Travis D'arby's Links

Salon.com
MAY 25, 2009 10:06AM

The Top 15 Personality Types of Reddit Users

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1.) Kurt Cobain: The Self-Loather

This redditer seemingly lives an enchanted existence. He has the hits and karma we all want, and his posts land on the cover of reddit quicker than ours reach the new list.

Yet it's still not enough for this tormented artiste. He is secretly ashamed of his success and constantly submits obscure links to prove his street cred.  Is also known to play an inordinate amount of Mudhoney songs in concert.

kurt_cobain

 2.) Sally Field:  The Goody-Two Shoes

After being America's Sweetheart for a remarkable 2o years and creating such beloved characters as Gidget and the Flying Nun as well as already owning one Oscar for Norma Rae, Sally Field seemed genuinely shocked to win a second for Places in the Heart.

 

 

"You like me, You really like me," is this redditer's personal motto.  Despite receiving more thumbs ups than Roger Ebert has given in his career, this redditer seems genuinely shocked that even a single person reads her blog.

 3.) Eminem: The Shock Jock

This redditer attacks a beloved reddit user to garner attention much like the real Slim Shady threatened to rip Pamela Anderson's tits off in his debut single "My Name Is".

4.) Emily Dickinson: The Diarist

This redditer claims to only write for herself yet her posts mysteriously find their way to reddit. It remains a mystery how they get here.

5.) Bart Simpson: The Rabble-Rouser

This redditer likes to cause mischief on reddit with Onion style spoofs.  He has issues with authority and the reddit moderators are his Principal Skinner. Also enjoys making crank calls on the Moe the Bartender of the World Wide Web: Wikipedia.

6.) Lisa Simpson: The Idealist

This selfless redditer is more interested in raising awareness of important issues like torture and prolonged detention than she does in blog whoring and self-promotion. A truly rare breed on reddit.

7.) Quentin Tarantino: The Rambler

This redditer unleashes in a stream of consciousness.  Much like Tarantino wrote a 500 page screenplay on napkins and other assorted kitchen paraphanelia, that his writing partner Roger Avary later helped edit down into several hit movies like Pulp Fiction, this redditer could often use the services of a good editor. Yet there are gold nuggets to be found a midst the mud for those who care to look.

8.) Annie Lebowitz: The Photographer

A sometimes welcome respite from the rambler. This redditer is not much for words but is known to submit both endearing original photos as well as trenchant ones borrowed from Google Images. When you would rather see a Bush joke than read one, turn to this redditer. 

9.) Brigitte Nielsen: The Attention Whore 

This venal redditer will do anything for attention, much like Ms. Nielsen who did the uncle who discusses his colostomy at the dinner table one better: she had her latest plastic surgery performed live on national television. Nothing is off-limits to this blogger, from openly discussing marital woes to dissing their children and real life boss, it's anything for a hit.  Although the anonymity of reddit seems safe enough, they are but one pissed off Internet Hacker away from having their true identity revealed.  

10.) Usain Bolt: The Post and Run

This redditer is known for his insane speed, able to clog the new post feed while uploading his entire Blogspot oeuvre to reddit.  Is known to sprint from a negative comment quicker than Usain Bolt out of the starting blocks. But unlike Mr. Bolt, who slows down at the end and takes a look back at the competition, this poster is seemingly oblivious to any comments left on his reddit submissions.

11.) Robin Williams: The Comedian Who Goes Dramatic

This redditer has the enviable ability to make people laugh but what he really wants is to be taken seriously as a writer. 

12.) Chris Matthews: The Meta-Blogger

These redditers are similar to the newscasters who turn politics into one perpetual campaign. Like Chris Matthews, who infamously spent more time ogling George W. Bush's flight suit codpiece on national television than he did actually analyzing the Iraq War, this redditer follows the "What's Hot" list more closely than the content of the actual submissions.

13.) Bill Simmons: The Amateur When It Suits His Needs

Whenever Bill Simmons is accused of shoddy writing or bias on his ESPN Sports Guy blog, he immediately defends himself as just another sports fan with a blog.  Funny, he doesn't feel that way on Fridays when he cashes his paycheck.

This redditer normally toils in anonymity and considers his writing too professional and erudite for the masses to comprehend. But when one of his submissions hits it big, he suddenly points to his amateur status to excuse himself from answering comments or criticisms of his submission. He goes from quasi-professional to just another henpecked husband who has to take out the trash in the blink of an eye.

