# The 2016 Straight Dope Person of the Year Poll **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [December 7, 2016, 11:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-2016-straight-dope-person-of-the-year-poll/774150 "2016-12-07T23:40:01Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 6\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![PastTense](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pasttense/32/14550_2.png) [@PastTense](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PastTense)\ **Post date:** [December 7, 2016, 11:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-2016-straight-dope-person-of-the-year-poll/774150/1 "2016-12-07T23:40:01Z")
The selection of Donald Trump as Time’s 2016 Person of the Year has rightly drawn negative reaction here. So I was thinking someone (not myself) might be interested in setting up a poll for a 2016 Straight Dope Person of the Year. So we would need: 1. A discussion of the criteria 2. A pre-poll of nominations and seconds 3. The poll itself (after January 1 or not?) Any thoughts? ---
**Author:** ![Clothahump](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/51bf81/32.png) [@Clothahump](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Clothahump)\ **Post date:** [December 8, 2016, 12:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-2016-straight-dope-person-of-the-year-poll/774150/2 "2016-12-08T00:49:01Z")
Why should it draw negative reaction? From Time magazine: > [@](#): > > The criterion is “the person or persons who most affected the news and our lives, for good or ill, and embodied what was important about the year.” Trump has certainly done that. ---
**Author:** ![Do\_Not\_Taunt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/do_not_taunt/32/2968_2.png) [@Do\_Not\_Taunt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Do_Not_Taunt)\ **Post date:** [December 8, 2016, 1:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-2016-straight-dope-person-of-the-year-poll/774150/3 "2016-12-08T01:03:12Z")
I agree. But Time has not always lived up to that. Best example is choosing Giuliani instead of the person who actually most affected the news in 2001 (Osama bin Laden.) ---
**Author:** ![jz78817](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jz78817/32/1028_2.png) [@jz78817](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jz78817)\ **Post date:** [December 8, 2016, 1:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-2016-straight-dope-person-of-the-year-poll/774150/4 "2016-12-08T01:13:27Z")
> [@Do\_Not\_Taunt](#): > > I agree. But Time has not always lived up to that. Best example is choosing Giuliani instead of the person who actually most affected the news in 2001 (Osama bin Laden.) I see your point, but in 2001 Bin Laden didn’t actually _do_ anything. ---
**Author:** ![Do\_Not\_Taunt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/do_not_taunt/32/2968_2.png) [@Do\_Not\_Taunt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Do_Not_Taunt)\ **Post date:** [December 8, 2016, 1:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-2016-straight-dope-person-of-the-year-poll/774150/5 "2016-12-08T01:15:54Z")
> [@jz78817](#): > > I see your point, but in 2001 Bin Laden didn’t actually _do_ anything. I honestly don’t know what point you’re making. He planned and executed the single largest terrorist attack in history. Is it your claim he did that prior to 2001 or something? ---
**Author:** ![panache45](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/panache45/32/64_2.png) [@panache45](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/panache45)\ **Post date:** [December 8, 2016, 1:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-2016-straight-dope-person-of-the-year-poll/774150/6 "2016-12-08T01:30:41Z")
Barack Obama is still the President. He has affected our lives in 2016 much more than Trump has. But perhaps Antonin Scalia should win; his death - and absence from the SCOTUS - will affect our lives as much as his life did. > [@jz78817](#): > > I see your point, but in 2001 Bin Laden didn’t actually _do_ anything. What are you saying, that he didn’t personally pilot one of the planes?