Some who have read the book, or at any rate have reviewed it, have found it boring, absurd, or contemptible, and I have no cause to complain, since I have similar opinions of their works, or of the kinds of writing that they evidently prefer.
J.R.R. TOLKIEN
Like an overdone movie franchise, here is the third installment of Unpopular Opinions. Hopefully, it will be better received than Jaws 3.
1. I read Lord of the Rings. I will not read it again. It is an overrated book.
I don't like the fantasy genre of fiction or films. LOTR is one of those things that is required reading for Catholics because Tolkien was a Catholic and put those themes in his book. LOTR is to literature what King Crimson is to rock and roll. It is something good overdone to the point of being bad. Nerds like this sort of stuff, but I am not a nerd. I endured reading LOTR just to say I did it and assure to myself that I could have gone my whole life not reading this thing with no ill effect.
2. Radiohead makes awful music.
Radiohead takes an awesome three minute pop song and turns it into a pretentious load of progressive rock garbage. All their songs are flashes of brilliance encrusted into noise and whiny lyrics. I have wanted to like this band, but I can't.
3. Caving/spelunking is a dangerous and stupid activity.
In November 2009, John Edward Jones went caving into the Nutty Putty Cave. He is still in there. The guy got trapped, and they could not remove him even after he died. That cave is now his tomb. The cause of death was being an idiot. Don't go caving. Caving is dangerous and stupid.
4. Meditation and mindfulness are garbage.
Meditation has been shown to be no more beneficial than taking a nap during the same time period. So, why does meditation have such buzz? As always, marketing! You need coaches and instructors to meditate properly. You just need a bed or couch to take a nap. Mike Lindell from MyPillow has done more for people than any meditation guru or smartphone app. Plus, meditation opens you to the demonic. Leave this crap to the New Age heretics.
5. Cryptocurrency is crap.
A bunch of people have made or are making a ton of money from trading cryptocurrency. Once upon a time, people did the same thing with tulip bulbs and beanie babies. These things had no intrinsic value. Yet, the mania whipped these things into bubbles that made some fabulously rich before making many others fabulously broke. Cryptocurrency is in that same category. As for paper money, most folks trade their bitcoins for dollars at some point. The same applies with gold. When you can buy a Big Mac with crypto or a gold coin, then you have something. As a long term store for wealth, gold beats crypto.
6. I hate the term "side hustle."
A side hustle is a second job which you take because your day job isn't paying enough for you and your family. Calling this second job a side hustle is just a spin job to make a negative sound like a positive. Our nation has gone from one earner to two earners to two earners with side hustles. Meanwhile, the credit card debt goes up. The reality is that the middle class is over. You are the working class. Instead of calling it a side hustle, cut up those credit cards and live a simpler lifestyle.
7. I hate everything Robin Williams did in life including killing himself.
I never thought Robin Williams was funny. Improv comedy is the worst. It is the comedy equivalent of jazz which I also hate. Good comedy requires thought which means writing good jokes not spazzing out for five minutes. As for suicide, no one should do that. This includes bad comedians.
8. Running is bad for your knees, but no one will come out and say it.
"It's complicated," they say when asked. You can't get a straight answer, but you get advice on proper footwear, proper form, getting sleep, taking rest days, and blah blah blah. I'll give you my anecdotal evidence. When I ran, my knees hurt. I walk now. My knees don't hurt. They actually feel better. Give up running and go for a walk. Your aging knees will thank you.
9. I don't listen to or collect vinyl records because vinyl is a terrible format for music.
I buy CDs instead of vinyl. CDs are awesome. Vinyl records are not. I am old school because I don't listen to mp3 music on a smartphone or buy the music in that format. I also do not pay for streaming. I am very happy listening to CDs. Vinyl is just something that gets scratched too easily. I have never liked vinyl.
10. I hate athletic wear and athleisure wear.
When I go for walks or exercise, I wear work clothes. I sweat in those things already, so I don't see the point in having an entire other outfit of a T-shirt and shorts to sweat in. I am comfortable wearing work clothes. I don't feel comfortable in athletic wear. I also don't understand the athleisure trend where people dress all day long like they are headed to the gym or headed home from the gym.
This completes my trilogy of unpopular opinions. I can tell you now that I still have more opinions in the tank. Stay tuned for the fourth installment.
