new rules for Top DUmmies of 2011

[BlueStateSaint]

I like the idea of a Newbie of the Year.

You may consider a Presidential style electability limit. 2 terms as DOTY and then no more for life. Even though for the most part they implode on their own during they first term and just become shadows of their former selves from there on out. You never know though. There might be a day when one wigs out and the spotlight has to be brought to bear on them and DU.

That would forever exclude TiT if he ever returns to the island.  

[franksolich]

Okay, folks, I think we can be secure in knowing that in addition to the special Willie and Annie awards twelve months hence, we'll add a newbie and a mole award, although I haven't thought out the criteria for them yet; but then and again, I got a little over ten months to think about it.

I haven't consulted with Mr. Wiggum yet, but I'm sure he'll go along with it, as to him it means only that he has to add something new to his Diebold counting machine, and expand his Excel worksheet.

However, this guy has to write the things, and it seems to me that primitives of the month, and any more additional special awards would be too, uh, time-intensive.  And franksolich is not made out of time.....or of insight.

However, I'm still willing to listen, willing to lend an ear if I had an ear.

But now go back to one issue not yet discussed--some have commented that the ballot for the top ten is too long, too many primitives on it, and as many are PonPs, they're unfamiliar with them.

The ballot for 2010 had, if I recall correctly, 61 names on it.

There are 10 top primitives selected, and 10 runners-up.

Each voter gets to vote for 10.

Should the nominations for the ballot be limited to, say, 30 or 40?

And how would one limit?

[GOBUCKS]

Okay, folks, I think we can be secure in knowing that in addition to the special Willie and Annie awards twelve months hence, we'll add a newbie and a mole award, although I haven't thought out the criteria for them yet; but then and again, I got a little over ten months to think about it.

I haven't consulted with Mr. Wiggum yet, but I'm sure he'll go along with it, as to him it means only that he has to add something new to his Diebold counting machine, and expand his Excel worksheet.

However, this guy has to write the things, and it seems to me that primitives of the month, and any more additional special awards would be too, uh, time-intensive.  And franksolich is not made out of time.....or of insight.

However, I'm still willing to listen, willing to lend an ear if I had an ear.

But now go back to one issue not yet discussed--some have commented that the ballot for the top ten is too long, too many primitives on it, and as many are PonPs, they're unfamiliar with them.

The ballot for 2010 had, if I recall correctly, 61 names on it.

There are 10 top primitives selected, and 10 runners-up.

Each voter gets to vote for 10.

Should the nominations for the ballot be limited to, say, 30 or 40?

And how would one limit?

This place and gator's furry forum combined represent a pretty small number of voters. When you have a brazillion nominees, the voting must be terribly fragmented, so a DUmbass can win recognition with a tiny handful of votes. I'd only allow voting on the 20 nominees with the highest number of nominations, and then name a Top Ten after the voting. It's kind of disturbing to see so many DUmmies all swelled up with pride, when they deserve nothing.

[franksolich]

This place and gator's furry forum combined represent a pretty small number of voters. When you have a brazillion nominees, the voting must be terribly fragmented, so a DUmbass can win recognition with a tiny handful of votes. I'd only allow voting on the 20 nominees with the highest number of nominations, and then name a Top Ten after the voting. It's kind of disturbing to see so many DUmmies all swelled up with pride, when they deserve nothing.

Okay, sir, I think I'm getting your drift, and if I'm getting it correctly, I'm all for it.

On the "nominating" thread, every person can nominate up to, say, ten primitives.

After the nominations close, the 20 or 30 who received the most nominations go on the "voting" thread.

With all these other awards, it might make sense to drop the runners-up, primitives #20-11.

If this is your suggestion, but in my words rather than your words, I'm all for it.

[USA4ME]

It's been suggested that some primitives become stale after x many years ...

I said the same one's are getting stale, and they are getting too predictable to me.  I'm going to make a effort to not focus on any of the regulars in 2011, or at least try it for 6 months or so and see how it goes.

.

[delilahmused]

You know, I kinda feel sorry for those who seem always to be nominated but never win. That whole "always the bride's maid, never the bride" thing. Or that soap opera star that played Erica year after year after year and never won a daytime Emmy. Too bad there wasn't a way to recognize the DUmmie who's such a pathetic loser that he/she/it can't even make it into the top 10. It takes a special kind of worthlessness to never quite get there.

Cindie

[JohnnyReb]

A "DUmmie Hall of Fame"....and I nominate TiT to be the first.

[RWKindaGuy]

A "DUmmie Hall of Fame"....and I nominate TiT to be the first.

I like the idea of a "DUmmie Hall of Fame".  Of course, we would need to work out the entry requirements.

[franksolich]

I like the idea of a "DUmmie Hall of Fame".  Of course, we would need to work out the entry requirements.

Well, probably that will happen for 2011, or at least something very similar to it.

I'm working on simplifying things, because last year it got way out of hand. 

