They're called listicles. This mashup between an article and a list is all the rage right now. Very little writing is required (although very much appreciated when the author takes the time to actually say something) to generate a post. They are click-bait, and they work.
So as much as I hate to play into this antithesis of journalism, the subtitle of 10 Signs You Grew Up in Buffalo, NY by Tylynn Moeller in The List on theodysseyonline.com on March 21, 2016, demands that I post it: "You can take the kid out of Buffalo, but you can never take Buffalo out of the kid."
It is a fairly hackneyed look at Buffalo's nostalgia trigger points. Here, I'll save you the trouble of clicking through:
- Tim Hortons
- Hot dogs and wings - only eaten in Buffalo
- The Bills and the Sabres - hope springs eternal
- Canada - totally misstated, however. I know no one who hates Canada. Really?
- Canada as a place to do some underage drinking - I'll give her that one.
- Buffalo's terrible rep - evaporating right before our eyes.
- Snow
- Loganberry
- The art scene
- Pride in Buffalo: "No matter how much you complain about the snow or how much you hate it, you know that Buffalo is one of the greatest places to be. You wouldn't want to live anywhere else."
I wish these kids would work a little harder at these lists. But anything that brings positive attention to the Queen City is OK by me.