14.) Brett Favre: The Flouncer

Much like Brett Favre retires or threatens to retire after nearly every football season only to inevitably "get the itch" to play again, this redditer is known for his repeated threats to forever leave reddit only to return a week later, either as himself or a thinly veiled sock puppet.

15.) Angelina Jolie: The Dominatrix

I'll let Stellaa start us out: "The Dominatrix starts with a reddit people are mediocre, childish, bad writers and crazy. Then Poof, her/his posts, go to the top of the hot list. Cause if you don't rate the Dominatrix/Dom, you will be perceived to be one of the people she is scolding, but if you praise and kneel at the alter of the Dom, you are obviously not who she/he is talking about."

The popularity of the dominatrix is further enhanced because those who are degraded take the insults with good humor to show they're in on the joke.  It's a Don Rickles-Frank Sinatra situation: Don made fun of Frank, Frank smiled to show he didn't take himself too seriously, and both careers were boosted. 

 

 

 

 


 

 

 

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Comments

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What about the highly intelligent and hysterically funny? And the post and run? There are at least another ten types but this was a great start!
I see your ten types and raise you: Flame Warriors

Read'em and weep.
I agree with Cartouche. Good start but there are more....
Clever, though.
I was trying to find me in there, but I only write for myself, and I can't believe that people read me. I hope all of my cover pieces have inspired and uplifted everyone. Now I have to get those photos up of my breast augmentation surgery.
How about the "paranoid," who now sit and wonder which category of writer they are?
I just finished my next blog on a napkin.
Rated
the metablogger! Who writes mostly about OS to try to ensure hit and after hit! heh heh ;)
I concur with other commenters--this is a great start but we need more! One would be "Octomom", prolific but repetitive. Another would be George Will, polysyllabic and circuitous.
@Cindy Ross: You just LOVE To stir that pot, don't you?! ;)
I am Kung Fu Master.
These are really posting styles; oh, well. My thoughts (with plagiarism from other comments):

The Meta-Blogger: "I've had a few thoughts about the Open Salon, as it were..."

The Paranoid: "Why are people writing things about me in private messages that I have no access to? I know they exist!"

The Humorist. Don't try this at home. (Humorists are very rare, significantly outnumbered by people who think they're funny.)

The Smart. See Humorist.

The Politico: "Has the New York Times opinion page lost my email address? I'm waiting..."

The Do-It-Yourselfer: "Here's how to fix the world in three easy steps. Okay, four."

The Crusader: "This is the most important issue of our time! It's not like last month, this time it's for real!"

The Downtrodden: "Here's another episode of my totally shitty life."

The Artiste: "You talentless hacks, taking up space on the cover that rightfully belongs to me..."

The Copy-and-Paster: "I just saw this most excellent YouTube video, and I think that it deserves more than the 15 million hits it already has. My own commentary would be superfluous."
Then there is funny, insightful, topical and clever, like this one.

I see myself in a couple of your categories, but I won't cop to which ones because, really, I'm not worth it, but I am so grateful neverthless, and touched that someone cares.
This is a little like sudenly realizing that you went out to the mail box stark naked and didn't realize it. Extraordinary post. Could be a lot of fun ... could be controversial and painful.

Wow!!!!!
Kung Fu Master? His profile seems powerful, but did you check out Godzilla?
"I'm Bart Simpson. Who the hell are you?"
I guess these meta posts are sort of funny, but there also seems to be a lot of barely hidden disdain. I also think it can be somewhat off-putting to newcomers. (But then, I also get the feeling that there is little thought given to newcomers.)

Sorry, but that's the impression I'm getting.
Funny...but agree with others that this is just a start.
Very entertaining. Don't forget the "Pissy Poster". This personality type usually reserves his/her comments for when they're in a shitty mood. Then they are forced to live with with their undeletable words FOREVER.
Uh oh.

I even mentioned feeling like Sally Field in my last post. Guess I know where I stand....
Type #11: Judgy McJudgerstein. This poster is content to sit back and criticize others from his superior perch. Thankfully, he suffers the 99% of OS posters who are fools, but he suffers them just barely.
It's weirding me out that noone has mentioned our favorite - The Flouncer. It has maybe been covered by other suggested categories, but I love and adore a good flounce and would be unhappy to see that term dissappear under the weight of these terms of endearment.
You seem to favor the Lisa Simpson type. A truly self-less person (in American culture) is a myth I think. I really do. But very interesting post.
Very clever, could become an effective series.
Oh, gee! I'm caught between number 2 and number 6, with a smattering of 4 and 7. Oh, thank you, thank you (recognize women's baseball, recognize women's baseball!), thank you!
I vote that you update your post to include Rob St. Amant's very observant additions.
I second cartouche! (And I will not cop to resembling any of them...)
I like it . . . I really, really like this post!
Very funny and observant list Travis! I hope this gets expanded!
Cartouche: Thanks for the Post and Run tip. I added it to the list.

