add him to your ignore list and go about your day. And when a PC user asks you about your computer, don't get defensive about it. Just show them why you use a Mac, and they will probably be able to make the argument themselves.
 
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