Those Pesky Lists and Polls

[speed]

Is there any value to those innumerable 50 best, 100-best, cornucopia of lists that has infected out society over the last couple of years? You know the lists:100 best books, 100 hottest women, 100 best metal songs as chosen by the ever-so repudable and metal VH-1 staff, 50 places you have to see before you die, 25 top movie quotes, 10 things to do in Muncie Indiana, 9 top ways to lose weight for summer without foregoing pop, pizza and pretzels, and 3 ways to acheive an orgasm type of lists.

Is there a reason why we have so many lists these days? Is it a sign the petit bourgeois masses have finally claimed ultimate victory over taste and culture? Is it but a marketing scheme to take our minds off the lists of dead in Iraq? Or perhaps, do the lists accurately objectivize music, sports plays, and the sexual attractiveness of airbrushed tarts?

And while I'm attacking lists, how about polls? Does that guy or gal who calls at 6pm every night with a promise he needs but a minute of your time, really helping society with the data he is gathering? And lets not forget polls and politics! THey go hand in hand these days. There's nothing more democratic than candidates pandering to poll opinions on such important matters as gay marriage, prayer in schools, and prescriptions for senile seniors.

Down with polls and lists I say!

 

[Consuming Impulse]

lists are good if they are done the right way.

 

[derek]

Lists generally represent the bland and banal.

Polls are primairly aimed at selling you more crap.

I agree with the big man, screw this nonsense.

 

[Consuming Impulse]

polls kick ass.

 

[derek]

polls kick ass.

Poll: Who agrees?

 

[judas69]

We naturally assess, compare, group and rank as a part of who we are. It's almost a side-effect of being critical and opinionated. It is also a good means of obtaining knowledge about some topic, but the 100 best looking women .. well that's just absured!

(err, anyone know where I can find that poll?)

And a side note, why are you guys keeping this area so bare? I remember a lot more topics in here, and you've since managed to remove a good chunk of them in my absence. Honestly, it again leaves myself and others no reason to hang around and put any real thought into our replies if they're only to be scheduled for deletion anyway.

 

[speed]

We naturally assess, compare, group and rank as a part of who we are. It's almost a side-effect of being critical and opinionated. It is also a good means of obtaining knowledge about some topic, but the 100 best looking women .. well that's just absured!

(err, anyone know where I can find that poll?)

And a side note, why are you guys keeping this area so bare? I remember a lot more topics in here, and you've since managed to remove a good chunk of them in my absence. Honestly, it again leaves myself and others no reason to hang around and put any real thought into our replies if they're only to be scheduled for deletion anyway.

We naturallly assess for ourselves. Thats my big gripe. Especially as every list involves subjective matters. Such things cannot be ranked.

I dont think we've deleted anything in the last month other than some pornographic thread and a incredibly immature race-baiting thread (thanks Derek). Sometimes it gets slow around here, and sometimes this place is like a Parisian Salon. I think most people dont want to spend the time writing a decent thread thats not: post your pics; whats your favorite album; best thrash band Ever!; Reese Cups are the best food on earth!--style nonsense.

 

[derek]

I agree, pretty much nothing has been deleted post-wise nor thread-wise for over a month, minus spam and pornography.

Judas, I really do believe you see problems where none exist. You're more than welcome here and unless you are posting pornography or wrecking threads, nothing you say is going to be deleted.

The *main* issue I take with the polls and lists is the vacuous idiots they get to do the little segments, for example Claire for the Girly-Teen magazine "Pop!" (or some such nonsense) who proudly declare some silly band as genre defining and or ground breaking in some pointless field.

I generally find nothing of interest in the top 100 anything. Occasionally these lists compiled by people I admire and/or with their intelligent input can be quite decent, I suppose it's just a bandwagon that is around for now.

I suppose Judas was onto something on the psychology of people. We like to have opinions and I suppose we like to organise them. I've often read polls where certain people are named "Best Actor" and been mildy pissed my own favourite actor is not top

 

[judas69]

When I left like 3 months ago, I could recall the posts going pretty deep into the second page; half of what I see now are new posts.
What happened to the global warming thread for instance?

"Nothing I say is going to be deleted" ..well, a lot of what I've said has been already.

Seriously, I think I've had enough; nothing has changed.

 

[Consuming Impulse]

Poll: Who agrees?

I dont care what you think. Your opinion doesent mean shit to me. My opinion is the only one i care about, smart ass.

POLLS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
POLLS KICK ASS!

 

[speed]

I dont care what you think. Your opinion doesent mean shit to me. My opinion is the only one i care about, smart ass.

POLLS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
POLLS KICK ASS!

Thank god you are participating in polls Consuming Impulse!

 

[derek]

Judas...Thats automatic, google the threads, or check the search archive on UM, they are still there. You are being naive and irrtating, contribute or leave.

Consuming Impluse, clean it up.

edit: To illustrate: http://www.ultimatemetal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=226230&highlight=global+warming

Use the search function on the main page, you'll find everything intact. It is a feature of this board that unused pages become archived.

 

[Consuming Impulse]

why? if someone fucks with me, i have every right to fuck with them back.

 

[Consuming Impulse]

Thank god you are participating in polls Consuming Impulse!

are you insulting me?

 

[Demilich]

To look at a "Top x guitarists" list or something of that sort and react with frustration at how the writers are somehow stupid because of their selections is ridiculous. These lists represent nothing more than the tastes of those whos opinions they represent, be they a poll of the public or a list compiled by a journalist or staff of journalists. As such, I believe they have some value. For example, if I know that I have similar tastes to those responsible for the list, I might use them to look for new artists/whatever to check out, knowing that I am likely to appreciate them because I find the source to be reputable. Conversely, if the list was created by a source I do not trust, such as Guitar World magazine, I may compare their list to what I may have selected and evaluate the tastes of those who compiled it accordingly. I will not, however, have the audacity to imply that my tastes are somehow superior to whoever wrote the list.

 

[derek]

why? if someone fucks with me, i have every right to fuck with them back.

Nobody fucked with you. It was a friendly bit of banter. The answer to your question is: This is a philosophers forum for mature conversation. If you cannot abide by some reasonably simple rules of decent conversation, kindly leave.

 

[Consuming Impulse]

Nobody fucked with you. It was a friendly bit of banter. The answer to your question is: This is a philosophers forum for mature conversation. If you cannot abide by some reasonably simple rules of decent conversation, kindly leave.

i have been writing mature shit here but you cant deny that people have fucked with me. those people deserve to die. if you cant admit that then kindly expire in front of your family.

 

[Demilich]

@derek, speed, etc:

 

[judas69]

Great job guys, you really turned this whole fucking area to shit, twice!

I R Outta Here.

 

[Anvil]

Polls and Lists can be helpful, but the majority of them are complete junk. For instance:

When you're interested in, for example, looking into a new stand-up comedian because your want to open yourself to other material. A list, like one that I posted in a previous thread, that I also believe might have jumpstarted this thread in the first place, can be helpful.

Telemarketing is another big topic. It can sometimes be useful to the company for customer service enhancing, but when its a completely useless information, such as, "Do you think that Sunny-D is both delicious and colourful, only delicious, or only colourful?" (That was an actual servey I had on the phone once.)


Anyways, off-topic: ConsumingImpulse: Would you PLEASE change your signature... I don't like having to scroll so much down to the next post... And judas69, its too bad you feel that way. Instead you should be trying to help the situation rather than boycotting it.