• You are currently viewing our forum as a guest, which gives you limited access to view most discussions and access our other features. By joining our free community, you will have access to additional post topics, communicate privately with other members (PM), view blogs, respond to polls, upload content, and access many other special features. Registration is fast, simple and absolutely free, so please join our community today! Just click here to register. You should turn your Ad Blocker off for this site or certain features may not work properly. If you have any problems with the registration process or your account login, please contact us by clicking here.

How come everyone hates Bono so much?

Orangey

Blah
Joined
Jun 26, 2008
Messages
6,354
MBTI Type
ESTP
Enneagram
6w5
My biggest problem with him is that he hasn't made any tolerable music since the War album.
 

Ivy

Strongly Ambivalent
Joined
Apr 18, 2007
Messages
23,989
MBTI Type
INFP
Enneagram
6
I'm Bono-neutral and U2-slightly positive. (It goes up to "significantly positive" if we only consider the 80s.) However, I am extremely anti-Henry Rollins.
 

Shimmy

New member
Joined
Jun 9, 2009
Messages
1,867
MBTI Type
SEXY
Sure, and you could argue that unlike many others, he's done something useful with it...

Hey, the question in the title was HOW COME everybody hates Bono so much, not whether it is justified.
 

SilkRoad

Lay the coin on my tongue
Joined
May 26, 2009
Messages
3,932
MBTI Type
INFJ
Enneagram
6w5
Instinctual Variant
sp/sx
Hey, the question in the title was HOW COME everybody hates Bono so much, not whether it is justified.

Well, I think I meant both "how come" and "is it justified." Sorry if that wasn't crystal clear. ;)
 

BlueScreen

Fail 2.0
Joined
Nov 8, 2008
Messages
2,668
MBTI Type
YMCA
I'm a fan of him. Less so of the music these days (though there are some interesting elements). I like that he is thinking strategically about things and trying to do something productive. I've seen many, many artists and actors who are far more clueless and airheaded in their charitable side. He has the traits we admire him for, and he has the traits that annoy the hell out of us. I can see past the annoying part to some passion though, and it seems well directed.
 

Oeufa

New member
Joined
Jan 5, 2010
Messages
694
MBTI Type
INTP
A lot of Irish people hate him because he refuses to pay tax (and I must admit, myself included). Example of this hate: Make Bono Pay Tax

Besides which, he comes across as arrogant and his music doesn't particularly appeal to me. There's one or two songs I like but for the most part I'm indifferent to U2 as a band.
 

tastes_like_purple

New member
Joined
May 9, 2009
Messages
200
MBTI Type
XXXX
Enneagram
4
I hate him and I'm irish :laugh:
seriously though, the man can't sing to save his life:laugh:
The only thing i admire is what he does with his money...
 

teslashock

Geolectric
Joined
Oct 27, 2009
Messages
1,690
MBTI Type
ENTP
Enneagram
7w6
I just think U2 is grossly overrated. Bono should have been pursuing humanitarian efforts from the get-go. Then maybe we'd have less people with AIDS, and the radio wouldn't be plagued with "With or Without You."

Btw: This left-wing fad to hate Bono is probably based off the notion that he's causing humanitarian efforts to be come too mainstream. You know there are some serious pretentious assholes out there whose standards for liking something are based on how "unique" it is or how few people there are that also like said thing. Once something becomes popular, it's bound to suck, right? :doh:
 

OrangeAppled

Sugar Hiccup
Joined
Mar 20, 2009
Messages
7,626
MBTI Type
INFP
Enneagram
4w5
Instinctual Variant
sp/sx
Mind you, he is more than a little annoying. He can come across as self-centered, self-righteous, preachy, OTT, pretentious...etc.

I generally feel this, but probably even milder; I definitely don't hate him or give much thought to him. I like some of U2's old songs, but I'm not a big fan, and the general over-rating of U2 annoys me more than Bono himself. I dislike when a band coasts on their past music; people seem to think everything new they make is above reproach. I'm sure the hardcore fans see the downslide in their music, but the general media acts like any band that has managed to stick around for 20 years can't produce crap after a certain point (when it's usually the opposite - they start to suck after 20 years). Again, this is only mildly annoying, and nowhere near hate.

