I had my friend and drummer I played with (for over 6 years) over to record some e-drums for me.
 
The thing I noticed about him was while he was riding the ride he was also footing on the hats.
 
More and more when I see live drummers most don't seem to do that much anymore.
 
Is it laziness or is that the new way of drumming?
 

I think that type of thing is a dying art aside from professionally trained drummers.
 
eg: When I started playing drums (self taught of course... derp) it was also on a double kick pedal setup. My left foot never left that left kick pedal. My old(ish) timer drummer buddy who was one of the best I've ever played with stopped by a rehearsal just to hang out. He said he was impressed with what I was doing and how quickly I'd developed but seemed honestly upset that I hadn't started with my left foot on the hats before glueing it to the left kick pedal.
 
I got his point but I was learning (more or less) from scratch IN an already established band so I had to actually, yanno, play the songs and their ain't much hats pedal work in thrash metal. I said I could always learn that stuff later to which he essentially said "Naw, you already blew it. It's gonna be WAY more awkward/difficult now that that foot is trained to do what it's doing".
 
I was skeptical but darned if any time I tried doing hat pedal work it just was the WORST! I mean... just friggen ridiculous and felt oh so weird and wrong.
 
So I guess maybe you can blame the rise of the left kick pedal and/or schlocko self trained hacks?
 
 

FYI: My friend is also self trained (on a single kick though). We were (flower, love & moonbeam) children in a different time though.

Ya, I do get it though. Hats in double kick Metal = bleh

Yeah, I'd say the art of hats started it's decline sometime in the 80's. I remember back then when people would get all pissy about how the double kick guys were "cheating". lol

cheating = synths = double kicks = Melodyne/Autotune = BIAB = Loops etc. et.al.

I fell into the same trap.  I learned drums when I was 14, listening to Metallica and Lars ain't messin' with his hats much so neither did I.  Played for years and years just like Beepster - left foot glued to the double pedal.  Sold my kit when I was 19 and put it all behind me for over 20 years, until 5 years ago when the wife bought me a new kit.  Now, here I am with a whole new perspective and approach where hat work matters - so much so that I spent 400 bucks on a DW direct-remote stand for a center-hat set up, and I have to practice and practice to do stuff I had no interest in when I was young.  Danny Carey and Matt Garstka have a lot to do with that.  
 
So...laziness?  In my case just a pure lack of interest.  Neglectful?  Absolutely.  And unbelievably costly in terms of skills and performance.  

You can't get that "pea soup  pea soup" sound without the hats pedal! 

I just now got around to reading this fred.
 
Does that answer your question?

UbiquitousBubba
I just now got around to reading this fred.
 
Does that answer your question?