# 2021 Time Person of the Year **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [October 26, 2021, 7:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/2021-time-person-of-the-year/953250 "2021-10-26T19:54:34Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 13\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![ThelmaLou](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thelmalou/32/390_2.png) [@ThelmaLou](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ThelmaLou)\ **Post date:** [December 14, 2021, 2:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/2021-time-person-of-the-year/953250/41 "2021-12-14T14:12:44Z")
> [@wolfpup](#): > > What a bizarre and inexplicable choice. Elon Musk has had exactly zero influence on my life, either in 2021 or at any other time, and billions of people around the world can say the same. Well said, and 100% true. Okay, another award to cease giving a crap about. ---
**Author:** ![Procrustus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/procrustus/32/2994_2.png) [@Procrustus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Procrustus)\ **Post date:** [December 14, 2021, 3:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/2021-time-person-of-the-year/953250/42 "2021-12-14T15:34:54Z")
> [@ThelmaLou](#): > > Okay, another award to cease giving a crap about. Nitpick, it’s really not an “award” in any sense of the word. They gave it to Hitler and Trump, for god’s sake. But I agree, we should cease giving a crap about it. I think Musk should get some credit for EV’s going much more mainstream. That was his vision. Where we end up remains to be seen, but I think it’s fair to say there will continue to be a shift from ICE to EV. Does that make him the most influential person of 2021? I have no idea. Personally, I don’t like the group idea, (“First Responders,” “Essential Workers,” “Teachers.”) ---
**Author:** ![Elmer\_J.Fudd](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/elmer_j.fudd/32/1211_2.png) [@Elmer\_J.Fudd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elmer_J.Fudd)\ **Post date:** [December 14, 2021, 3:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/2021-time-person-of-the-year/953250/43 "2021-12-14T15:50:30Z")
> [@not\_what\_you\_d\_expect](#): > > “He’s such a Dick!” But that has never been a disqualifier for Person of the Year. The designation is not meant to be an honor; just an acknowledgment of the person’s influence. Frankly, most influential people these days are odious. ---
**Author:** ![enipla](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/54ee81/32.png) [@enipla](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/enipla)\ **Post date:** [December 14, 2021, 5:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/2021-time-person-of-the-year/953250/44 "2021-12-14T17:48:48Z")
> [@Procrustus](#): > > I think Musk should get some credit for EV’s going much more mainstream. Yes, and Starlink. A good internet connection for people that have no other options. That’s big. I’m on it. But it should go to medical providers, and the necessary people that kept things going. ---
**Author:** ![CookingWithGas](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cookingwithgas/32/485_2.png) [@CookingWithGas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CookingWithGas)\ **Post date:** [December 15, 2021, 1:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/2021-time-person-of-the-year/953250/45 "2021-12-15T01:48:54Z")
Time jumped the shark years ago. Just ignore it. ---
**Author:** ![burpo\_the\_wonder\_mutt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/burpo_the_wonder_mutt/32/365_2.png) [@burpo\_the\_wonder\_mutt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/burpo_the_wonder_mutt)\ **Post date:** [December 15, 2021, 1:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/2021-time-person-of-the-year/953250/46 "2021-12-15T01:55:18Z")
Seth Meyers said it best: Elon would have bought a copy, but he would have had to pay tax on it. ---
**Author:** ![Loach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/loach/32/350_2.png) [@Loach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Loach)\ **Post date:** [December 15, 2021, 2:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/2021-time-person-of-the-year/953250/47 "2021-12-15T02:11:35Z")
> [@Elmer\_J.Fudd](#): > > > [@not\_what\_you\_d\_expect](#): > > > > “He’s such a Dick!” > > Frankly, most influential people these days are odious. I think you could leave off the “these days” qualifier. ---
**Author:** ![lobotomyboy63](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lobotomyboy63/32/2900_2.png) [@lobotomyboy63](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lobotomyboy63)\ **Post date:** [December 15, 2021, 2:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/2021-time-person-of-the-year/953250/48 "2021-12-15T02:18:52Z")
Trump. If the definition is what person changed the world (for better or worse)… ---
