# 2019 Time Person of the Year **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [October 30, 2019, 7:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/2019-time-person-of-the-year/842710 "2019-10-30T19:53:23Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![bobot](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bobot/32/21622_2.png) [@bobot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bobot)\ **Post date:** [October 31, 2019, 11:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/2019-time-person-of-the-year/842710/21 "2019-10-31T11:59:31Z")
This is totally Alice Cooper’s year. Happy Halloween. ---
**Author:** ![Alessan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alessan/32/465_2.png) [@Alessan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alessan)\ **Post date:** [October 31, 2019, 12:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/2019-time-person-of-the-year/842710/22 "2019-10-31T12:25:57Z")
> [@ekedolphin](#): > > I voted for The Whistleblower. Yeah, that’s a typically milquetoast Time selection. ---
**Author:** ![Slash1972](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/slash1972/32/6461_2.png) [@Slash1972](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Slash1972)\ **Post date:** [October 31, 2019, 12:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/2019-time-person-of-the-year/842710/23 "2019-10-31T12:39:46Z")
What about “Florida Man”? That guy is always in the news. ---
**Author:** ![zimaane](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/a3d4f5/32.png) [@zimaane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/zimaane)\ **Post date:** [October 31, 2019, 3:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/2019-time-person-of-the-year/842710/24 "2019-10-31T15:04:39Z")
They already did a “whistleblower” selection in 2002 (this was for people who exposed WorldCom and Enron financial scandals) so probably Ms. Pelosi. ---
**Author:** ![AlsoNamedBort](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alsonamedbort/32/3213_2.png) [@AlsoNamedBort](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AlsoNamedBort)\ **Post date:** [October 31, 2019, 3:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/2019-time-person-of-the-year/842710/25 "2019-10-31T15:48:36Z")
> [@Velocity](#): > > I don’t think they’d want it to be Trump simply because he’s already been it before. They would want variety. > > I’d guess Thunberg. > [@scr4](#): > > They did choose Obama twice (2008 and 2012). They pretty much always choose the President in election years right? Have they ever selected the President outside of an election year? ---
**Author:** ![carnut](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carnut/32/3531_2.png) [@carnut](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carnut)\ **Post date:** [October 31, 2019, 5:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/2019-time-person-of-the-year/842710/26 "2019-10-31T17:43:55Z")
> [@Slash1972](#): > > What about “Florida Man”? That guy is always in the news. You have an excellent point! ---
**Author:** ![Borborygmi](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/borborygmi/32/217_2.png) [@Borborygmi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Borborygmi)\ **Post date:** [October 31, 2019, 6:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/2019-time-person-of-the-year/842710/27 "2019-10-31T18:18:24Z")
While the _Time_ editors may not agree with everything he’s trying to do, I think they may have to acknowledge Vladimir Putin for running two of the world’s largest countries effectively. ---
**Author:** ![running\_coach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/running_coach/32/15836_2.png) [@running\_coach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/running_coach)\ **Post date:** [October 31, 2019, 6:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/2019-time-person-of-the-year/842710/28 "2019-10-31T18:27:34Z")
> [@Borborygmi](#): > > While the _Time_ editors may not agree with everything he’s trying to do, I think they may have to acknowledge Vladimir Putin for running two of the world’s largest countries effectively. Wouldn’t that be ruining? ---
**Author:** ![Wheelz](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wheelz/32/5718_2.png) [@Wheelz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wheelz)\ **Post date:** [October 31, 2019, 6:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/2019-time-person-of-the-year/842710/29 "2019-10-31T18:58:03Z")
When do they announce the POTY? As there are still 2 months left in the year, somebody not on our radar may still emerge as a central figure in the impeachment hearings. If there’s one witness whose testimony brings down a president, it will be that person. However, if the impeachment effort fizzles (which is still a distinct possibility), the title is truly up for grabs. ---
**Author:** ![dalej42](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/67e7ee/32.png) [@dalej42](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dalej42)\ **Post date:** [November 1, 2019, 12:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/2019-time-person-of-the-year/842710/30 "2019-11-01T00:44:27Z")
A long shot might be the LGBT community. 50th anniversary of stonewall and out athletes as well as politicians. Hong Kong would be a thorny issue for Time doing any business in mainland China. Thunberg may have worn out her welcome a bit. ---
**Author:** ![ITR\_champion](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/c67d28/32.png) [@ITR\_champion](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ITR_champion)\ **Post date:** [November 1, 2019, 1:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/2019-time-person-of-the-year/842710/31 "2019-11-01T01:32:08Z")
It looks like Time normally makes the choice near the start of December. Assuming that remains true, the issue will have to go to print before the British election. Even so, I think Boris Johnson is the obvious choice. Even though we won’t know the outcome of Brexit by then, he has generated a lot of headlines, shaken up Britain’s political scene, and sent the Brexit mess towards an inevitable conclusion of some kind. Thunberg would be a terrible choice since she’s only a figurehead used by corporate interests. To say she’s the most noteworthy person on Earth would be like saying that the guy in the Mickey Mouse costume is the most important person in the Disney corporation. Though given Time’s standards these days, I wouldn’t put it past them to choose her. More likely though they’ll chicken out and choose a vaguely-defined group again. ---