[RWKindaGuy]

Well, probably that will happen for 2011, or at least something very similar to it.

I'm working on simplifying things, because last year it got way out of hand. 

[GOBUCKS]

Well, probably that will happen for 2011, or at least something very similar to it.

I'm working on simplifying things, because last year it got way out of hand. 

All you need is the Top 20. Everything else is just noise.

[franksolich]

All you need is the Top 20. Everything else is just noise.

Actually, I think what's going to happen--this hasn't been cleared with my associate Mr. Wiggum yet, though--is just the top ten primitives, no runners-up (top primitives 11-20), and the Lifetime Achievement Award (or, in other words, the DUmmie Hall of Fame).

Last December, I suspect both Mr. Wiggum and I spent more time working on the top primitives than working in our jobs.  True, it was a lot of fun, but if something bad had happened in real life that interfered with production of the whole show here, it wouldn't have gone off.

So best to keep it big, but minimal.

As the writer of the awards, I will say one rarely has problems writing about the top primitives, but once one gets down lower, in this case to primitives #11-20, those tend to be lesser-known primitives, and it becomes difficult to find good material from them.

One can see that in the awards for 2010, in which I put them all together, top primitives #11-20, and could barely write half a paragraph on some of them.....whereas with the top ten primitives, well, one could write those awards without any research at all.

Although even with only ten, the writer's fatigue shows.  I still consider the award for the #02 Top Primitive of 2010, the sparkling husband dude, as a literary masterpiece, the epitome, the peak, the sans peer, the ne plus ultra, of awards, but I was wearing down, and the erosion showed in the award for the #01 Top Primitive of 2010, the Die alte Sau, whose award should have been the best-written one, but wasn't.

So I think we're going to just have the top ten primitives, the Lifetime primitive (or Hall of Fame), and perhaps maybe the "newcomer of the year," awards.

This doesn't start until about three months from now, Thanksgiving Eve, but I think it's a good idea to put the primitives on notice there's going to be new rules, new standards, and so it's in their own best interest to keep improving their talents, if they want to be considered.

[Ballygrl]

Is it possible that Nads could not only win the top award but also be the winner in the DUmmie Hall of Fame?

[Ralph Wiggum]

Is it possible that Nads could not only win the top award but also be the winner in the DUmmie Hall of Fame?

I suppose so.  As was mentioned up-thread, last year's just became a little too much work for Frank and myself.

I do like the idea of a DUmmy Hall of Fame/Shame.

[Ballygrl]

I suppose so.  As was mentioned up-thread, last year's just became a little too much work for Frank and myself.

I do like the idea of a DUmmy Hall of Fame/Shame.

I have no problem at all with a Top 10 as opposed to a Top 20. IMO though, this is totally going to be a race for places 2-10, I can't imagine anyone but Nads winning Top Primitive.

[franksolich]

I do like the idea of a DUmmy Hall of Fame/Shame.

I'm thinking along the lines that the Hall of Shame already exists, and of course it'll have a new member installed this year.

I consider each of the top primitives (the number one DUmmie) of all the years, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, and 2010 a member of that Hall of Shame, in addition to the winners of the Willie in 2009 and 2010, and the winner of the Annie in 2010.  That's about 10-12 members right now, and during the nominations, I'll make up the list of them for review.

I don't consider writing 12 awards in ten days overmuch; but any more than that, it is.

Ten top primitives, the Hall of Shame, and the most-promising newcomer.

Also, the balloting; sometimes we've had as many as 70+ primitives nominated.

I think this time around, it would be good to have a shortened ballot, one selecting the top ten from the twenty most-nominated primitives.  A ballot with only twenty names is manageable.

This is all very tentative, but again, as lurking primitives have been reading this old thread so as to figure out how to manipulate the rules in their favor come December, this should surely inspire them to try harder, to get on that shortened ballot, and ultimately to be on that shortened list of the top primitives.

[GOBUCKS]

Top Ten is excellent. DUmmies will know they can't just coast into post season glory.
It may make things more lively at the DUmp in the fourth quarter of the year.
Legitimate contenders for the top spot have always sprinted to the wire, but a lot of DUmbasses,
knowing they couldn't win but confident in their lunacy, could take it easy and still get a nice writeup
and attention. They can't do that if there are only ten highlighted losers.

[BattleHymn]

For you lurking primitives- even the Top Dummies is being downsized, and I lay the blame solely at the feet of Obama.The just means you DUmmies will have to work that much harder to get your name up in the top bracket.  

I also really like the idea of a "Best Suicide Run of the Year".  Obviously, we can't catch all of the suicides, but that shouldn't stop us from at least trying it for a year, and seeing how it works out, right?  

[BlueStateSaint]

I also really like the idea of a "Best Suicide Run of the Year".  Obviously, we can't catch all of the suicides, but that shouldn't stop us from at least trying it for a year, and seeing how it works out, right?  

I like this idea.