# So, TIME just named me Person of the Year. So how'd your year go? **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [December 17, 2006, 2:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-time-just-named-me-person-of-the-year-so-howd-your-year-go/384466 "2006-12-17T02:25:13Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Scruloose](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e68b1a/32.png) [@Scruloose](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Scruloose)\ **Post date:** [December 17, 2006, 2:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-time-just-named-me-person-of-the-year-so-howd-your-year-go/384466/1 "2006-12-17T02:25:13Z")
It would seem that TIME magazine has just named me their _Person of the Year_. I feel so… underwhelmed? [Seriously.](http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,1569514,00.html) ---
**Author:** ![Tuckerfan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/eada6e/32.png) [@Tuckerfan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tuckerfan)\ **Post date:** [December 17, 2006, 2:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-time-just-named-me-person-of-the-year-so-howd-your-year-go/384466/2 "2006-12-17T02:32:12Z")
You know, I’m not one to think that the term “gay” should be used as a substitute for “lame,” but in this case, I really can’t think of anything better. ---
**Author:** ![Astroboy14](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/df705f/32.png) [@Astroboy14](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Astroboy14)\ **Post date:** [December 17, 2006, 2:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-time-just-named-me-person-of-the-year-so-howd-your-year-go/384466/3 "2006-12-17T02:34:36Z")
Me? Shucks… I didn’t do nuthing! ---
**Author:** ![Lamar\_Mundane](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/85f322/32.png) [@Lamar\_Mundane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lamar_Mundane)\ **Post date:** [December 17, 2006, 2:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-time-just-named-me-person-of-the-year-so-howd-your-year-go/384466/4 "2006-12-17T02:37:26Z")
I can’t believe you got it. You suck. ---
**Author:** ![twickster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ec9cab/32.png) [@twickster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/twickster)\ **Post date:** [December 17, 2006, 2:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-time-just-named-me-person-of-the-year-so-howd-your-year-go/384466/5 "2006-12-17T02:45:24Z")
Yanno, this is actually the second time I’ve won. (Back in the late '60s, they gave it to “People under 30,” which I was at the time.) ---
**Author:** ![Scruloose](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e68b1a/32.png) [@Scruloose](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Scruloose)\ **Post date:** [December 17, 2006, 2:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-time-just-named-me-person-of-the-year-so-howd-your-year-go/384466/6 "2006-12-17T02:47:22Z")
[QUOTE=Lamar Mundane] I can’t believe you got it. You suck. [/QUOTE] I knew that my time-wasting, online gaming habits would not allow me to seriously compete for the award. So I started to get all my news from internet media sources, vice television and radio sources. Plus, I recently took up some online Texas Hold 'em. However, I still felt I needed something more, which is why I decided to pony up another $14.95 to contribute to these here boards. Only then did I realize that I had a legitimate shot. I can’t tell you how good it feels to have all your hard work pay off like this. ---
**Author:** ![Otto](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/bbe5ce/32.png) [@Otto](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Otto)\ **Post date:** [December 17, 2006, 2:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-time-just-named-me-person-of-the-year-so-howd-your-year-go/384466/7 "2006-12-17T02:51:50Z")
This is gonna ruin the “Fake TIME Magazine Man of the Year cover with your picture on it” industry. ---
**Author:** ![JRDelirious](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jrdelirious/32/9531_2.png) [@JRDelirious](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JRDelirious)\ **Post date:** [December 17, 2006, 2:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-time-just-named-me-person-of-the-year-so-howd-your-year-go/384466/8 "2006-12-17T02:55:37Z")
What is this, some sort of Zen thing? Of course the collective set of all us together adds up to the major force shaping events in any given year. :dubious: D… U… H… I would not have pulled this for a class report procrastrinated until the very morning of the deadline. I mean, at least “people under 30” was a specific (though huge) group of people and it could be said they represented a series of definable trends. I refuse to allow TIME to so inconsiderately preempt my 15 minutes this way, I most energically decline this award. ---
**Author:** ![Antigen](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/848f3c/32.png) [@Antigen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Antigen)\ **Post date:** [December 17, 2006, 3:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-time-just-named-me-person-of-the-year-so-howd-your-year-go/384466/9 "2006-12-17T03:02:22Z")
About damn time I win it. I’m _awesome_. 🆒 ---
**Author:** ![Sunspace](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sunspace/32/1250_2.png) [@Sunspace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sunspace)\ **Post date:** [December 17, 2006, 3:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-time-just-named-me-person-of-the-year-so-howd-your-year-go/384466/10 "2006-12-17T03:04:10Z")
[QUOTE=twickster] Yanno, this is actually the second time I’ve won. (Back in the late '60s, they gave it to “People under 30,” which I was at the time.) [/QUOTE] What a coincidence! The same applies to me! :: goes out to wave Esperantan-Canadian flags :: ---
**Author:** ![mobo85](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/b19c9b/32.png) [@mobo85](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mobo85)\ **Post date:** [December 17, 2006, 3:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-time-just-named-me-person-of-the-year-so-howd-your-year-go/384466/11 "2006-12-17T03:07:48Z")
Why not You? You, as a whole, have been able to control entertainment now more than ever. The main reason You was (were) chosen was because of _Time_ 2006 Invention of the Year- YouTube, which shows that now more than ever, You are able to create your own entertainment and/or web content rather than some large corporation. This message board is perfect proof of this. So why not You? Congratulations to You, Me, and all of You. (Historical Time Persons of the Year that were not particular individuals: American Fighting Man (1950), Hungarian Freedom Fighter (1956), American Scientists (1960), Generation 25 and Under (1966), Middle Americans (1969), American Women (1975), Computer (1982), Earth (1988), American Soldier (2003), You (2006)) ---
