# Things that seem to appeal to no one **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [August 11, 2007, 8:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-that-seem-to-appeal-to-no-one/415234 "2007-08-11T08:15:27Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 4
**Author:** ![Tuckerfan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/eada6e/32.png) [@Tuckerfan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tuckerfan)\ **Post date:** [August 13, 2007, 7:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-that-seem-to-appeal-to-no-one/415234/61 "2007-08-13T07:11:59Z")
Spam emails. _Somebody_ likes it, because they buy crap all the time. Who are these people and why can’t we have them killed? ---
**Author:** ![Derleth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b9e5f3/32.png) [@Derleth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Derleth)\ **Post date:** [August 13, 2007, 7:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-that-seem-to-appeal-to-no-one/415234/62 "2007-08-13T07:25:56Z")
[QUOTE=Tuckerfan] Spam emails. _Somebody_ likes it, because they buy crap all the time. Who are these people and why can’t we have them killed? [/QUOTE] I’ve come to subscribe to the theory that a good number of spammers were themselves conned into spamming by people promising easy money if they’d just buy this list of email addresses and that special software and get an account at t’other bulletproof\* ISP. It seems to account for the sheer volume better than the idea all spammers are actually making money at it. \*(A bulletproof ISP is one that ignores complaints and, presumably, won’t be shut down by the ISP _it_ buys bandwidth from. Bulletproof ISPs are why we have blocklists.) ---
**Author:** ![elmwood](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/elmwood/32/3060_2.png) [@elmwood](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elmwood)\ **Post date:** [August 13, 2007, 3:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-that-seem-to-appeal-to-no-one/415234/63 "2007-08-13T15:27:30Z")
Speaking of the Internet, one thing I see quite often – or rather, hear – are Web pages that force music on their visitors. I have never read anything positive about this; sites that force music or sound on their visitors are universally despised, yet they are still very common. Has anyone every written anything positive about musical Web pages? Does anyone really like them? ---
**Author:** ![control-z](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/eada6e/32.png) [@control-z](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/control-z)\ **Post date:** [August 13, 2007, 3:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-that-seem-to-appeal-to-no-one/415234/64 "2007-08-13T15:37:49Z")
Fruit cake and cranberry sauce. Both seem to be put on the table just for tradition, maybe one person out of 20 likes them. ---
**Author:** ![yanceylebeef](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/yanceylebeef/32/12290_2.png) [@yanceylebeef](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/yanceylebeef)\ **Post date:** [August 13, 2007, 3:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-that-seem-to-appeal-to-no-one/415234/65 "2007-08-13T15:39:46Z")
[QUOTE=Phase42] It’s not that it appeals to anybody. It’s that it _offends nobody_. In theory, anyway. Our local “light rock” station calls itself, “Your At-Work Station!”, which translates to, “We won’t play anything remotely edgy that might have the slightest chance of offending your customers or easily freaked-out employees.” [/QUOTE] Also known as Secretary Rock. See also Hall & Oates, Journey, Kelly Clarkson, The Strokes, Journey, Creed, Bon Jovi, Bush, Night Ranger, and any of the GreatWhiteLionSnakes that came out of the 80’s. ---
**Author:** ![Evil\_Captor](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/f17d59/32.png) [@Evil\_Captor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Evil_Captor)\ **Post date:** [August 13, 2007, 3:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-that-seem-to-appeal-to-no-one/415234/66 "2007-08-13T15:59:48Z")
I’ve got one. While perusing a recent issue of “Previews” which is a magazine for comic store owners and comic book collectors and people like me who just like to know what’s going on, I came across a comic book cover – full page ad, IIRC – whose artwork consisted of two realistically rendered cockroaches mating. I thought, Who the hell would look at that cover and think, “I’ve got to see MORE!”? Who greenlit that cover thinking it would make people want to buy the comic? ---
**Author:** ![Infovore](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/infovore/32/420_2.png) [@Infovore](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Infovore)\ **Post date:** [August 13, 2007, 4:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-that-seem-to-appeal-to-no-one/415234/67 "2007-08-13T16:02:29Z")
[QUOTE=cookeze] “In the Year 2525” [/QUOTE] \ I…uh…have the single. On a 45. \ ---
**Author:** ![LionelHutz405](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lionelhutz405/32/536_2.png) [@LionelHutz405](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LionelHutz405)\ **Post date:** [August 13, 2007, 4:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-that-seem-to-appeal-to-no-one/415234/68 "2007-08-13T16:10:02Z")
Televised interviews of an athlete immediately after the game. So boring and predictable, yet done after every freaking game. ---
**Author:** ![It\_s\_Not\_Rocket\_Surgery](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/it_s_not_rocket_surgery/32/312_2.png) [@It\_s\_Not\_Rocket\_Surgery](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/It_s_Not_Rocket_Surgery)\ **Post date:** [August 13, 2007, 4:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-that-seem-to-appeal-to-no-one/415234/69 "2007-08-13T16:39:14Z")
[QUOTE=IvoryTowerDenizen] 🙂 … statute of limitations… carry on. (This one made me chuckle…) [/QUOTE] Ohh, I feel like a doofus! I usually correct other people on stuff like this. ---
