I find it strange people are not sick of this fad yet. I am.
And to drive that point all the way home and out the back of the garage, I've created my very own list. Here it is.
11 Reasons I'm Sick of the Whole List Thing
1. A couple of the items are almost always very similar.
Sure they’re all worded uniquely, but when you really examine them, there are usually two that are only slightly different.
2. At least one of the explanation paragraphs starts with a question.
Remember when you were a kid and you had that universally shared experience? That’s what I’m talking about.
3. The title of the list is always provocative and self-assured.
And for some reason, I really do want to know the four reasons you slapped your boss or the eight reasons you plan to gain weight this year. And after I read your six reasons everyone should use Twitter, guess what? I'll resume being perfectly content without it.
4. Every item is always filled with superlatives.
And then in the explanation paragraph things aren’t so absolute, as you find out that, in fact, many items often have superlatives in them. But still.
5. The length of the list is ridiculously arbitrary.
Can’t we just stick with the classics: 3, 5, and 10? They fit so nicely in my brain. I don’t like seeing lists of 7 or 9. Or if you’re BuzzFeed, there’s just no telling how long the list might be.
6. The explanation is often just a rewording of the heading.
It’s true. A lot of times the explanation is like a different way of wording the heading.
7. Usually the list could be one item shorter.
This is because there’s only a subtle difference between two of the items in the list, and if not for trying to reach the required number of items, as stated in the title of the list, those two items could be combined.
8. This trend encourages poor reading skills.
Yes, this is a serious problem. The internet has trained us to scan the page for the “most important” information, without reading for comprehension. Our attention spans for reading are so short we don’t. There are even clubs now at which people just sit and read a book. It’s that bad.
9. Lists encourage poor writing skills.
Most people would find it easier to make a list than write a traditional, paragraph-style essay. Know why? Because these days writing skills are hard to find, like an NFL player with no behavioral problems.
10. The list is full of links to the author's other lists.
I don't have any other lists to link to. But I do have some pretty worthwhile blog posts, like this one, this one, or this one.
11. It’s just getting old.
We really don't need much more reason than that.
