It’s Mock Friday! You didn’t know it’s Mock Friday? Perhaps that’s because I just made it up. Now be quiet and read on.
You know who has the easiest job in the history of journalism? It’s Samantha Henig, who compiles The New York Times Magazine‘s “Meh” list. So what exactly is “The Meh List”? No one knows. Not even Henig.
But here’s how the Times’ culture editor and creator, Adam Sternbergh, explained it to The Boston Globe: “The column was meant to celebrate all those things in life that exist at the top of the fat middle of the bell curve of taste.”
Because “meh” is basically a disengaged shrug, the list can include ANYTHING. Still, it’s such a complex task to narrow down such things that are “not hot and not not (yes, this is the revered New York Times Magazine), that Henig needs an assistant for extra reportage — someone named Libby Gery, whose finger is right on the meh pulse. But that’s still not enough. The pair also has help from Twittter meh devotees, who are encouraged to submit their own suggestions (guilty!) at #mehlist. Coming up with a list each week is extremely taxing for just two Times staffers.
I’m a journalist with only twenty years of experience, so it’s likely I’m not qualified, but I’m taking a shot at a meh list of my own. Only this one is called the “Feh” list because I’m ethnic. Also because I don’t want to run the risk of a lawsuit. So here we go:
