I don't hate many people. In fact, I try to give everybody I meet the benefit of the doubt, even those who annoy, pester, berate and irritate me. Furthermore, I'd like to think that there are not many people who hate me. However, nobody can like everyone and, as much as we may not like to admit it, every now and then we'll all come across someone whom we absolutely cannot stand. Worse yet, we're all bound to eventually encounter someone whom we can truly say that we despise. And, while there may be a stigma attached with hating a fellow human being in our society, I have found that hatred, when used in moderation, can be an extremely valuable tool. As I believe Grace Slick once sang in a Jefferson Airplane classic, "Don't you need somebody to loathe?"

Now, before I come across as some sort of sadist or, worse yet, an unfeeling sonofabitch, I'd like to clarify my position. I don't condone hatred as a way of life. I don't like the grumpy, cantankerous and ill-tempered parts of the populace. And I most definitely don't promote hating entire groups of people (unless, of course, they're the New York Yankees.) What I'm saying is that having one or two people that you can truly say you hate can simply be a lot of fun.

For instance, an archenemy is a very important and liberating thing to have. Everyone, regardless of age, race or creed, needs at least one other person in this great big world to really abhor. Achilles had Hector. Seinfeld had Newman. Piazza had Clemens. Batman had the Joker. Mario had Bowser. It's just part of human nature. As much as all people want others to like them, they are bound to eventually find someone in whom they can find no redeemable characteristics, someone who appears to be just taking up space. An archenemy is easy to describe. It's the sort of person who makes a shiver run up your spine when you hear his or her name. They're the sort of people that make your stomach drop and your head ring; you have to resist the temptation to punch them in the face. They're the sort of people who, when you hear that their pet terrier has run away from home, well ... you can't help but laugh.

The Germans have a word for this phenomenon: schadenfroh, which means "to find joy in another's misfortune." I, by no means, promote finding joy in everyone's bad luck, but that's where archenemies come in. Quite frankly, it's remarkably liberating to be able to simply care nothing about the welfare of a particular human being. In this current era of American unity and brotherhood, to truly and unreservedly hate someone is a luxury that many of us have put on the back burner. However, for me, hate can be a tool towards tolerance.

After all, people use the term "hate" too loosely in society today. "I hate my professor," I've been known to say when they assign a paper out of the blue. However, I don't mean that I hate him, simply that I'm upset. By truly hating someone, by despising everything about them, by detesting the very fact of their existence, we are all able to see good in others. After all, an "archenemy" is a title that is not bestowed without careful thought and clear reasoning. Not only does having an archrival allow us to be more understanding of those who irritate us on a daily basis, it is also downright fun. It's great to go through life and know that somewhere out there, lurking in the darkness, is someone who hates you and whom you feel the very same way about. Your archenemy has to feel the same way about you as you do about him. After all, there is nothing worse than unrequited loathing.

Personally, I've only truly hated three people in my life: the elementary school bully and two former high school friends who, after some rather underhanded and dastardly deeds, managed to alienate themselves from the rest of the gang. Looking back at my nearly 20 years of existence, I can truly say that these are the only people I have ever truly and wholeheartedly abhorred the very sight of. Which is why, for example, when those two former friends, who happened to have been going out for nearly a year and a half, recently broke up, I couldn't help but laugh. It was a terribly messy break up. Yelling. Fighting. Name-calling. Threats. Tears. As a decent human being, I should have been saddened by this development when the news reached me. But I wasn't. I laughed out loud. After I was done laughing, I started to gloat. And when I'd had my fill of gloating, I went back to laughing.

You see, taking such a perverse pleasure in another's misfortune would, under most circumstances, be totally uncalled for. However, that's the beauty of the archenemy. You spend so much time detesting the mere fact that they're out there, that when something like this happens, you feel entitled to bask in it. It's the sort of development that can make an ordinary, stressful Sunday afternoon suddenly turn much brighter.

Hating someone isn't politically correct, nor should it be. After all, it's sinful, immoral and downright wrong-maybe that's why it's so much fun. We try to live our lives as well as we can, to study hard and someday be successful in the real world. There's just not much time in our busy schedules to fulfill our savage cravings. Hating someone is an easy and rewarding way to do just that.

I'm not promoting that everyone run out and find someone who pisses them off. After all, true loathing can't be cultivated; it comes from deep within your soul. I'd simply like it to be known that sincerely hating someone is a remarkably invigorating experience, as I'm sure many of you know. There's nothing wrong with finding pleasure in other's pain, as long as you do so in carefully regulated moderation. Call me what you will, but if said former friend manages to slam his hand in his car door tomorrow, well, I'll tell you right now that I'll laugh my head off and not feel the slightest twinge of guilt about it.