**Author:** ![Infovore](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/infovore/32/420_2.png) [@Infovore](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Infovore)\ **Post date:** [August 13, 2007, 4:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-that-seem-to-appeal-to-no-one/415234/70 "2007-08-13T16:46:26Z")
Here’s one: Does anybody like the new(ish) way that paperback publishers have stopped putting a short summary of the story on the back cover, replacing it with things like “Everyone reads Danielle Steele!” and “Robin Cook–America’s Number One Medical Mystery Writer!” and so forth? Or else a big picture of the author? Dammit, when I look at the back of a paperback I want it to sell itself to me. I want it to make me want to read it. I don’t give a \<_expletive deleted_\> if every other person in the world reads Danielle Steele! If the blurb doesn’t sell me, I put the book back on the shelf. ---
**Author:** ![whole\_bean](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/96bed5/32.png) [@whole\_bean](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/whole_bean)\ **Post date:** [August 13, 2007, 5:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-that-seem-to-appeal-to-no-one/415234/71 "2007-08-13T17:38:09Z")
[QUOTE=control-z] Fruit cake and cranberry sauce. Both seem to be put on the table just for tradition, maybe one person out of 20 likes them. [/QUOTE] ::raises hand:: I like both. I’ve never understood the grief fruticake gets. Sometimes, I think people just mock it because that is what is “supposed” to be done – “no one likes fruitcake.” Bollocks! It’s tasty. So is cranberry sauce. [QUOTE=yanceylebeef] Also known as Secretary Rock. See also Hall & Oates, Journey, Kelly Clarkson, **The Strokes** , Journey, Creed, Bon Jovi, **Bush** , Night Ranger, and any of the GreatWhiteLionSnakes that came out of the 80’s. [/QUOTE] emphasis mine I’ve got no allegiance to either band, but neither The Strokes nor Bush fit any working definition of light rock that I am familiar with. ---
**Author:** ![chimera222](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/898d66/32.png) [@chimera222](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/chimera222)\ **Post date:** [August 13, 2007, 5:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-that-seem-to-appeal-to-no-one/415234/72 "2007-08-13T17:55:02Z")
[QUOTE=MaxTheVool] (2) Super-quick camera cuts during actions scenes, particularly during fight scenes, so you can’t ever really see precisely what’s happening. [/QUOTE] This was my single biggest complaint about _Batman Begins_. I had to take it on faith that Batman was beating up the bad guys, because I sure couldn’t see it. I couldn’t imagine that anyone thought this sort of editing worked. I’ve since had several people tell me (at great length) that this rapid-fire cutting is brilliant because it reflects the confusion of the characters. Sheesh. [QUOTE=MaxTheVool] ((3) Schmaltzy sentimental Robin Williams. Kinda worked in Good Will Hunting, but who will admit to having enjoyed Patch Adams, Bicentennial Man or Jakob the Liar? And now he appears to be back in the upcoming August Rush. [/QUOTE] HA! When I saw the thread title, “Things that seem to appeal to no one,” the first thing I thought of was _Jakob the Liar_ and that awful poster with Williams frowning melodramatically. I still can’t understand how a movie like that got made. ---
**Author:** ![Justin\_Bailey](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/justin_bailey/32/8792_2.png) [@Justin\_Bailey](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Justin_Bailey)\ **Post date:** [August 13, 2007, 6:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-that-seem-to-appeal-to-no-one/415234/73 "2007-08-13T18:00:48Z")
[QUOTE=chimera222] This was my single biggest complaint about _Batman Begins_. I had to take it on faith that Batman was beating up the bad guys, because I sure couldn’t see it. I couldn’t imagine that anyone thought this sort of editing worked. I’ve since had several people tell me (at great length) that this rapid-fire cutting is brilliant because it reflects the confusion of the characters. Sheesh. [/QUOTE] While I hate rapid-fire cutting as much as the next man (it singlehandedly turned me off The Bourne Supremecy), I think it works in Batman Begins. For some reason, to me, in BB it doesn’t feel quite so random. Like there is a purpose to the quick cutting (the confusion as you said) and I was able to follow the fights pretty well. Contrast this to Transformers, where following the fights is next to impossible (but the movie was just too damn cool to dislike). ---
**Author:** ![Kalhoun](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/3bc359/32.png) [@Kalhoun](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kalhoun)\ **Post date:** [August 13, 2007, 6:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-that-seem-to-appeal-to-no-one/415234/74 "2007-08-13T18:23:23Z")
[QUOTE=bordelond] At half the price … these foldover sandwich bags do fine for me. I buy lots for both me and my daughter. I’m a good 25-30 years away from retirement. 🆒 [/QUOTE] Every pot dealer I’ve ever known uses the fold-over kind of bag. I think it’s a profit margin decision. ---
