Going against the grain

travspence made a short list of things that most other people seem to like, but he doesn't. I thought I would do something along similar lines. These are things that other people in my peer group, or just people in general, seem to like, but for which I can't really grasp the appeal.

1. Coffee. So many people I know LOVE coffee, and it's more a part of our culture now than ever, what with both commercial and independent coffee shops all over the landscape. I just think the stuff tastes bad. The coffee shop culture is often associated with artistic expression, so maybe there's some kind of genetic link there. I have no artistic ability whatsoever, and hence don't enjoy coffee. {g}

2. Grunge music. Okay, maybe not all of it. Some people consider the Pixies (whom I love) to be grunge, and I try not to ever dismiss a genre of music entirely. But I grew up in a generation that, as a broad stereotype, enjoyed listening to frowning guys with flannel shirts, greasy hair, gruff voices, and (most importantly) no apparent enthusiasm.

3. Popcorn. This was one of travspence's items. I don't hate it, but I much prefer crackers or pretzels.

4. Tanning. There are so many tanning salons around. I just don't really get the appeal. Even if it weren't for the health risks, what's the advantage?

5. Smoking. Why is it still popular? I can't really even understand why people smoked in the distant past, but at least they had the excuse of not knowing how bad it was for you. Now people know, but so many new people start smoking every day.

6. Sports. This one works on a few different levels. I don't enjoy playing or watching sports, but I can see how both of these things appeal to some people. What I don't really understand is the whole concept of team loyalty, and how people will support a team simply because it's associated with a nearby city. It's simply a passive thing for many, and hence no big deal. But other people take it so seriously, and somehow get the idea that having a better sports team makes for a better city. Which leads into my next item:

7. The desire for you, your town, your school, your company, your country, etc. to be "the best." Isn't this a subjective matter? Even more importantly than that, who cares? Are we really so insecure that we can't take pride in anything unless we arbitrarily define it as better than something else?

8. Being totally certain you're right about everything. Okay, these last two are probably cheating somewhat. And I'll admit that I can be VERY stubborn at times. But I don't consider this to be an admirable trait. There seem to be many people who think open-mindedness is a bad thing. If you want to see something from more than one simple position, you're "wishy-washy," a "flip-flopper," or in the "mushy middle." Al Franken wrote a good chapter about this kind of thing in Rush Limbaugh Is a Big Fat Idiot.


Along much the same lines as my last list, here's a list of things I DO like, but not as much as a lot of other people seem to:

1. Chocolate. Hey, it tastes good, but I don't have the craving for it that a lot of people (mostly female) seem to have. Also, I'm not too fond of semi-sweet chocolate. It's candy! If it's not sweet, what's the point?

2. Steak. Again, it's pretty good, but far from the Holy Grail of Meats that some people seem to think it is. I like cheese steaks, but I'll rarely eat just regular steak. And I don't think it's just a matter of steak being expensive. I probably wouldn't eat much steak if I had lots of money, either.

3. J.R.R. Tolkien. I enjoyed The Hobbit and Lord of the Rings, and I admire the detail that Tolkien put into his imaginary world. But it took me a long time to make it through the LotR trilogy. Quite a bit of it struck me as somewhat boring when I read it the first time. Maybe I'd see it differently now, but I still tend to doubt I'd consider Tolkien to be the greatest author of the twentieth century, as I've seen some people propose.


I'll probably have more to add to both of these lists at some point in the future. In the meantime, here's a quiz result.
( Read more... )