**Author:** ![mobo85](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/b19c9b/32.png) [@mobo85](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mobo85)\ **Post date:** [December 17, 2006, 3:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-time-just-named-me-person-of-the-year-so-howd-your-year-go/384466/12 "2006-12-17T03:09:50Z")
[QUOTE=Otto] This is gonna ruin the “Fake TIME Magazine Man of the Year cover with your picture on it” industry. [/QUOTE] Homer Simpson (spotting novelty TIME magazine cover with Ned Flanders as “Man of the Century”): Must’ve been a pretty slow century. ---
**Author:** ![flurb](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/51bf81/32.png) [@flurb](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/flurb)\ **Post date:** [December 17, 2006, 3:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-time-just-named-me-person-of-the-year-so-howd-your-year-go/384466/13 "2006-12-17T03:14:40Z")
I guess Time has decided that kissing the ass of individual demographic groups (American women, people under 25, the middle class, soldiers) by naming them Person of the Year was taking too long, so they decided to just knock everyone out at once. Or maybe their circulation is falling off so badly that they figured their readers needed the ego boost. ---
**Author:** ![Heffalump\_and\_Roo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/heffalump_and_roo/32/7691_2.png) [@Heffalump\_and\_Roo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Heffalump_and_Roo)\ **Post date:** [December 17, 2006, 3:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-time-just-named-me-person-of-the-year-so-howd-your-year-go/384466/14 "2006-12-17T03:53:50Z")
[QUOTE=flurb] Or maybe their circulation is falling off so badly that they figured their readers needed the ego boost. [/QUOTE] Somehow, being put in a class with people who: > [@](#): > > Web 2.0 harnesses the stupidity of crowds as well as its wisdom. Some of the comments on YouTube make you weep for the future of humanity just for the spelling alone, never mind the obscenity and the naked hatred. didn’t do wonders for my ego. YMMV. ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [December 17, 2006, 4:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-time-just-named-me-person-of-the-year-so-howd-your-year-go/384466/15 "2006-12-17T04:42:34Z")
> [@](#): > > Yanno, this is actually the second time I’ve won. (Back in the late '60s, they gave it to “People under 30,” which I was at the time.) Me too. This year and back in 1958 when I was Charles de Gaulle. ---
**Author:** ![Hal\_Briston](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/a9a28c/32.png) [@Hal\_Briston](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hal_Briston)\ **Post date:** [December 17, 2006, 4:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-time-just-named-me-person-of-the-year-so-howd-your-year-go/384466/16 "2006-12-17T04:53:03Z")
Somewhere, in a dank hole in another part of the world, Osama bin Laden is clutching a copy of this issue and muttering _“About fucking time…”_ to himself. ---
**Author:** ![mobo85](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/b19c9b/32.png) [@mobo85](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mobo85)\ **Post date:** [December 17, 2006, 7:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-time-just-named-me-person-of-the-year-so-howd-your-year-go/384466/17 "2006-12-17T07:14:53Z")
[QUOTE=Hal Briston] Somewhere, in a dank hole in another part of the world, Osama bin Laden is clutching a copy of this issue and muttering _“About fucking time…”_ to himself. [/QUOTE] It’s a shame the backlash against it caused _TIME_ not to pick Bin Laden as Person of the Year in 2001, since he did have a lot to do with world events that year. (Remember, the Person of the Year does not necessarily have to have a positive effect on world events.) Instead of a photo, they could at least had a grim cartoon of him on the cover like they did with [Hitler.](http://history.sandiego.edu/gen/USPics27/75297h.jpg) ---
**Author:** ![Napier](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/ce73a5/32.png) [@Napier](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Napier)\ **Post date:** [December 17, 2006, 4:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-time-just-named-me-person-of-the-year-so-howd-your-year-go/384466/18 "2006-12-17T16:24:02Z")
My year was going along just fine until it went careening off into the irrelevant on Saturday night. I used to feel so smug about understanding the pointlessness of the “Person of the Year” tradition - but, heck, now it’s just about impossible NOT to. ---
**Author:** ![David\_Simmons](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/9de053/32.png) [@David\_Simmons](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/David_Simmons)\ **Post date:** [December 17, 2006, 5:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-time-just-named-me-person-of-the-year-so-howd-your-year-go/384466/19 "2006-12-17T17:14:25Z")
It was beginning to look as if they weren’t going to get around to me. Whew, by the skin of my teeth. ---
**Author:** ![RickJay](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/bb73d2/32.png) [@RickJay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RickJay)\ **Post date:** [December 17, 2006, 5:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-time-just-named-me-person-of-the-year-so-howd-your-year-go/384466/20 "2006-12-17T17:26:41Z")
I thought this was dumb at first, but the more I think about it the more I think it’s kind of an inspired choice. What Time is saying is simply that they’re acknowledging that populism is making a splash in the media; blogs, Youtube, and that sort of thing are drawing attention away from traditional sources. It’s a sociological and technical fact that the ability of the common person to have their voice heard has suddenly increased exponentially, and the consequences are going to be felt big time. So in the sense that Time’s choice captures the relevant events of the day, it’s a very good choice. The movement towards populist, Internet-based media IS a huge, huge sea change that’s going to dramatically shift the way Western society works; we’re just at the very beginning of the wave’s swell right now. Going back over ther choices, I’m actually quite surprised at how few really bad choices there are. Incidentally, it was “The Generation 25 and Under,” in 1966. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-time-just-named-me-person-of-the-year-so-howd-your-year-go/384466.md?page=2)