**Author:** ![wolfpup](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wolfpup/32/10618_2.png) [@wolfpup](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wolfpup)\ **Post date:** [December 15, 2021, 6:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/2021-time-person-of-the-year/953250/49 "2021-12-15T06:00:35Z")
> [@Procrustus](#): > > I think Musk should get some credit for EV’s going much more mainstream. That was his vision. Where we end up remains to be seen, but I think it’s fair to say there will continue to be a shift from ICE to EV. “Fair to say”? It’s already in full swing … [https://www.caranddriver.com/news/a38213848/automakers-pledge-end-gas-sales-2040/](https://www.caranddriver.com/news/a38213848/automakers-pledge-end-gas-sales-2040/) So what was Musk’s role in this? He probably helped to accelerate the process by showing that the technology was here _ **today** _ to make impressive electric cars, and that there was a strong market for them. But the industry would have got there without Musk’s influence; as slow-moving and slow-witted as the automotive industry tends to be, it does eventually see the bleeding obvious when it’s standing right in front of them and they trip over it. But here’s a good example of Musk’s lack of interest in being a true “influencer”, and also of what an asshole he is. He originally claimed that he started Tesla as part of his great altruistic effort to save the world. But now that other carmakers are investing heavily in competing EVs, Musk is suddenly opposed to government tax credits for EVs (mainly because Tesla is selling 'em as fast as they can build 'em, so screw everybody else, and screw the environment). Incredibly, he is also opposed to the federal government building out a network of universal charging stations, because he has his own, which he would like to continue to expand and control: [https://www.cnn.com/2021/12/07/tech/elon-musk-wsj-government/index.html](https://www.cnn.com/2021/12/07/tech/elon-musk-wsj-government/index.html) ETA: Regarding TIME magazine, yeah, they’ve blown this “Person of the Year” thing a few times too often. From what I can tell, TIME’s new owners since 2018, Marc Benioff (jointly with his wife Lynne) seem to be decent folks, but they’ve promised a hands-off ownership policy so likely had little or nothing to do with this. OTOH, TIME editor in chief Edward Felsenthal seemed to fawning all over Elon Musk for some unfathomable reason. To hell with both of them, I say. ---
**Author:** ![Asuka](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/dec6dc/32.png) [@Asuka](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Asuka)\ **Post date:** [December 15, 2021, 6:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/2021-time-person-of-the-year/953250/50 "2021-12-15T06:36:17Z")
I don’t understand why THIS of all things is causing people to claim they no longer care about the “award”. Looking at a list from the past 20 years there’s a ton of random crap in there anyway. Once they started letting in groups it was all over. Pretty soon thanks to this backlash we’re just going to have the most generic groups get Person of the Year, “Doctors”, “The American Voter”, “The Activist”, “Dockyard Workers”, “People who post on message boards” ---
**Author:** ![wolfpup](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wolfpup/32/10618_2.png) [@wolfpup](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wolfpup)\ **Post date:** [December 15, 2021, 7:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/2021-time-person-of-the-year/953250/51 "2021-12-15T07:00:02Z")
I don’t think there’s anything wrong with generic groups getting recognition, as long as it’s justified. Even the Nobel Committee, which is all about honouring specific individuals, has been known to recognize a large group of unnamed individuals, as when the Nobel Peace Prize was shared between Al Gore and the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC). And look, if “people who post on message boards” can be shown to have, collectively, achieved major societal changes in any given year, then yes, that would be appropriate. I do agree, though, that TIME has often gone off the rails and been really silly about their choices. Whatever year the Person of the Year was “You” was possibly the silliest and most meaningless. My particular argument with the choice of Elon Musk isn’t about whether the man “deserves” this recognition on grounds of merit, but whether it’s even remotely accurate to consider him the “most influential” person (or group) of 2021. All I’ve seen him do in 2021 is bloviate self-aggrandizement while getting richer. ---
**Author:** ![Smapti](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/smapti/32/17938_2.png) [@Smapti](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Smapti)\ **Post date:** [December 15, 2021, 7:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/2021-time-person-of-the-year/953250/52 "2021-12-15T07:13:43Z")
> [@wolfpup](#): > > ETA: Regarding TIME magazine, yeah, they’ve blown this “Person of the Year” thing a few times too often. From what I can tell, TIME’s new owners since 2018, Marc Benioff (jointly with his wife Lynne) seem to be decent folks, but they’ve promised a hands-off ownership policy so likely had little or nothing to do with this. On the other hand, there’s this bit from the article; > [@](#): > > Note: TIME’s co-owners, Marc and Lynne Benioff, have invested in companies connected to space exploration, including SpaceX. ---
**Author:** ![That\_Don\_Guy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/that_don_guy/32/538_2.png) [@That\_Don\_Guy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/That_Don_Guy)\ **Post date:** [December 15, 2021, 1:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/2021-time-person-of-the-year/953250/53 "2021-12-15T13:49:38Z")
I wonder, in light of [the Senator Karen incident](https://www.foxbusiness.com/politics/elon-musk-calls-elizabeth-warren-senator-karen), if Time is having second thoughts [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/2021-time-person-of-the-year/953250.md?page=2)