Why do people hate on Canada geese?

It still feels like early Spring here in downstate NY, rather than sunny May (rainy and chilly today, 50 degrees) but it’s gosling season. On my way to and from work I pass a road with undeveloped open space where the geese nest. Usually, I see goslings by early April, but today is the first day this year that I’ve seen them. They weren’t very big, so they must have hatched just a few days ago. I would think that they’re cute if I could forget that they’ll grow up to be big annoying geese.

And waiting in my car at a traffic light this afternoon, I saw 2 Canada geese cross at the crosswalk. Many thoughts went through my head (Smart geese! They know to cross at the crosswalk! No, it’s just a coincidence. If the light turns while they’re crossing will I wait so I don’t run them over? Maybe I wish I could run them over but it would be too risky and messy…) So many thoughts, in fact, that I made a poll about it: