List some things that--in your personal opinion--you find are okay, but still overrated.

[Tommy Carcetti]

Last edited Mon May 24, 2021, 04:03 PM - Edit history (12)

This could be anything: food, music, television, movies, places, etc.

Note: The things you list shouldn't be things that you personally despise but remain popular in the eyes of a large group of people (e.g. Donald Trump, Republicans, etc.)

Nor should they be things that you find so overrated that you end up holding a grudge against them because of their popularity.

What I'm asking for are things that you find okay, decent, to have some level of merit, etc., but in your personal opinion still don't really live up to the grand hype that's been assigned to them by a large share of other people.

So in essence, you don't hate it, but you don't think it's really all that.

I'll go first, in no particular order (Apologies in advance if I edit to add a few along the way):

Christopher Nolan movies
The sitcom Friends
Steak
Most anything related to New York City
Billie Eilish
Chick Fil A
Prince
Queen
Fall/Autumn
Superhero movies/shows
George Carlin
Goodfellas (and most of Scorcese's "true crime" works)
Vodka
Christmas
Lexus sedans and SUVs (they do have some nice sports cars though)
Tom Brady
Trader Joe's
Musicals
Most Pixar movies
Nachos

**Also, understand that everything above is a personal level of taste, so if you adore something on that list, don't take too much offense because I don't actually dislike it...I just don't love it.

[Mosby]

1. Sushi

In and out burgers.

[frazzled]

2. Oh, not Prince

And not autumn. Autumn in New England is like God’s gift to humanity.

And not “anything related to New York City.” Try going to the Met, the Whitney, the Guggenheim, the Frick, the Morgan Library, among other museums. Or to the Metropolitan Opera. Or Central Park, or the High Line. Or to that fabulous Hungarian bakery-cafe that serves cabbage strudel. Or Chinatown. Or the Lower East Side.

You can have Billie Eilish and Chick Fil A (gag).

[Tommy Carcetti]

8. All of this is my personal opinion, but...

Last edited Mon May 24, 2021, 01:18 PM - Edit history (1)

Prince was a decent musician of his era, but I just don't see the "genius" label that was attached to him. Always came off more style than substance to me. For example I heard "1999" over the speaker at a store just yesterday, and it just sounded like your average 80s synth-pop song. FWIW I also found Michael Jackson overrated as a singer, but not as a dancer--he was arguably the best dancer of any pop singer in modern music. (Also a general weirdo and possible sex abuser, but that's beside the point.)

I find autumn somewhat depressing. Days grow shorter, days grow colder, and you're basically watching leaves die until the trees are brown and bare. If you're not a summer fan (I personally am) but like the milder temperatures, there's always spring, which is at least optimistic and green.

Been to New York, and to me, it just felt like a lot of other large Mid-Atlantic cities except 10 times bigger and less personal, and what it offers over those other cities is more about quantity than necessarily quality. Also get annoyed by some of the snobbery that comes out of it, especially when it comes to food. The politics are good, but even that is a little too self-important for my taste.

I did have some of the best sweet potato fries ever in New York (at Blondie's, near the Natural History Museum), so it does have that going for it.

[Mosby]

35. Not a huge fan of his music, but Prince is considered

One of the best guitarists of his era.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?app=desktop&v=uWc4wMyL1oI

[LizBeth]

10. Favorite season is autumn. I hate summer and the heat and people stay in more at

that time with airconditioning so I always have a chuckle with that.

[Freddie]

3. Bon Jovi

So sorry to offend anyone! My best friend LOVES him and drags me to all his concerts. Yesterday it was the concert movie. His music is enjoyable but the songs all pretty much sound the same to me.

[Iggo]

26. They had a Bon Jovi channel on satellite radio a couple years ago for about a month.

I came away with the belief that Bon Jovi is a pop country band that had one good pop rock album.

[Freddie]

29. And every album after that sounded like that one

Don’t mess with success, I suppose.

[Ocelot II]

4. Ditto on superhero movies.

Also:

Beer
Football
Oprah
Andrea Bocelli
Applebee's
Clarinets
Picnics

[2naSalit]

6. Clarinets?

[Ocelot II]

7. I believe clarinets are overrated as woodwinds.

I don't hate them but I definitely prefer flutes and oboes.

[2naSalit]

11. Not that I have any strong effection for them...

It just struck me as funny in the list you offered. I have other instruments on my list of favorites in an orchestral setting. I was a member of a choir for several years and stood behind an orchestra a few times a year, I was often behind the bassoonists, I think those are cool and I have to wonder, without looking it up, what prompted their creation. I wonder that about most instruments but bassoons are just different and under-rated.

[Iggo]

27. "...behind the bassoonists..." is the only place you can hear the bassoon.

Concert band, six years, mid to late 70s.

[smirkymonkey]

40. I love the clarinet!

I'm partial to the tunes of Artie Shaw and Benny Goodman. Sidney Bechet as well. Also love the oboe and the sax. Older jazz & big band is what I listen to the most.

[Ocelot II]

41. I was thinking of classical music; I'm not a jazz fan. Jazz makes me nervous.

And classical clarinet music just doesn't do it for me. The instrument has a sort of nasal tone I don't care for.

[smirkymonkey]

43. It's interesting how people react so differently to things - music, art, food, politics, etc.

Nobody is right or wrong (well, except for MAGAts) but we all just have different tastes and points of view. Jazz makes you nervous, while I find it soothing and transporting.

A lot of people in this country love Country Music, but it makes me feel homicidal. I honestly can't listen to it without feeling like I am going to go berserk.

There are a few other genres that have that effect of me as well. My musical tastes are very eclectic. Certain artists/types of music resonate with me, while others just don't and some I actively despise.

[Ocelot II]

44. I agree with you about country music.

For me it's like auditory tear gas; if you want to get rid of me just start playing a recording of that crap and I'm out of there. Some people react that way to opera, which I like (except for Verdi, Rossini and Bellini, because they are harmonically boring). I can listen to Mozart's operas all day.

[Tommy Carcetti]

50. My rule on country music:

If it’s one of the Highwaymen, it’s great classic stuff.

If it’s not, it’s mostly unlistenable crap.

Possible additional exception for some of Dolly Parton. “Jolene” is great, but some of her other stuff is too honky-tonk for me. Lovely person though.

Also I do like some bluegrass and more folksy stuff, if that qualifies as country.

[Tommy Carcetti]

13. There are just too many of them to keep track of.

I totally missed the boat on the whole MCU and I don't know if I have enough time and energy to really invest at this point.

Also, unlike Science Fiction--which has the benefit of being removed from reality in time and/or place--I always have to strain a bit to imagine a contemporary world where they take guys with silly names and silly outfits seriously.

[MiHale]

5. Cities...

Suburbs
Shopping malls
Amusement parks
Cats

[LizBeth]

9. Only movie I walked out of was Annie Hall. All the whining in just the first 20 minutes.

[doc03]

12. Chic fil a and Starbucks are about the most

overrated things I can think of. People pay $6 for coffee
with an once of syrup topped off with milk. Watch them make ice tea. They put what looks like about 3 ounces at most brewed tea in a container fill it with ice (frozen water) to the top them top it off with more water. What do they charge now probably $2.50 to $3.
My niece was a server at popular restaraunt she said they were told to push sweet tea. She said it was their most profitable item it costs 17 cents to make.
I thought of another movie theaters. You have to pay 10 to $15 for a ticket a Coke and popcorn. They have the volume cranked up to 100 and the AC set at 55 degrees.

[Midnight Writer]

14. James Patterson books. Seems like a new one every week, so folks must be eating them up.

I've read a couple, and was not impressed. The best I could say about them was they were fast paced.

[Tommy Carcetti]

16. I read his collaboration with Bill Clinton.

It was airplane reading, no better, no worse.

Served its entertaining purpose but nothing really beyond that.

[zanana1]

19. I was disappointed in that one, too.

[zanana1]

18. His books are a guilty pleasure of mine.

Yes, they are very easy to read and the hold no deeper meanings, but my bathroom wouldn't be the same without them.

[Midnight Writer]

23. I'd never disparage a guilty pleasure. I have many of my own.

Sometimes I enjoy something that is breezy and not deep. For example, I love cheesy horror novels and movies.

[doc03]

21. I used to read all his books he was my favorite now

they all have co-authors. I think he putts his name on anything that he gets paid for.

[zanana1]

15. The Royal Family.

They really don't do much for England, but are treated like gods. They also take money away from the British people, who pay for their upkeep.
We fought a war to get away from those people. Now we treat them like movie stars.

[Tommy Carcetti]

20. Once they lost their real power, I can't say they are that interesting any more.

Like there are people who keep on pushing The Crown on me, and I just have no real interest in it. They're basically just another rich family at this point.

