Jim Traber, host of the popular radio program Loud Guy Yells At People, is one person we all love to hate. Frankly, I don't think it would be such fun if it wasn't so apparent how much it gets under his skin. Seriously, folks, check out that twitter feed. That is one angry dude.
Anyway, here's your opportunity to vote on which oft-used phrase The Ultimate uses that is the worst of all. After the jump, the nominees.
"I gotta give it up to myself."
The classic. If Jim Traber were the 1990s Canadian band Crash Test Dummies, "I gotta give it up to myself" would be the song "MMM mmm mmm mmm." You know they did some other stuff, but when you think of them, that's the first thing that comes to your mind.
At this point it's such a common staple of Traber-bashing that it almost feels like caricature. Even Jim is self-aware enough to joke about it when he does it. But that's the point, I guess. He keeps doing it. Jim Traber: Always right. Always must make sure you know he was right.
"I tell it like it is."
Full disclosure, this one gets my vote and it's not even close. When I hear (or, more likely, read on an internet forum) someone say "I tell it like it is," I immediately assume they are a gigantic jackass. For one thing, it's a lame excuse to be mean. For another, it's a lazy and defensive crutch to dismiss disagreements without having to argue on the merits. It's the opposite of what (good) dialogue should be; it shuts down discussion instead of fostering it. I tell it like it is, and you must be a Hater. End of story.
"If you put a truth serum..."
When Jim Traber says "If you put a truth serum in (Person X), he'd say (Thing Y)" what Jim Traber is saying is, "I AM A MIND READER!" I don't know about you guys, but if I could read people's minds, I would use that power on much more interesting people than Sam Presti or Tiger Woods. This is just Traber looking to validate his own stances by projecting them onto a more authoritative voice.
"Jimmy's Egg On Your Face"
I'm tempted to give Jim a bit of a break on this one, since it's a sponsored segment and all, but who thought it was a good idea for Traber to just say the phrase over and over for every caller? Just introduce the segment, take the nominees, and announce the winner. Also, does anyone else think it's strange to promote your brand by associating it with the biggest failures of the week?
"OU fans hate me, and OSU fans hate me, so that proves I'm objective."
This one has always baffled me. It's not unique to Traber. You see it a lot in the political arena as well.
Blow-dried Media Star: When both the left and the right are mad at me, I know I must be doing something right!"
The logical flaws here are so large and obvious I'm not going to take much time to talk about them. Suffice it to say, it is a terrible idea to ignore the facts of a situation and just assume that since everyone is mad at you, you must be right. Not every controversial story has some perfect, cushy center.
Also, is it me or is it really weird to take solace in the fact that everyone hates you? That seems really bizarre to me. It bothers me when people don't like me, much less hate me outright. If a whole bunch of people flat-out loathed me, I would take some time to look at myself, not consider it a job well done.
---
There you have it. Cast your vote!