I agree with JivinJeffJones that it may seem he is a little "too perfect" for some people's tastes, and it makes them feel better to bag on him.
 

onemoretime

Dreaming the life
Joined
Jun 29, 2009
Messages
4,455
MBTI Type
3h50
We don't hate Bono per se, as much as we hate the media culture that prevents us from ignoring him.
 

Tallulah

Emerging
Joined
Feb 19, 2008
Messages
6,009
MBTI Type
INTP
I like Bono, and I like U2, but I do wish he'd dial back the preaching about world issues by about 25% at his shows. It was kind of irritating to want to rock out and have to sit through a 10 minute piece on Burma.

I saw him on Jonathan Ross the other day, and he did admit that he's easy to take shots at because he can be "annoying." It's nice to see him have a sense of humor about the whole thing.

I'm torn about people like Bono and Angelina Jolie. I admire that they're using their celebrity for something substantial, but I also get tired of hearing about it. They're entertainers, so it would be lovely if they would just entertain every once in a while instead of "raising awareness" 24/7.
 

Shimmy

New member
Joined
Jun 9, 2009
Messages
1,867
MBTI Type
SEXY
Well, I think I meant both "how come" and "is it justified." Sorry if that wasn't crystal clear. ;)

Hey, I knew what you meant ;). I was just provoking a little. As for the "is it justified" part. Every individual is justified to feel the way he or she wants to. You cannot put a judgement on how somebody feels, because the simple fact of the matter is, that the person has a reason to feel that way. If there was no reason, or 'justification' for feeling a particular way about something, we wouldn't feel that way.
 

Spamtar

Ghost Monkey Soul
Joined
Sep 1, 2009
Messages
4,468
MBTI Type
INTP
Enneagram
5w4
Seems like a nice enough guy and is trying to help poor people.

Some people compare themselves to others. When its a guy like Bono who has $, talent, looks, social contacts and on top of that helps the poor and starving...well some people compare themselves to that a they look like little whinny shits in comparison. Because hey don't like to seeing themselves as whinny little shits so they blame or wank on Bono (or some other self perpetuating whinny shitbag thing). Many of them are the same type of are people who are haters of Buddha and Jesus and the type.

Since bagging on religion is passé Bono is kinda a sacred cow where I think South Park/Rollins are using just for the shock effect of dogging on a sacred cow who isn't too taboo...just taboo enough for the shock intended...medium/medium light, “don’t go there girl” shock value.

People gotta learn to find their own value not by comparing themselves with celebrities but comparing themselves with where they are now, where they were and where they are going and how they are gonna get to be the person they want to be.
 

The_Liquid_Laser

Glowy Goopy Goodness
Joined
Jul 11, 2007
Messages
3,376
MBTI Type
ENTP
People will always be hated for trying to do something good. Because there are always insecure people out there that feel like they have to tear someone else down to make themselves feel better.
 
Joined
Jun 6, 2007
Messages
7,312
MBTI Type
INTJ
People will always be hated for trying to do something good. Because there are always insecure people out there that feel like they have to tear someone else down to make themselves feel better.

Thanks for making my main point in about 500 words less than I did :D
 

Thalassa

Permabanned
Joined
May 3, 2009
Messages
25,183
MBTI Type
ISFP
Enneagram
6w7
Instinctual Variant
sx
Btw: This left-wing fad to hate Bono is probably based off the notion that he's causing humanitarian efforts to be come too mainstream. You know there are some serious pretentious assholes out there whose standards for liking something are based on how "unique" it is or how few people there are that also like said thing. Once something becomes popular, it's bound to suck, right? :doh:

Yes, it's so true - there are honestly people out there who sincerely care that much about being (or at least seeming) "cool."
 

