Can We Talk 2

Lists

         Like most people, I like to read lists or see them on TV. For instance, TV Guide will run an hour long show about the top 50 comedies of all time, or the top 25 dramas. By the time you get to the top ten, you're arguing with they're choices, and you know you could make your own if you only had some film clips.

         You begin to wonder after you've seen a few of these, by whose authority or judgment was this list derived? Who says that was the most popular movie? Did they go by ticket sales or critics or the judgment of 3 people locked in a room somewhere? Were the best of whatever the result of a survey taken randomly among the TV viewing population? Again, we could make our own lists and be taken just as seriously if they don't qualify their choices.

Even if you have a few respected historians evaluating the 100 most important people in history ( I vaguely recall such a list), you could argue with their bias and personal beliefs. Maybe I have trust issues. And on the Internet, you will find many book lists. "30 books every woman should read". '14 books you can't put down even if you try". "25 books everyone over 21 should read". "The 100 best books of all time" et cetera. I;ve seen books on those lists I could live without and have missed books I thought were ground shaking.

         Then there are the short lists on the Internet. These are the trick lists. They are lures for advertising. "The 7 foods you should never eat". The 5 worst exercises for your back". "8 daily habits that make you look older than you are". And so forth. The magazines of yesterday would deliver up an easy to read article with list and explanation for your perusal. The Internet has you click a series of new screens, and ultimately you will be asked to subscribe to a magazine, buy a book, or a diet system, or order supplements which will come with the original list. These items are not cheap. And they put you on SPAM lists. You lose a lot of time trying to get a brief look at the headlined list.

         Bottom line: most lists are just somebody's opinion. Some opinions carry more weight than others. With the Internet, anyone can make a list and pretend to be authoritative.