I was afraid this would be another lecture about trolls but it turned out to be quite profound.<p>We tend to define ourselves by what we like and dislike, which is fine, except, most of the time, it&#x27;s not based on fact, but on arbitrary decisions.<p>This is quite obvious with kids; for example, my two younger kids (6 and 7, boy and girl) try to hate the preferred foods of one another, even if they have to admit they like its individual components. The boy loves fruit yogurt but &quot;hates&quot; fruits (will leave the table when someone&#x27;s eating a raw fruit next to him), and the girl actually does love fruits but decided she will never eat yogurt... <i>or use a spoon</i>.<p>This is all fake, it&#x27;s all an act, and yet it&#x27;s quite powerful and difficult to overcome. (What gives it away though, is that these &quot;tastes&quot; vary according to location; when in school, those preferences disappear!)<p>We adults use spoons, but act the same with literature, or really most of our tastes in arts or crafts or products; we like the idea of ourselves not liking this or that (hello, vegans! ;-)<p>Dislike and contempt is also much easier to develop and maintain than an actual taste that has to be nurtured; it&#x27;s like free money.<p>I really should get around to reading Houellebecq.