Worst. Cliche. Ever.

Here's a hugely over used cliche these days:

"Best. _______. Ever."

This phrase is completely meaningless and it is everywhere lately. It seems to be used mostly in conjunction with something kitschy (e.g., "Best. Shark attack. Ever.") or some tired worn-out internet meme, going hand in hand with Chuck Norris jokes, ninjas and pirates or poking fun of 80s hair band videos. And the people who say it tend to say it all the time... about everything.

Presumably this is just the thing to say when you absolutely must chime-in on a message board but have nothing of value to say and apparently no actual opinion whatsoever. I've noticed it crossing over into "mainstream" media such as magazines lately too (eg., "Lost: Best TV Show Ever"). Maybe they think hyperbole is a way to create a hip, attention getting headline. In reality this is as cliche as "Not!" was in the 90s. This is lazy, slack-assed sarcasm that passes for wit on Twitter or Facebook and it's hard to believe someone in the "legitimate" media would deem it fit to print. It's meaningless. To quote "Napoleon Dynamite":

Napoleon: "This is pretty much the worst video ever made."
Kip: "Napoleon, like anyone could even know that."

Which leads me to the second part of this rant: Another thing I've noticed in magazines (and even on tv) more and more is "lists". This is another completely lazy piece of filler that should be saved for the internet not for anything that is for sale. "The 50 Most Beautiful People in Hollywood"; "Top Ten Greatest Science Fiction Movies of All Time"; "One Hundred Books You Must Read Before You Die". According to whom?

All opinion is completely subjective -- that's its very definition. So, should I really care that some nameless staff writer prefers product A over product B? Furthermore is that worth shelling out the cover price to read it? Opinion and editorial have their place in the media -- of course! -- but these "best of" lists are the type of thing that should be saved for a blog. Even so: this is my blog, but would you really care to see me randomly itemize things I like into numerical order of preference? Unless you have some personal interest in the author, it makes for a very boring read! And again, it's all just opinion: there's rarely any "justification" in these lists. What's the criteria of "best"? Does "best" equal most popular? Most publicized? Earned the most money? Is the actress who is in the current top grossing movie somehow more beautiful than one who is not? Is something "better" if it is part of the current pop culture zeitgeist than something older or overlooked?

What's the standard? Whose standard? Why should we care? Do we really need someone to tell us what we should like? It's all personal preference and it's just that; personal. Or, do these lists exist just to justify our preferences and flatter our egos: I am right to like what I like because a magazine says it is good. Are we that unsure of ourselves that we need "best of" lists to reassure us that our tastes are somehow superior?

That's probably the Worst. Idea. Ever.