There are good lists (from which we learn), there are bad lists (from which we refrain, like Foreign Policy making a list of everything) and there are offensive lists: Take for example The Huffington Post’s Gadling blog which lines up “The World’s Worst Places: Top 10 places you do not want to visit in 2012.”

We’ve included the offensive descriptions.

10. “The once acceptable city” Harare, Zimbabwe, “probably the safest place on this list to visit with flights direct from London.”

9. Port Moresby, Papua New Guinea, where “even riding in cars is a dangerous activity.”

8. Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of the Congo. “It has come a long way from the time of Mr. Kurtz, but the heart of Africa is still an exceptionally complicated place.”

7. Rocinha favela, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. “Its view of Rio is truly breathtaking.”

6. Sana’a, Yemen, “a time machine to the modern edge of the Islamic dark ages.” Isn’t there a revolution going on there?

5. West Point, Monrovia, Liberia. “Delta flies from Atlanta to Monrovia, Liberia.”

4. Ciudad Juarez, Mexico. “Flying to Juarez from a number of cities is easy, but don’t do it. Go to Cancun and fist pump instead.”

3. Cite Soleil, Port-au-Prince, Haiti. “One of the mast damned places on the planet.”

2. Kandahar, Afghanistan. “It has an Armani Hotel, though it is not licensed by Giorgio.”

1. Mogadishu, Somalia. “A soulless place at the edge of Africa… Oddly enough, several supermodels were born in Mogadishu.”

No word from the cities’ citizens. Foreign Policy, take a bow.

Then there’s The Economist. They’re on a list roll too. “Feeling Gloomy” ranked the world’s most miserable countries (Misery Index: adding the unemployment rate to the inflation rate). South Africa, you rank fourth, just behind Iran.

Serious, what’s the use?

H/T: John Edwin Mason

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