Thumbs: The Beginning

Thumbs Up – Thumbs. It’s such a good concept when done right. Basically all that’s required is a short paragraph explaining why something is awesome or something sucks. Most of the time I struggle to write more than a paragraph about something, so this is pretty much the perfect format for me.

Thumbs Down – Loyola Greyhound’s execution of Thumbs. Freshman year of college, Thumbs was one of the biggest drawing points of the Greyhound, usually read right after the police blotter. In the years since, it has gone drastically downhill. Anonymity of the writers, vapid subjects, and moral crusading have all contributed to Thumbs’ position as just another article to be ignored. I think we can do it better here.

Thumbs Up – Michael Cera. Talks have again picked up about an Arrested Development movie after Michael Cera has finally signed on, presumably having been reminded of what made him famous and where his bread was buttered in the first place. There's no way that this movie could possibly be a bad idea.

Thumbs Down – John Hodgman. Dude lambasted the word "meh" on Twitter (bonus thumbs down to twitter which need not be elaborated upon) saying it was "the essence of blinkered Internet malcontentism. And a rejection of joy." And what do I have to say about John Hodgman waxing etymologic? Meh.

Thumbs Up – Snow in March. Our West Coast readers (Hah!) might not appreciate this one, but I can’t think of a better way to start a month than with a snow day, a rare occasion after graduation. I’ll take a morning of shoveling over eight hours in a cubicle any day.

Thumbs Down – Comedy Central’s Roast of Larry the Cable Guy. Remember when you had to be a respected and successful comedian over the course of a lifetime to deserve the honor of a roasting by your peers? You do? Would you please write a letter to Comedy Central then? Roasts have consistently gone downhill since the transformation from “The Friars Club Roast…” to “The Comedy Central Roast…” Jerry Stiller deserves a roast. One could even make an argument for Jeff Foxworthy, but Larry the Cable Guy’s only claim to fame is an appeal to a niche audience of rednecks and stupid people and a couple of wretched movies.