One & Done: 10 Trends From 2011 That We Hope Won't Survive The New Year

6. Planking

It pains me to give this trend any more undeserving airtime than it's already received but we would be remiss not to address planking since it is surely one of the worst cultural crazes to emerge out of 2011.  By doing so, we're also temporarily breaking our self-imposed moratorium on planking from our vocabulary and consciousness. A lot of fads seem awesome at first but lose their luster and appeal when the novelty has worn off.  This is not one of them. The thing about planking is, it is just as asinine, irrational, and not to mention unfunny, now as it was when it first arrived. We never got the great thrill in photos of people lying face down across the earth's many surfaces that others across the world experienced which was frustrating in the beginning because no one wants to be the guy who missed the joke. We just didn't get it. Then we realized there isn't anything to get about planking, it's just really, really dumb. The amount of credit and attention it got in mainstream, legit media (including one instance in which it was the main story on the front page of the L.A. Times site) is nothing short of disturbing. It's one of those things that makes me feel embarrassed for the human race and I think it might be better for everyone if we just pretend it never happened or speak of it again. Deal? -Emily