[I try to keep
this blog pretty positive, as befitting a critical
optimist perspective, but once
a year it’s time to air some grievances. Leading up to this, one of my
favorite crowd-sourced posts of the year—add yours in comments!]
Following up
Monday’s post, here’s my friend and colleague Matthew
Teutsch on the problems
with To Kill a Mockingbird.
Following up
Thursday’s post, Spencer Dodd
Tweets “For many years, I misheard the lyrics of
"Africa" and thought the song was a lot more overtly messed up.” Bob Blaskiewicz adds, “Oh god. The video is so wrong.”
Apropos of Friday’s post, Joanne
Baranofsky nominates a couple historical figures of
her own: “Very big disappointment in James Buchanan as a president. He’s a huge precursor to the Civil War and didn’t
really do much with his presidency. I saw a statue of him when I visited my
friend at
Dickinson and told the statue it was a waste of space.”
She adds, “Also sad that Calico Jack Rackham existed. Mary
Read and Anne Bonny would have been much more successful
without him holding them back. They both were caught and hanged because of
him.”
Ellak Roach goes with “Henry.
Kissinger. Possibly one of the most evil people to
ever live, and who I am convinced only continues to do so based on the souls of
the innocent he collects from each bloodbath he helps instigate.” He adds, “For
the #twitterstorians crowd, check out Kissinger’s Shadow, it’s a gripping and terrifying read into the history of the
“Frankenstein of Foreign Affairs,” according to author Greg Grandin.”
Other
non-favorites:
Jeff
Renye goes with The Winds of Winter.
Summer Lopez writes, “Ad Astra was a terrible movie. I have possibly
never been so bored.” She adds, “Back to my movie grievances, recently watched Raging Bull for the first time and it’s
horrible. It’s a portrait of an uninteresting
serial abuser who undergoes no personal growth whatsoever. I have no idea
why we’re supposed to like it. Also Cathy Moriarty was actually a child (17)
when filming its sex and abuse scenes. Gross on all levels.”
Sabrina
Marie writes, “Cliché things like marriage proposals on
holidays, anniversaries, birthdays etc. That's the biggest for me.”
Troy Brownfield admits, “Fine. I can’t stand Imagine Dragons.”
Andrew DaSilva goes with “Anything and everything Harry Potter, there I said it. I know it's not the most popular thing to say let
alone post for all to see on the online interwebs but if there's one thing that
makes my body quiver with a deep repulsive cringe it's all things Harry
Potter...”
Lara
Schwartz writes, “Alanis Morissette's Jagged Little Pill
is cloying, shallow, and over-rated.” She adds, “And I like Taco Bell bean
burritos, okay? No, it's not Mexican food. It's a different food group” (which
breaks the non-favorites spirit a bit, but I will never not share pro-TB
content).
AnneMarie
Donahue shares a bushel of “Unpopular Opinions: I hated
Johnny Depp in the 80s and 90s, everyone finally caught up. Courtney shot Kurt,
but really who cares? Dickens ain't shit. Romeo
and Juliet is the worst comedy ever. Avenue
5 is creepy in all the right ways. I'm proud of the people who cheated on
the McDonald’s monopoly thing. People should stop pretending we have a
functioning government and just have purge nights. Tarot cards are a great way
to live your life. Boats suck never get on those.”
Derek Tang writes,
“With few exceptions (e.g. U2), bands with numbers in their name are terrible.
Worst culprits? Maroon 5, Matchbox 20, 98 Degrees. He adds, “Seven Mary Three,
UB40, Blink 182, Level 42, 10cc, Three
Doors Down.”
And finally,
Olivia Lucier shares a grievance I imagine a great many of us have: with a
fundraising letter from the President Donald J. Trump Annual Fund Drive.
And finally
finally, I’d add one more non-favorite
of my own for the benefit
of our white supremacist in chief: Gone with the Wind.
Next series
starts Monday,
Ben
PS. What do you
think? Other non-favorites you’d share?
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