**Author:** ![Spoons](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spoons/32/3141_2.png) [@Spoons](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spoons)\ **Post date:** [August 13, 2007, 6:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-that-seem-to-appeal-to-no-one/415234/75 "2007-08-13T18:32:02Z")
[QUOTE=LionelHutz405] Televised interviews of an athlete immediately after the game. So boring and predictable, yet done after every freaking game. [/QUOTE] I have to agree with this. “So, Biff, what are your thoughts on today’s game?” [Mix and match and adjust as necessary any of the following:] – We/they came to play. – We/they caught a few good breaks. – We/they were really prepared going into today’s game. – When our/their [specific position] did \_\_\_\_, that was the turning point. – [Player name(s)] really turned the tide for us/them. – We/they really had to work hard today. – Our/their \_\_\_\_\_ is working well. – Our/their \_\_\_\_\_ needs a bit of work. – This victory means a lot to us. – This loss is a setback, but we’re not going to let it bother us. – It was a real good game. – We’re looking forward to meeting the [team name] next game. So let’s see what we can come up with in response to the above question: – Well, Jerry, they caught a few good breaks, but we were really prepared going into today’s game. We came to _play_! Our \_\_\_\_\_ is working well, but still we really had to work hard today. Gotta say though that when our [specific position] did \_\_\_\_, that was the turning point. [Player name] really turned the tide for us, and this victory means a lot to us. But anyway, it was a real good game. – Biff, what do you see for next game against the [team name]? They’re Number 1 in the [conference/division/league, etc.]. – Jerry, for sure we’re looking forward to meeting the [team name] next game. Yeah, our \_\_\_\_\_ needs a bit of work, but if our [player name] can do \_\_\_\_, that’ll turn the tide. They may be Number 1, but if they win, it’ll be because they caught a few good breaks. We won’t see it as a setback and we won’t let it bother us. We’ll be prepared and we’re looking forward to a real good game. Sound familiar? Again, I have to agree with **Lionel**. Always predictable. ---
**Author:** ![control-z](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/eada6e/32.png) [@control-z](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/control-z)\ **Post date:** [August 13, 2007, 6:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-that-seem-to-appeal-to-no-one/415234/76 "2007-08-13T18:33:29Z")
[QUOTE=whole bean] ::raises hand:: I like both. I’ve never understood the grief fruticake gets. Sometimes, I think people just mock it because that is what is “supposed” to be done – “no one likes fruitcake.” Bollocks! It’s tasty. So is cranberry sauce. [/QUOTE] But isn’t fruit cake supposed to have, well, FRUIT in it? Not that weird gel stuff. ---
**Author:** ![dwc1970](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/a183cd/32.png) [@dwc1970](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dwc1970)\ **Post date:** [August 13, 2007, 6:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-that-seem-to-appeal-to-no-one/415234/77 "2007-08-13T18:34:51Z")
[QUOTE=yanceylebeef] Also known as Secretary Rock. See also Hall & Oates, Journey, Kelly Clarkson, The Strokes, Journey, Creed, Bon Jovi, Bush, Night Ranger, and any of the GreatWhiteLionSnakes that came out of the 80’s. [/QUOTE] When I worked in retail our store played music from “the station everyone can agree on.” The music was so mind-numblingly bland, and like most radio stations, they played the same shit day after day. Most of the bands listed above get play on the classic rock stations, which aren’t neutral enough for listening to in a retail environment. The dreadfully boring station we were aurally assaulted with included such wonderfully unstimulating and insipid pieces from the likes of Steve Winwood, Hall and Oates, Little River Band, Tina Turner, Rod Stewart, Celine Dion, Whitney Houston, Ace of Base and the Wallflowers. These are better examples of what I would call “secretary rock.” Even if you may like some of these artists, they get tiresome very quickly. ---
**Author:** ![koeeoaddi](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/koeeoaddi/32/408_2.png) [@koeeoaddi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/koeeoaddi)\ **Post date:** [August 13, 2007, 6:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-that-seem-to-appeal-to-no-one/415234/78 "2007-08-13T18:38:30Z")
fleas ---
**Author:** ![WhyNot](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/c77e96/32.png) [@WhyNot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WhyNot)\ **Post date:** [August 13, 2007, 6:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-that-seem-to-appeal-to-no-one/415234/79 "2007-08-13T18:44:51Z")
[QUOTE=Kalhoun] Every pot dealer I’ve ever known uses the fold-over kind of bag. I think it’s a profit margin decision. [/QUOTE] Huh, I’ve never known any who does. All Ziplocs here, baby, nothing but the good stuff. Um…hypothetically speaking, of course… ---
**Author:** ![Ludovic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/7ab992/32.png) [@Ludovic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ludovic)\ **Post date:** [August 13, 2007, 6:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-that-seem-to-appeal-to-no-one/415234/80 "2007-08-13T18:53:01Z")
[QUOTE=koeeoaddi] fleas [/QUOTE] RHCP is secretary rock now? 😃 (I remember when Under the Bridge became popular, and Kiedis in an interview was amused by the fact that some little old ladies who bought BSSM just for UTB would then be exposed to all of the songs on that album (He mentioned _Suck my Kiss_, but _Sir Psycho Sexy_ also immediately springs to mind.)[/hijack] [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-that-seem-to-appeal-to-no-one/415234.md?page=3) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-that-seem-to-appeal-to-no-one/415234.md?page=5)