If TPTB wanted people to hate Dean, I think they succeeded. At least a few people on my flist who used to be avid Dean girls now like Sam better.

I am actually liking Sam less right now, not just because of some of the stuff on-screen, but also because it feels like TPTB are trying to make me feel a certain way about him versus Dean. I felt this in Season 1 too, to me, it felt like TPTB wanted me to like Sam more than Dean, which just pisses me off when the writers are trying to tell the audience how they should feel.