The List: 8 stupid Triad lists

1. 23 reasons leaving North Carolina ruins you for life (buzzfeed.com)

We call them clickbait, those ubiquitous internet lists touting characteristics of far-flung cities, sourced exclusively from Google and Wikipedia by people who have likely never set foot in our state, let alone the cities of the Triad. A good example is this Buzzfeed list, which lists among our state’s highlights a Greensboro waterpark, Cook Out and Krispy Kreme.

2. 20 things only people from North Carolina know about (rantlifestyle.com)

Did you know people in North Carolina like Bojangles and ACC basketball? Turns out they do, according to this stupid list from Rant Lifestyle. Apparently we also worship hockey, fight about barbecue and hey — how ’bout those out-of-state drivers, amirite? Nobody hates ’em like we do!

3. 30 things people from North Carolina have to explain to out-of-towners (movoto.com)

Bojangles has great chicken! Cheerwine is delicious, especially out of a Mason jar! Sweet tea, Tar Heels and NASCAR! Also, we apparently need to explain to out-of-towners that we have a zoo.

4. The 12 coolest downtowns in America (answers.com)

Not that downtown Winston-Salem isn’t awesome, but how is it ranked ahead of Savannah, Ga.; Austin, Texas; Chicago; and Portland, Ore.?

5. 29 things you need to know about North Carolina before you move there (movoto.com)

This list is virtually identical to list No. 3, photos and all.

6. 15 restaurants in North Carolina that will blow the taste buds out of your mouth (movoto.com)

Instead of pulling from Google for this list, Movoto went straight to the source: Yelp. Maybe that’s why this list of 15 has so many burger, barbecue and pizza joints on it. Four Triad restaurants make the list: Dame’s Chicken & Waffles, Chef Samir Shaltout and Darryl’s in Greensboro, and the Honey Pot in Winston-Salem. Solid restaurants — see this week’s story on the Honey Pot on page XX. But they don’t exactly live up to the hype. Nobody’s taste buds are going to explode. Who says that?

7. Howard Coble (buzzfeed.com)

It was admittedly pretty funny when someone at BuzzFeed became fascinated with our octogenarian former congressman, making him the subject of two different lists, both of which featured prominently his penchant for madras sportcoats and grandpa hats. But they seem to be written by someone who just stumbled across a photo of Coble somewhere and decided to make clickbait out of it. So this one falls into the stupid column, too.

8. 18 hidden gems around the world that you need to visit (buzzfeed.com)

UNCG’s Weatherspoon Art Museum ranks No. 3 on this list of hidden gems around the world, right behind a church in Milan and an abandoned reservoir in Jersey City. Believe me, I love the ’Spoon as much anybody. But ranking it as the No. 3 hidden gem in the world — the world — seems a bit much. Nevertheless, this list got written up by the News & Record, the Triad Business Journal, WFMY and the Greensboro Partnership website like it was something real.