What is with all the prequel hate and disrespect?

Uhh... I dont hate the prequals.

We critiique the prequals and stuff, like you know, talk about them and stuff. One can say something less than loving about something and still appriciate it and stuff.

I don't really "hate" them.  I tease my wife about hating Episode 1, but I don't "hate" it per se.  It was ridiculous, and it shows Lucas had been away from movies so long he forgot how to do them.  JarJar was ridiculous; this is not Star Wars.  Anakin was ludicrous.  He looked like he was FIVE, and his acting ability was.. the scenes with Padme were just creepy.  (Come to think of it, his scenes with Padme in AoTC were creepy as well; so there's a chance it was Portman's fault.)

If things had continued to travel down the road they were going in Episode 1; yes.  I would have hated the prequel trilogy.  But by Episode 3, the groove was wholly back and that movie was a work of art that brought all the nostalgia back that Episode 1 failed to.

I actually saw episode 2 only last week.  Yes, after Episode 1, I had lost faith in the series.  The only reason I saw 3 at all (and loved it) was because I was requested by a member of the .. scene.. *coughs* to fix the aspect ratio and audio desync from the camrip of it.  And in order to do so, I had to watch every second of it.  I ended up watching it three more times in that first week.  (If you had the rip with the logo of the foxtail wagging at the beginning, you had my repaired and remerged audio rip)

So.. the short answer is Episode 1 was too kiddy; and that really broke a lot of older fans' hearts.  That's why it got so much hate.  My wife defends it so fiercely, saying "You just don't like Episode 1 because you have to think about it before you can like it."  That statement kinda refutes itself.  There've been plenty of movies I didn't like at first, but on repeated watchings have come to enjoy it.  Episode 1 is not one of them.  No matter how many times I watch it, it doesn't get any deeper.  I don't HATE Episode 1.. but I'm not inclined to watch it more then once a year or so.  It's disappointing fluff, in my opinion.

Episodes 2 (besides the hamfisted romance between Anakin and Padme) and Episode 3 are Star Wars movies.  Episode 1 was... it made me sad. 

Does that rambling answer help at all?

I enjoy the prequals in a different sense than the first three, since the story is told in a complete different way. The orginal triolgy was classic narritve story telling, where as the prequals were done in the much less known and used epic story tellng. They are just different styles.  I think im the lone person on the boards who likes, episode as a whole, even though I find a few flaws annoying and irratating. (Anakin being one of them) I choose to watch it quite a  bit, especially when Im painting or doing something else, because It does provide a nice fluffy backround.

Yeah the romance stuff is lacking, but I think it has the redemtion factor of the costumes and locations. (Yes i never stop with the costumes do i?:P)

Do what I did.  Marry a Star Wars fan who can sew.  *pats Jedi Robes*

I'm trying to think how I want to say this... There are things I do like about the prequels, but there are things I don't. I do have some theories as to why some people don't care for them, myself included.

One is how the special effects were done/used. In my opinion, it felt like Lucas was more like, "Hey, check out what we can do now special effect wise." Instead of concentrating one something more story driven. Now, don't get me wrong, I thought the space battle in the opening to III was awesome, but there was still a bit of me that knew it wasn't real. It was like the models provided something acutal as opposed to something a computer says is there. I think a good balance could of been possible, for example, I thought when the original trilogies were  re-released in a special edition, I thought a balance was well done between models and CGI.

Another problem I had with I was how Anakin was portrayed... Yes, I think the acting left something more to be desired, but I think it was not written well enough. It left little for me to say, "Yes, this child will become a dark lord of the sith." I think it would of been better had we seen him as a flawed child to begin with. I was disappointed with the very short scene that was cut when Anakin was found by Qui-gon fighting a young Greedo who accused Anakin of cheating in the pod race.

With II, I will concede that the romance I do think got in the way of the storytelling, abet it was important. I will concede here as well that it possibly could have been written better, hell, the whole prequels probably could have.

Things I will say I liked... Ewan as Obi-Wan, the Clone Army and the vehicles used by it, most if not all the lightsaber duels....

I think one last thing I want to touch on is this... If memory and my research serve me correctly, Lucas wasn't really directly involved in any films since the original trilogy... I think he was more wrapped up in ILM and being a parent (which I have no problem with and understand completely). So I belive Zivi is correct when he stated Lucas has been away from  movies so long.

That all being said, I'd like to try and focus on the stuff I liked in prequels instead of beating this dead horse... Makes it a lot easier to enjoy with my six year old son.

I think that it just takes people time to get around to liking the Star Wars prequels. I've warmed to them somewhat. They're not nearly as bad as people make them out to be. And a lot of people who dislikes The Force Awakens will get around to appreciating that one more along with the upcoming episodes 8 and 9 as time wears on. People throws a hissy fit and then they pretty much get over it.