Odetteroullette: I added meta-blogger to the list for you.

MJwycha: I added the Robin Williams comedian who goes serious as well.

Cindy Ross: I'll name a few names. Your kitten post & Wayne's "Hitler Wrote a Book" inspired number 8 Annie Lebiowitz, BBE inspired 6 the Lisa Simpson, Usain Bolt post and run would be Suzanna Mars, Cat inspired the Eminem Shock Jock reference and their are too many attention whores here to mention each by name. :)

Rob St Amant: You should post your own competing list. I don't want to steal your ideas.
@Behind Blue Eyes -- "I see your ten types and raise you: Flame Warriors"

That is about the funniest damn thing I've read in ages! Thank you *profusely* for the link!!!! :)
:) aren't we all of those on different days?
Godzilla's a nasty mah-effer, all right, BBE. I was afraid I was going to have go with Eagle Scout until I found Kung Fu Master.
Hahahahaha! This is a grand list for sure!!!! LOL
You (and Rob and others) keep adding categories and lots of us see bits of ourselves in each. This is one where it's smart not to name names so we can think about it and discover for ourselves.
I don't find myself there. For some reason, I almost wished I did.
Stellaa: Check it out. I added your dominatrix suggestion to my list, and unlike Doris Kearns Goodwin, I actually quoted my source. :)

Lea_Lane: I like your idea about not naming names adding an air of mystery to the post. I shall keep my mouth shut from now on!

hybalean_Julie: I agree we are most of these depending on the day. That's one I didn't name names initially. It's like the Meredith Brooks song "Bitch". I'm a bitch, I'm a tease, I'm a lover, I'm a goddess on my knees.
How about Helen Mirren: The Real Broad
These ladies have lived and loved and are here to share great stories with sex, humor, intelligence, wit and occasional pathos ... yet always with dignity and style. They offer advice and support without guile or animus, with kindness and honesty. Think Lea. Think Buffy. (There are others, including, well, me).
What about the Bi-Weekly Hither and Yon? You know, the person that only has time to remark on the blogs because he is drunk enough every two weeks to make it so?
the bill simmons one. well done. you don't see the bill simmons reference round these parts very often.

well done.
But my EPs don't make the front page anymore.
Cindy Ross: Don't have a cow Cindy. I think I see some Bart Simpson in you too. :)

the Squirrel: Thanks from one squirrel to another. There's actually a Bill Simmons simulator on-line. You put in whatever is the hot sports topic of the day, such as Michael Vick, and it will churn out your own Sports Guy column replete with Cobra Kai and Rocky IV references. It's difficult to tell the fake from the real thing nowadays.

Sally Swift: I like your idea. And it would give me an excuse to post that hot pic of Helen Mirren in a bikini still looking hot at 63. :)
How about Joan of Arc? She was persecuted by Pierre Cauchon for wearing pants. Just like Zerry persecutes me for occasionally wearing caftans. Our lives are so similar, it's almost spooky.
How about Judgmental Judge Judy?
...and the ...

The "Faux Expert" - who purports to be an expert on a particular topic, said topic usually being one in which there are no experts but rather just different viewpoints or opinions.

The "Panderer" - one who writes populist rants because they like to get a lot of people agreeing with them. Maybe they're desperate for friends. (And I think people who insist on telling you when they've rated your post are a sub-species of this category).
...and I just made up a new axiom:

Fin's Axiom: All people can be accounted for in ten or less categories, but regardless of how many categories you create, 90% of people will claim that they do not fit into any of them.
I do not want to know where I fall in this taxonomy; please don't tell me.
fins2theleft: Thanks for the comment. I always wrote "rated" without thinking because I had seen others do it. Monkey see, Monkey do. But I suppose it can be construed as desperate so I shall cease and desist.
On Travis.
If you are writing rate you are maybe not thumbing at all.
Don't worry, rating is so last November. The cool kids are favoriting people they don't really like!
Hating is the new favorite!Don't be discouraged; it's not too hard to catch one of these trends before they're replaced!
My eye on the upcoming, the hip, the totally fashionable is seeing a few new trends:
skinny posts, flared skirt flouncers, and an open toed editorial policy.
Too funny! It's scary to identify see oneself in a post!