Rachael Critics are Sad

I regularly check for good new information for this site. I am not going to claim I am the hardest working site-runner in the world, or anything, but I do keep an eye out for things I think might be interesting.

As I search for Rachael Ray news, I often stumble upon some of the hateful things those who don't like Rachael Ray write.

Look, everyone is entitled to their opinions, and I am not saying anyone should have their right to expression curtailed. So, don't accuse me of being a censor just because I criticize.

A lot of these anti-Rachael Ray posts really make me sad. And not just for Rachael--but for the kind of angry minds that could write some of what they write.

Calling Rachael Ray "Raytard," for instance...It isn't just mean to Rachael Ray. It also makes use of a slang term for those with mental retardation and uses it as an ugly insult. That isn't fun. It's hateful. And it reinforces negative stereotypes and ugliness in our world.

I recently came across a post on the most famous Rachael Ray hating site about a person whose roommate was a big fan of Rachael and made all of her recipes. Apparently, this young lady also suffers from the eating disorder bulimia. The anti-Rachael Ray author thought it was amusing to posit a causal link between an eating disorder and Rachael Ray's 30 minute recipes. Obviously untrue, but still offensive. Not so much because it belittles Ms. Ray's cooking (her overall popularity shows how little concern she needs to have for those who write such things), but offensive because it makes light of eating disorders. In fact, the author seemed to find her roommate's bulimia a source of comic material.

Hey, love Rachael Ray. Hate Rachael Ray. Whatever. But is it really necessary to be so cruel and mean-spirited?

I don't like to give the anti-Rachael Ray people too much press, but they are a force and deserve to be mentioned occasionally. And, I think it might be a handy thing to remind the world not to confuse the utter meanness from some of them as real critique of Rachael Ray. It is surely more a reflection of their own sad psyches.