When John Lindsay, a 21 year-old computer science senior at Penn State, gets drunk, he doesn’t waste time singing karaoke or hitting on freshmen. Instead, he prowls online classified ads looking for victims.
As the evil genius behind DontEvenReply.com, Lindsay has turned what was once a pastime into an Internet phenomenon. Lindsay essentially stalks online classified ads, such as Craigslist, looking for opportunities to irritate the hell out of people. Sometimes he answers ads, other times he creates a post to let the idiots come to him.
Not quite as popular as its other time-wasting counterparts TextsFromLastNight or FMyLife, the site has amassed quite the sturdy fan base since its inception in June 2009.
With more than 2.5 million visits a month, why is it so popular? It is the age-old game of finding stupid people and making fun of them in a new medium?
While the Web site isn’t anything flashy — a fairly boring white and grey background — Lindsay’s new book, “”Emails from an A**Hole,”” certainly is. Organized into sections like automotive sales, employment opportunities and items wanted, Lindsay picks the absolute best of the Web site for your reading pleasure.
So you need your Little League team sponsored? How about having Barely Legal Super Sluts pay for the jerseys? You said you are a model? How about posing covered in cow manure for $1,000? A post for cheap paintball gear? He has an excellent 12-inch rubber band for $49.99.
Though the responses to Lindsay’s outrageousness are fairly consistent (generally a lot of swearing), the funniest parts of the book stem from his endless variety of characters. From the ex-Marine babysitter to the office assistant who can’t spell, Lindsay can effortlessly manipulate a simple ad into a consumer nightmare.
With the tenacity of a virgin hounding a hot girl at a party, Lindsay doesn’t back down. His encounters are not just one-liners but ever increasing ridiculous conversations until the inevitable “”f*ck you!””
Both “”Emails from an A**Hole”” and DontEvenReply.com have the randomness of a prank call combined with the gullibility element of “”Punk’d.”” It’s a good book for lying around the house. You pick it up, you set it down. Laugh. Repeat. No, you won’t learn anything profound, but you will laugh at the jokes made at the expense of others.
So no matter where you are or what you’re looking for, beware. Post something stupid, and you may find yourself encountering this a**hole.
Emails from an A**hole: Real People Being Stupid
Released April 1
Sterling Publishing