My understanding is that the Man/Person of the Year for TIME is not an endorsement of Hitler or Stalin or Trump, but more an acknowledgement of who made the biggest waves in news that year. This is why Hitler and Stalin don’t get rescinded in following years.
To check up on that, I’d be interested in reading what Time chose to say about Hitler in 1938 and to see if it was glowing or critical or a mix of both.
In any case, it makes me wonder if it should be Putin on the cover instead of Trump.
I suppose magazine sales must figure in to this calculation. Because I would think Osama Bin Ladin would have been person of the year in 2001 under the “who made the biggest waves” criterion. Instead they chose Rudy Giuliani.
It says: “TIME’s choices for Person of the Year are often controversial. Editors are asked to choose the person or thing that had the greatest impact on the news, for good or ill — guidelines that leave them no choice but to select a newsworthy — not necessarily praiseworthy — cover subject.”
In addition: “The magazine has nominated several controversial figures as “Man Of The Year” since the tradition started in 1927, including Joseph Stalin, Nikita Kruschchev, and Ayatullah Khomeini. Osama bin Laden was strongly considered in 2001, but the the award went to New York mayor Rudy Giuliani instead.”
On Jan 2nd, 1939, Time explained it’s choice of Hitler in 1938 as: “Hitler became in 1938 the greatest threatening force that the democratic, freedom-loving world faces today”
–
I also recall that when they chose Einstein for “Person of the [20th] Century,” they considered Hitler as a possibility (along with Ronald Reagan) but decided that that was too depressing and that Einstein was just as valid and more positive.
Person or Man or Woman, OMG who cares? I’m mostly just concerned that the Trump presidency will lead to some massive geopolitical failure causing an economic depression or opening the US up to a catastrophic terrorist attack.
For this forum, it seems like he is basically appointing all of our bosses, former bosses and their friends to run everything, so barring the tail event it should be good economically for us. Socially it could suck significantly with Pence and Sessions.
What will change socially? Pence cannot reverse gay marriage or something like that. Frankly, some of the social “progress” is too much in my opinion - like cutting NC’s Federal aid for not allowing transgender bathrooms. What will likely happen is that they cut the budgets of a bunch of social programs and instead, people donate to NGOs. So basically STL’s fantasy realized. This is what happened under Reagan, who Trump is modeling himself after.
Just finished “Art of the Deal.” Trump’s playbook of sorts. Read it and you’ll realize everything he does is calculated. He plays the media and public opinion like a fiddle. He hasn’t changed in thirty years. Wrote the book as he turned forty…The mass media and most of his critics, some on this forum, are so many steps behind they look like bumbling buffoons. Comical. I wonder how many have actually read his book. He discloses exactly how he gets what he wants. The two biggest take aways were, one, he realizes he knows very little, like most of us, but always finds the best to do the job. He went to Canada to find the best skating rink construction people, for example. Interesting story. And two, he has never hesitated to put women in positions of power and control. Would you have guessed the construction manager for Trump Tower was a woman? The building was built in '80s. And it appears his cabinet will be 50% women. A record high.
How can you not have conflict of interest when you have multi billion dollars of real estate business? This would eliminate any successful executive from being President - not just Trump, but Bill Gates, Warren Buffet, I don’t know… Mark Cuban, whoever.
You mean his tweets where he seems incapable of letting comments slide and displays a childish petulance at people mocking him in addition to the crap coming out of his mouth is some sort of grand master plan? This is interesting, I will give him the benefit of doubt but I can’t take him seriously till he does something about his tiny feet.
Yep, all calculated. Believe it. You’re being played. The most powerful man in the world has published his playbook, even admits some shortcomings, and very few bother to see the world through his lens. You should ask yourself, “Why did Trump do “x”? How does it help him or his agenda?” The arogant professional class thought the “buffoon” did not know what he was doing during the election. How did that work out for them? Trumps opponents will never realize they are the marks, therefore, they will continue to be played. It is so entertaining to observe.
I’m for MAN of the year, just to watch the feminists choke.
The best thing happening in America is this growing movement against the dummy progressives and their failed ideas. I am not so optimistic to believe the US will actually start holding progressive ideas to scientific scrutiny (political correctness, affirmative action, feminism, vegetarianism, “we are all equal”, are all quantifiable failures), but mob rage is better than nothing.
I agree with most of what you said. This is the part that stuck out to me, though. Politics has become entertainment, both for the lefties who feed off of the outrage and for the righties who identify with Trump and love the “liberal tears.”
While everyone is being entertained, Trump will enrich himself, sometimes at expense to voters, sometimes not. This is a given. He may get in trouble over it, we’ll see. The main thing is that he appoints people who effectively steward national security and that he doesn’t start any wars to make more money.
I don’t think Trump cares about riches any more. He wants to be remembered forever in history now, like Herbert Hoover. So, he will build a yuge… something.
Call it “Person of the Year” if you believe in gender equality, not out of PC intimidation. “Man of the Year” is definitely exclusive, kinda of like calling a good deed a “Christian” thing to do.
BTW what BChad said about why Hitler and Stalin are still on the list is true; but Time chickened out in 2001 and Person of the Year went to YOU (with a mirror, IIRC) instead of Osama bin Laden.
