Customer Reviews

I Hate USC (vol. 1) (I Hate series) (v. 1)

5 star:		(6)
4 star:		(0)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(5)

 

 

A few words come to mind as I draw together my thoughts on this book: (1) waste, (2) of, (3) money. As a student at UCLA, I can't understand why anyone would waste paper trying to defame USC. Yes, that's right, I am a BRUIN, and I am not ashamed to say that USC is a prestigious institution worthy of international respect. A book of this caliber simply brings the interschool rivalry down to a tasteless level, one which I do not believe students at UCLA or USC wish to operate on.

Another thing bothered me about this book. Too much of it was devoted to attacking the financial background of USC students, implying that wealth and brain size are inversely proportional. One CAN be smart AND wealthy at the same time. My best friend from high school (who happened to be Valedictorian) had a perfect GPA and a 1590 on his SATs. He was accepted at Harvard, Yale, and everywhere else he applied. He now goes to USC.

Simply put, this book is neither cohesive nor cogent; purchasing it would be a waste of money, and reading it would be a waste of time. Go out and meet some Trojans for yourself, then decide whether or not you really hate USC.

I did not pay for this book as it was "given" to me, but it was still overpriced. I gave it back within the hour! Freud and many others (I paraphrase) say, "Hatred like this can only be developed from a very deep envy" of everything USC. It follows, if you read the previous reviews, that it is a very true statement. As a USC Alum, I would not waste my time to read the sequel about UCLA and, quite frankly, only skimmed this trash! Those of you who buy this are real literary giants from UCLA but it makes you a midget when compared to any other person.

I worked and put myself through USC like 70% of my classmates. I was priviledged to study with children of some real giants, and some other students who became giants, in industry. Not in awe, just a great interaction with people who knew where they were going and why.

Our Trojan Tradition is second to none in collegiate history. As my dentist, who went to UCLA as an undergraduate said,"You are a Bruin for four years. You are a Trojan for life!" You hear that a lot but never the other way around. Yes, he bought UCLA tickets and joined their booster club ... so he could get 50 yard line tickets to the SC-UCLA game. He also gave more generously to SC and held 30 yard line tickets. He stated, "UCLA is cheap for good tickets to the SC game."

Don't even bother to buy this trash book or it's sequel. Rather, save you money for CA taxes so UCLA will still have a team to field against us!

...but UCLA swallows. "My maid went to UCLA", "University of Spoiled Children" "University of Caucasians Lost among Asians"...yada yada yada. You have heard all of this tired garbage before. Save your five bucks and put gas in your moped.

I love UCLA and hate USC and this book tells eveyone why me and other people feel this way

Anyone who attended either UCLA or USC knows the worn out cliches that each school perpetuates about the other. Marketers have capitalized on this for years, e.g. T-shirt promoters printing shirts that reflect favoritism for UCLA and derision for USC, and vice versa. The author of this useless piece (and I do mean PIECE...) is no different from those T-shirt makers who pander to both sides in pursuit of the almighty dollar. Have you noticed the companion piece about hating UCLA? Save your money and skip both volumes.

However, one cliche that has proven true again and again is that USC students can only point to their parents' wealth as a means of compensating for their own lack of intelligence. Somebody ought to tell these USC folks how embarassing it is to constantly brag about having been born with a silver spoon in one's mouth. For many USC folks, an entry for "303 Reasons I Hate UCLA" might be these four words: "They didn't accept me." Check out www.usnews.com and see where UCLA and USC REALLY rank. The fact that USC folks boast about buying a Yugo of an education at Mercedes-Benz prices only shows how truly unintelligent they are. No, Trojans, GPA 4.0 and SAT 1600 are not new models of European automobiles.

If Finebaum were to understand the true essence of why UCLA people laugh at (but do not really hate) USC people, this type of sentiment would have been included in his book. Instead, he is simply an opportunist, an outsider looking to cash in on the traditional (ahem) "rivalry," which is being dominated (academically, on the court, and on the gridiron) by the Bruins.

I found this book very cute and VERY true! USC is a horrible school with a pathetic mascot, and this book did an EXCELLENT job of making fun of every aspect of USC. Two enthusiastic thumbs up!

I am a student at UCLA and this book was AWESOME! When I first read it, I died laughing, because a lot of the jokes are so true! It also gave me some good ideas for when the next football game rolls around. I recommend it to anyone who loves UCLA as much as I do.

