Hate Man came to Berkeley in 1973, after serving with the Peace Corps in Thailand and working for the New York Times before that. "I got bored with being normal," he says. After getting "hooked up" with a woman attending UC Berkeley, he started saying "I hate you." Everyday for a year he stood on a pedestal on Sproul Plaza saying, "I hate you, fuck you," and thus began Hate Man's way of life, what he calls "oppositionalism".

The goal of oppositionalism is to create harmony out of chaos: "If we're dealing with shit minute by minute—as we go along [hence saying, 'I hate you']—there won't be violence." Hate Man lived in his own apartment until 1986. After getting to know many street people, he moved outside, which he prefers. In general, Hate Man prefers not to accept assistance from social service agencies, not wanting to engage in a "parent-child relationship" with the organization. Furthermore, he believes outdoor people are pioneers, leading the way to a more nomadic way of life. When this picture was taken, Hate Man was living in a small garage-like room near Telegraph Avenue.