The Top 11 most nonsensical Top 10 lists from organisations that discredit themselves by making a Top 10 list

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“Well, it’s one louder, isn’t it? It’s not ten. You see, most blokes, you know, will be playing at ten. You’re on ten here, all the way up, all the way up, all the way up, you’re on ten on your guitar. Where can you go from there? Where? Nowhere. Exactly. What we do, is if we need that extra push over the cliff, you know what we do? Eleven. Exactly. One louder.” – Nigel Tufnel

I hate top 10 lists. Really, I do. I didn’t always. But really, it’s so over. These days, whenever I see anyone put out a top 10 list, I think “well there’s another unthinking lemming just following the herd who should probably be paying David Letterman some kind of royalty fee.”

So without further adieu, following is my top ELEVEN list of nonsensical top 10 lists. I’m not going to concur with or object to any of the specific rankings or exclusions on any of these top 10 lists or even rank the lists themselves because, frankly, I’m above that. Here we go:

This one actually really bothers me. Doctors without Borders has a mission far more serious than any other on this list. And yet they resorted to the top 10 why? My guess is that they figured it would make headlines. Guess what – they were right. Doctors, please, you’re actually supposed to be doing some good in this world. Leave top 10 lists to the late night chat show hosts and the rest of us detritus. I mean really, if these are the top 10 humanitarian crises, tell me, what was number 11 and are we to assume that it simply isn’t worthy of our attention?

Go ahead, take a look at the list. Oh my God! I cannot believe ___ is ranked at ___!!! What a __!!!

Given how CFR in general carries itself as though it were above the hoi polloi, I find it rather unexpected that they would stoop so low as to put out a top list of any sort.

zzzzzzzzzzzzz.

If this sounds familiar, it’s probably because I posted #8 at the beginning of this month.

Perhaps a worthy if unpleasant exercise, but both the author and newspaper have decidedly proven themselves guilty of following the herd.

MSNBC is openly pushing the top 10 listicle as a viable form of commentary as this is merely just one of many that they are blessing us with this holiday season. Come to think of it, I guess it’s pretty to hard to discredit oneself when one has no credibility to begin with.

See previous entry re: credibility.

This is just inane.

I suppose if there’s anything that was made for the top 10 format it would have to be sports related. Still annoying.

Finally, if you still haven’t had enough…

Honourable mention:

Now, is everybody as sick as I am of Top 10 lists? Here’s to a new year when bloggers, reporters, analysts and citizens the world over start doing something original and stop being so reductionist!