This book makes so much sense. If you haven't read it, I encourage you to do so, especially if you are a USC student. You will mostlikely want to transfer out and go to a better school, perhaps one nearby such as UCLA or Loyola.

USC is a good place to pay for hookups without really working hard. I recall the Walmart heiress graduated from there and now it has been dicovered that she got by without doing any work...and of course USC is now pretending to be on it and will revoke her degree only because her ignorance (the ignorance of their product) was unveiled.

I hate USC.

Of course USC is hated. Barry Bonds gets booed the most. The terrorists don't diss Denmark. The best gets the most attention and the most vitriol.

All indications are that Pete Carroll and his University of Southern California Trojans are poised to become the greatest collegiate team of all time.

The defending co-National Champions have a dynasty on their hands. They could very possibly win two or three National Championships in a row.

USC's last two recruiting classes were ranked number one in America, and the 2004 crop is thought to be the best in history. Not since the 1983 Nebraska Cornhuskers has a team entered the season with so many highlights. Therein lies the problem.

USC is the hottest ticket in America's hottest town, the toast of Hollywood, the biggest thing in a media hothouse. They set the all-time USC attendance record in 2003 and will likely break that in 2004.

Based upon history, one is increasingly impressed with USC. Five years ago, a Top 25 listing of the Greatest College Football Programs of All-Time would have shown USC to have slipped. However, in light of their National Championship last year and favored status to repeat this year, Troy is now back to its second place status, poised to assault Notre Dame for the top spot in the next 10 to 15 years.

Long dynasties are hard to come by in college football, but SC has a long history of doing just that. It is for this reason, combined with the glow of being Notre Dame's biggest rival, its great inter-city tradition with UCLA, and a history that goes back farther than almost any program (Michigan and Notre Dame are the only schools that go back as far and are still powers) that Southern California is not just second all-time in football but first among all athletic programs (and first by a wide margin in baseball).

The Greatest College Football Team in history is generally considered to be John McKay's 1972 Trojans. In addition, SC claims the best single-season team in the 1920s (1928) and '30s (1931). They are considered the best team of the decade of the 1930s, 1960s, 1970s, and now the 2000s.

Further proof of SC's ability to maintain a tradition is their consistency. The top dynasty period in history was the John McKay/John Robinson era lasting from the early 1960s until the 1980s. The Howard Jones "Thundering Herd" teams of the 1920s and '30s also ranks highly. Among the best three-year periods ever, none is better than SC's run from 1972-74. Among 5/6-year periods, consider three of Troy's eras (1967-72, the best of anybody, followed by 1974-79 and 1928-32).

The best 10/15-year period? USC from 1967 to 1979, but that is not all. Also ranked is the period 1962-72 and 1928-39. Among great long-term dynasties (20/25 years), nobody beats Southern California from 1962-81, when they won five National Championships and four Heisman Trophies. The Trojans easily have the most professionals, the most first round draft picks, the most Hall of Famers, the most Pro Bowlers and the most All-Americans. They are, undisputably, a football factory. The empirical evidence cannot be argued against.

On top of all this, USC counts the most Major League baseball players, the most baseball Hall of Famers, the most All-Stars and various dominant players. Despite not being known for basketball, a disproportianate number of Trojans from the 1940s and '50s are considered hoops pioneers. The "triangle offense" was invented at SC, and such stalwarts as Bill Sharman, Alex Hannum and Tex Winter played together before induction in Springfield. USC also boasts the most Olympians, the most Olympic champions, and if they had been a country in 1976, they would have placed third in total medals at the Montreal Games.

It is unfortunate that anyone would write a book attempting to deride the reputation and respect of one of the world's best private research institutions. Everyone knows the USC Trojans attend a university armed with the resources for total ascendancy over ucla in the coming years.

After reading this book, I felt pitiful that I could not afford a top-notch university like USC and was thus forced to settle for ucla. It reminded me that I am doomed to a future of mediocrity. It reminded me that the only reason I can afford to go to ucla is because the parents of USC students pay such exorbitant taxes to support state subsidies. It reminded me why I have to take every opportunity to poke fun at the wonderful USC, since deep down I feel so inferior about my school.

Oh well, maybe someday I will have the privilege of attending such a fine institution. For now, I will cuddle up with "303 Reasons" and try to mask my depression by reading the sacreligious pages over and over.