[superswordfish]

It's the same as with Java, PHP, ketchup, strip malls, pop music, professional wrestling, etc. which are usually criticized with minimal mental effort. The opinion is used as a signal that you're not "one of them," that is, a commoner, though to a thinking person they establish you as exactly that, somebody who is incapable of nuanced thinking.

[ldonley]

This is too true. Best is when the opinions on these are formed with no previous experience with it. I have to use Perl at work and whenever someone finds out they say "I'm sorry that you have to use that terrible language!" Sure, I would prefer to use Python, but Perl has some useful features that other languages don't do as well which is why I use it. Conveniently, nobody who comments to me about Perl has ever actually used it. Same with when I have used Java in the past.