Haters Gonna Hate

People are complaining about Valve Software, a very well known video game developer.  This isn't news.  A lot of people love to hate Valve, and they'll do it for whatever reason they can think of.  Nevermind that they've made nothing but best-selling games, such as Half-Life and its sequels, Counter-Strike and its sequels, Team Fortress 2, Left4Dead and its sequel, and Portal and its soon to be released sequel; they suck and deserve to have their heart cut out with a dull spork.  Apparently.

Of course, there are plenty of reasons to hate Valve which are perfectly valid: they take FOREVER to release games (a phenomenon which they refer to as Valve Time), their spokesman Gabe Newell regularly shoots himself in the foot, and the ever-present technical difficulties with Steam, Valve's digital distribution service.  I'm not complaining about people complaining about these issues.  I'm complaining about people complaining about something they really shouldn't:

As I'm typing this, Valve is running a special offer where if enough people play certain games made by small-time independent developers, they'll release Portal 2 ahead of their previously stated release date.  HOW DARE THEY TRY TO SUPPORT THE FLEDGLING INDIE GAME MARKET BY OFFERING A PROMOTIONAL DEAL SUCH AS THIS!  THOSE EVIL COMMIES!  FASCISTS!  PURITANS!  CAT-LOVERS!

Seriously, that's what Valve is doing.  I understand that some people can be frustrated with that, but I see nothing wrong with it.  Maybe it's just me, but I believe that corporations have the right to do whatever they want with their product, provided they don't use it to violate another's rights.  Tell me, whose rights is Valve violating?  Your right to play Portal 2?  Last I checked, you have no such right.  You have a privilege that can be granted by paying $50 for a copy of the game when it is released, or $45 for a preorder.  Be glad that Valve even made Portal 2, because nobody was forcing them to, nor could anybody force them to.  And if anyone did force them, you'd get a horribly-rushed game that never should have been released.

So what should you take out of this rant:  haters gonna hate.  They don't think.  They don't want to think.  They just want to hate, and they'll use every excuse they can to hate on whatever they want to.  This doesn't just apply to hating video game developers; it also applies to Republicans, Muslims, Democrats, Unions, Atheists, Buddhists, Conservatives, Christians, Liberals, Evolutionists, Libertarians (party), Creationists, Pro-Lifers, Libertarians (mindset, which is different than the party),Pro-Choiers, Tea Partiers, the Military, and just about everything else you can think of.  Haters gonna hate, and that's the end of that.