**Author:** ![Xema](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/x/9de053/32.png) [@Xema](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Xema)\ **Post date:** [November 1, 2019, 2:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/2019-time-person-of-the-year/842710/32 "2019-11-01T02:51:59Z")
> [@ITR\_champion](#): > > Thunberg would be a terrible choice since she’s only a figurehead used by corporate interests. No love for Scoldilocks? ---
**Author:** ![dalej42](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/67e7ee/32.png) [@dalej42](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dalej42)\ **Post date:** [November 1, 2019, 1:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/2019-time-person-of-the-year/842710/33 "2019-11-01T13:15:55Z")
> [@ITR\_champion](#): > > It looks like Time normally makes the choice near the start of December. Assuming that remains true, the issue will have to go to print before the British election. Even so, I think Boris Johnson is the obvious choice. Even though we won’t know the outcome of Brexit by then, he has generated a lot of headlines, shaken up Britain’s political scene, and sent the Brexit mess towards an inevitable conclusion of some kind. > > Thunberg would be a terrible choice since she’s only a figurehead used by corporate interests. To say she’s the most noteworthy person on Earth would be like saying that the guy in the Mickey Mouse costume is the most important person in the Disney corporation. Though given Time’s standards these days, I wouldn’t put it past them to choose her. > > More likely though they’ll chicken out and choose a vaguely-defined group again. Boris Johnson for an American news magazine? I think Americans know more about John Bercow than Boris. Johnson may have ‘shaken up’ UK politics but he’s lost almost every vote in Parliament. ---
**Author:** ![Prof.Pepperwinkle](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/prof.pepperwinkle/32/13627_2.png) [@Prof.Pepperwinkle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Prof.Pepperwinkle)\ **Post date:** [November 1, 2019, 1:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/2019-time-person-of-the-year/842710/34 "2019-11-01T13:23:18Z")
No love for Robert Mueller? ---
**Author:** ![TriPolar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tripolar/32/3008_2.png) [@TriPolar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TriPolar)\ **Post date:** [November 1, 2019, 1:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/2019-time-person-of-the-year/842710/35 "2019-11-01T13:48:33Z")
> [@Prof.Pepperwinkle](#): > > No love for Robert Mueller? Maybe from Republicans. ---
**Author:** ![scr4](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/59ef9b/32.png) [@scr4](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/scr4)\ **Post date:** [November 1, 2019, 3:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/2019-time-person-of-the-year/842710/36 "2019-11-01T15:25:17Z")
> [@AlsoNamedBort](#): > > They pretty much always choose the President in election years right? Have they ever selected the President outside of an election year? Bill Clinton in 1998, mainly because his impeachment was a major event that year, and he shared the Person of the Year title with Ken Starr. George H. W. Bush in 1990, mainly for the Gulf War. Reagan in 1983, along with Yuri Andropov. Nixon in 1971. JFK in 1961 (though that’s inauguration year). FDR, 1934 and 1941. cf: [Full list of Person of the Year](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Time_Person_of_the_Year#Persons_of_the_Year) ---
**Author:** ![scr4](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/59ef9b/32.png) [@scr4](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/scr4)\ **Post date:** [November 1, 2019, 3:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/2019-time-person-of-the-year/842710/37 "2019-11-01T15:33:56Z")
I agree Putin is a real possibility. And a reasonable choice, given how much his influence has shaped US politics as well as everything going on in Turkey and Syria. I think Xi Jinping is another possibility, especially since they haven’t chosen him so far. ---
**Author:** ![RTFirefly](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/c77e96/32.png) [@RTFirefly](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RTFirefly)\ **Post date:** [November 1, 2019, 3:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/2019-time-person-of-the-year/842710/38 "2019-11-01T15:36:11Z")
> [@ITR\_champion](#): > > Thunberg would be a terrible choice since she’s only a figurehead used by corporate interests. You misspelled “Mitch McConnell.” :rolleyes: This is such bullshit, of course. If corporate interests largely wanted us to address climate change, we’d have already made major changes in that direction. ---
**Author:** ![RTFirefly](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/c77e96/32.png) [@RTFirefly](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RTFirefly)\ **Post date:** [November 1, 2019, 3:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/2019-time-person-of-the-year/842710/39 "2019-11-01T15:44:29Z")
I think Putin would be the right call, based on Time’s supposed standard of "a person, a group, an idea, or an object that “for better or for worse… has done the most to influence the events of the year.” But ever since they got a metric ton of backlash when they chose Ayatollah Khomeini in 1979, they’ve shied away from the “or worse” part, with the most notable example being choosing Rudy 911 over Osama bin Laden in 2001. Since they won’t pick Putin, I’d argue for Pelosi. ---
**Author:** ![RTFirefly](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/c77e96/32.png) [@RTFirefly](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RTFirefly)\ **Post date:** [November 1, 2019, 3:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/2019-time-person-of-the-year/842710/40 "2019-11-01T15:52:20Z")
Wait, I changed my mind. [This Nats fan](https://twitter.com/ProudResister/status/1189785448891109376)! 😃 [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/2019-time-person-of-the-year/842710.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/2019-time-person-of-the-year/842710.md?page=3)