[yonder]

17. Some National Parks. (Looking at you Yellowstone...too many people)

Agree with #1's In and Out too. It's a hamburger, dammit.
Pop music.
Laugh tracks.

Edit: serving our corporate masters, both consciously and unconsciously.

[ironflange]

22. I once visited Yellowstone at the end of September

It was delightful, no hordes of visitors. Weather was still nice.

[yonder]

25. Good time for a visit, yes.

[ShazzieB]

32. Mr. B and I visited Yellowstone in September, and I highly recommend it.

The weather was perfect, warm but not hot. The park was far from empty, but not so crowded as to be annoying.

I imagine I would have not enjoyed it nearly as much if we'd been there at the peak of tourist season and had to deal with huge crowds, but as it was, I loved it. ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐, would do it again. 😁

[yellowdogintexas]

45. Same here. Best time to go is after School starts. We went twice

both times in September. The second trip we had snow.

[genxlib]

24. The Godfather Movies

Yeah, I went there. Just don't get it.

Go ahead and fight me.

Plus

Jennifer Lawrence

The Grateful Dead

Reality TV

Lobster

I am sure there are many others.

[Kali]

28. in and out burger, chic fil a,

most chain restaurants, flavored vodka, shopping in person, dark chocolate, avocados, famous cities

[ailsagirl]

34. I really don't know why In & Out Burgers are so popular

They're messy and not particularly good tasting. And their fries have a peculiar taste/texture.

As for other things which I find over-rated... I'll have to think about that. There are so many.

[Kali]

36. the burgers are ok, but the drinks are small and there is always a freaking line...

just not seeing why???

[ailsagirl]

37. Neither can I

🤷🏽?♀️

[TlalocW]

30. Mine

Stairway to Heaven
The incessant guitar noodling of Jerry Garcia
Friends
Heath Ledger as the Joker
Frank Sinatra
Dean Martin
Modern Country Music

TlalocW

[GoneOffShore]

31. Di gustubus non disputanum est - And so:

I'm with you on a lot of your list, though I would disagree on steak, autumn, musicals(as long as they are by Sondheim), New York sometimes, Queen, and Scorsese.

I can't really add much, because unless something is really good, and hits me first time, I'm usually not going to waste my time. I'll deal with 'passable' but I don't go back for seconds.

[First Speaker]

33. Raymond Chandler, The Sopranos, Bette Davis, The Rat Pack...

...Jane Austen, Wordsworth, French cooking, William Faulkner, All in the Family, and Gregory Peck...just to name a few...

[Yavin4]

38. Dune.

All of that for a knife fight at the end.

[smirkymonkey]

39. I agree with every item you listed except for Queen and Fall/Autumn.

I kind of like George Carlin as well, but some people go a little too ga-ga over him.

The rest, meh. Can't stand Tom Brady.

[Tommy Carcetti]

49. I can't stand Tom Brady personally either.

Professionally though I’ll admit he’s a good quarterback with an unparalleled record of success at the Super Bowl. But a lot of that was in good part due to the system built by Belichik. Yes, he won last year with Tampa Bay but again I think he was helped out by a good support system.

But I don’t think he’s the greatest quarterback of all time. Plus he’s just boring. He throws a lot of short check down passes to great success but there are a hell of a lot of other quarterbacks who were a lot more fun to watch airing it out.

With Queen, I think Freddie Mercury himself had an absolutely incredible voice. But I found a lot of their songs a bit too overproduced for my taste. My favorite Queen song has to be “Under Pressure” and I think I owe that to David Bowie.

[smirkymonkey]

42. Here is a partial list, but I am sure I will think of many things right after I have posted.

Summer (I really hate the heat and humidity)
Reality Television
Getting up early in the morning
The film "Love Actually"
Barbecue
Parties
Any Sci-Fi/Fantasy/Superhero movies
Televised Sports, mostly Football, Basketball, Baseball and Golf.

...Lots more, I am sure.

[yellowdogintexas]

46. The Kardashians and their assorted relataives.

Reality shows in general *I have never watched one>

Giant overpriced amusement parks. Six Flags, Disney etc.

Blueberries. I don't hate them and I will eat them but I do not get the adoration people have for them

football

[GReedDiamond]

47. U2, In-N-Out...

...Beeple.

And, dare I say it.....The Beatles.

[Maxheader]

48. rap...

Tha tha tha that's all folks....

[Harker]

51. Okay.

Professional sports, with the exception of ice hockey.

Television (not the band.)

Large groups of people assembled for any purpose.

Most things.