Speed Gavroche

Whisky Old & Women Young
Joined
Oct 20, 2008
Messages
5,152
MBTI Type
EsTP
Enneagram
6w7
Instinctual Variant
sx/sp
I don't really hate him, but, well, let's say that: he is annoying, preachy, pretentious, and above all he says a lot of bullshit about subjects that he doesn't understand, and his humanitarian work actually serve a lot the projects of the Big Government, the military lobby and the new world order. Also, his music is too much mainstream, politically correct to a shame, far to be liked by everybody. He's considered like the Britney Spears of Rock music or something. I think it's pretty much that. When Amy Winehouse publicly screamed to him to shut up his mouth, she gain a lot of respect from me. And many others.
 

Lark

Active member
Joined
Jun 21, 2009
Messages
29,569
It seems to have become a major left-wing/middle-class fad to hate Bono. I can't quite figure out why.

I may be biased to not hate him, as I have been a huge U2 fan for more than half my life (though in the biggest way from age 15-20 or so). Mind you, he is more than a little annoying. He can come across as self-centered, self-righteous, preachy, OTT, pretentious...etc.

But people seem to have chosen to hate him because he speaks up and campaigns for the causes he cares about. I should qualify again, I don't necessarily agree with all his views or approaches. But the thing that makes me laugh/go :shock: is that a lot of people seem to find celebrities who are drug-addled, alcoholic, Satan worshipers, stupid, murderers, etc, highly lovable and even admirable. Based on all the Bono-hating, the biggest sin of all is using your fame and popularity to promote what by most people's standards are good causes.

I may be taking it too far, but I find this an interesting example of the world's skewed morality.

I didnt think it was a left liberal middle class thing, maybe it is, although its been a long lived thing here in ireland/northern ireland.

It probably dates from the time of the Zoo album, the after the greatest hits which had a lot of pseudo-religious lyrics like "if God will send his angels", they arent bad songs but they played into the mythos building up that Bono's grandstanding was getting out of hand and he was an uber deva.

In this respect I dont think he's done much to help himself, grand, grand gestures like taking to the stage at the time of the good friday agreement with Hume and Trimble, seem pretty staged to stoke his celebrity and a lot of his public support for charity has been off set by tax dodges at home and general disillusionment with charity per se (did you see the last comic relief? It was tragic, its not just about the comedy greats disappearing, I think a more general hardening of the heart has taken place with the public questioning any benevolence like its benefit fraud).

Some of its pretty funny though, Bono didnt have to get as angry as he did at the last gig they did when the guys waved the tax dodger cardboard signs, and a lot of the Irish humourising of him is in good spirits, did you ever see the sketch show in which Bono investigated his origins only to discover he had been Jesus, Ghandi, every important person in history and was actually God and responsible for the origin of the universe? It was hilarious!

There is a mean side to it too and I definitely know what you're talking about, a lot of the time I dont envy people in public life.
 

pinkgraffiti

New member
Joined
Mar 20, 2011
Messages
1,482
MBTI Type
ENFP
Enneagram
748
Instinctual Variant
sx/so
I don't really hate him, but, well, let's say that: he is annoying, preachy, pretentious, and above all he says a lot of bullshit about subjects that he doesn't understand, and his humanitarian work actually serve a lot the projects of the Big Government, the military lobby and the new world order. Also, his music is too much mainstream, politically correct to a shame, far to be liked by everybody. He's considered like the Britney Spears of Rock music or something. I think it's pretty much that. When Amy Winehouse publicly screamed to him to shut up his mouth, she gain a lot of respect from me. And many others.

This totally. I watched a video called "Why Poverty?" and even grassroots organizations in Africa hate him and think he's caused more bad there (with stupid stereotypes and his own closed interpretation of what the problem in Africa was without consulting their insights as local organizations) than good. I guess he meant well, but was incredibly naif. and also came from a perspective of superiority, almost reminiscent to previous colonialists, of "trying to save africa", yeah because africa needs to be saved by white people; it really bugs me that he would cause all that media attention and seriously not have the humility to ask to the experts there, to the local organisations: "what do you need?" "what are the problems?" "how can we help you?"

also: annoying music.
 
Top