The top ten top ten lists July 30, 2008

It’s impossible to make a safe voyage through a news feed without running into a “list” of some kind. Hell, Entertainment Weekly recently did an entire issue devoted to nothing but top 100 lists. But writers are not uncreative slackers (not all of us, anyway); there is a reason why so many writers/editors/bloggers consult the top ten list so frequently:

1. They’re easy to write.

2. They’re easy to read.

3. People always read them (even if they hate themselves while doing so).

4. It sparks discussion/controversy, which attracts more readers.

5. Did I mention they’re easy to write?

Lists are a godsend for lazy writers because lists are failure proof. I’m not trying to bash the list; I have several lists published here on this blog, too. But this week I noticed an alarming amount of lists and felt an uncontrollable urge to create one of my own. I decided to submit to that urge, but only if I could do it as douche-y as possible. Here is a list of this week’s top top ten lists. It sounds pathetic, but it’s a list! You know you can’t help but read it. (more…)