We do love our lists, don’t we?
Whether it’s best CEOs or hottest hybrids or most eligible bachelors or lousy senators or great movies or worst scandals. We’re fascinated by rankings and juxtapositions. It’s voyeurism and gossip rendered acceptable. They’re also fun to weigh in on and, in a pinch, can bail you out if you come up banter challenged at the water cooler or cocktail party.
There are also the intriguing incongruities found only in such lists. Cases in point, a couple of recent ones:
“Time” magazine gives us the 100 “most influential people.” In the process, it also gives us Pope Benedict, Diddy Combs, Ayman al-Zawahiri, Howard Stern, Hugo Chavez and the Dixie Chicks in their only appearance in any context.
Then there’s the Library of Congress’ 2006 selections for the National Recording Registry. Safe to assume that this is the only way the Inauguration of Calvin Coolidge and “Whole Lotta Shakin’ Goin’ On” by Jerry Lee Lewis ever share the same sentence.
But, of course, you have to peruse the entire list to find such gems.