“It’s the end of the year, the time when news organizations start compiling lists: top 10 movies or songs of the year, top 10 news stories of the year, and of course, a perennial favorite, TIME Magazine’s Person of the Year,” Sterling Wong reports for Minyanville.
“Before the list was announced, there had been speculation that former Apple CEO Steve Jobs, who passed away in October, might become the first person to be given this honor posthumously,” Wong reports. “A panel of TIME magazine experts had spoken about the possibility of nominating Jobs at a discussion in November. Panelist Brian Williams, host of Comcast subsidiary NBC’s Nightly News, said, ‘Not only did he change the world, but he gave us that spirit again that something was possible, that you could look at a piece of glass or plastic and move your finger, that’s outlandish… may he rest in peace.'”
Wong reports, “Ultimately though, the panel of experts does not decide on the magazine’s Person of the Year. TIME’s editors have anointed the Protestor as its Person of the Year, after the regime-toppling Arab Spring that occurred in Tunisia, Egypt, and other parts of the Middle East, as well as the Occupy Wall Street movement… Placing second behind those at Tahrir Square and Occupy emcampments is congressional Republican Paul Ryan, who burst into national prominence with his austere budget plan. And while Steve Jobs was snubbed as Person of the Year, his successor Tim Cook was named as one of TIME’s people who matter.”
Read more in the full article here.
MacDailyNews Take: Since 2001, when they totally blew it by not naming Osama bin Laden, Time Magazine‘s so-called “Person of the Year” has been slightly less meaningful than the Nobel Peace Prize.
This no surprise, Time is filled with morons, its a miracle that anyone with a brain still reads that publication. Oh wait, most people that do read it, probably don’t..
So many people clearly have no clue what criteria is used to name Time’s “Person Of The Year”. In addition to Osama Bin Laden, there people such as Adolf Hitler, Joseph Stalin (twice), Ayatolah Khomeini, Deng Xiaoping (twice), Kenneth Star, Jeff Bezos, Vladimir Putin, Mark Zukerberg…
The principal criteria is NOT whether their “Person of the Year” contributed positively to the advancement of the humanity. Time’s PotY is a person who occupied most of the media in the said year. More often than not, it is someone who made a major positive difference. But occasionally, it is not exactly the greatest person in the world.
You are right, of course. I don’t have a problem with a Hitler or Osama being named, because the criteria is as you summed up. I just think that Time has been copping out by naming broad groups as “Person Of The Year”. If you’re going to have a title of POTY, then name a person. Otherwise, change the name to something like, “Newsmaker of the Year”.
This is not without plenty of precedents.
In 1956, POTY was “The Hungarian Freedom Fighter”.
In 1960, POTY was “American Scientists”.
In 1966, it was “Baby Boomers”
In 1969, it was “Middle Americans” (also referred to as “Silent Majority”)
In 1975, it was “American Women”
and so on.
Not to forget –
1982 POTY The Computer – Machine of the Year
Why not Apple users then??
It’s a symbiotic relationship. Without SJ’s role at Apple, there wouldn’t be as many users, and of course not users, no Apple….
The FLEA PARTY is a disgusting joke of a bowel movement. Take a freaking shower, get a freaking clue, take responsibility for themselves, clean up after themselves, it’s too ridiculous and trumped up to waste a nano second thinking about let alone making it the Person of the Year. Pathetic. Tea Party is the real deal. Steve Jobs should have been named person of the last 4 decades. Screw you liberals!!!!!
Well, you got me. I didn’t remember all of those. So I will acknowledge that this is nothing new, but I still think it makes POTY a misnomer.
Ever consider the fact that many DO understand their criteria, but that many others don’t understand that the reason crap like OWS gets so much news coverage is because of some (many) reporters misplaced values on what affects society long term?
It’s the closest thing to a perpetual motion machine that I know of:
The media and the whores that use it as fuel, so then the media covers it more, and then they protest more to get more coverage.
Meanwhile, people in the real world don’t give two shits for what others define as ‘news’.
Reports shouldn’t place value on long term effects on society? Isn’t that one of the problems, that people have a short term view typically? Seeing the bigger picture, farther down the road…how can that be considered misplaced? Sometimes, sure, you need to think/act tactically, but you’ll gain more w/a better long term strategy in place.
I think you misunderstood my point.
When reporters place value on some events, it elevates them beyond what many people care about.
OWS was such a story. It only grew because of media coverage.
It died when that trailed off.
If that was the case; than why was they Tea Party ignored and derided in 09 and 10. They had more influence and power than OWS. Time is a purely political animal; granted it will come up with some provocative stories and covers to try to continue selling magazines, since it is dying, but more often than not it is a very left political animal.
Look, I wanted it to be Steve, too, but I can’t argue that the protests that sprung up around the world in 2011 were historic and have profoundly changed the lives of tens of millions of people. While I appreciate that the conservative troglodytes on this forum only want to talk about the Occupy Wall Street protesters, the fact is that brave men and women from Tunisia to Egypt to Libya to Syria to Russia and many other places put their lives in jeopardy – and, in fact, many of them died – to demand simple freedoms we take for granted. This is something that America – if what we stand for means anything – ought to celebrate and support. Frankly, I find most of the posts here indicative of the kind of total news cluelessness that has been recently identified as being associated with Fox fans.
Agreed x1,000,000. Hard to argue that Steve changed the world in 2011 more than all those aforementioned protesters did/are doing. This was just the year he left us.
That pretty much seals it up for TIME. Stick a fork in ’em, they’re done.
I protest Time’s decision. Am I now “Person of the Year”?
Why, yes, I do believe… yes, you are. Come on down and get your framed POTY cover here at the Hall of Spineless Retards.
Best description of Protesters yet! 😀
Steve Jobs? Nah. This is what gets named Time Magazine’s “Person of the Year,” otherwise known as Fetal Alcohol Syndrome:
Funny, yet true.
Excessive eye width is a symptom of Fetal Alcohol Syndrome which is proven to cause distinctive facial stigmata such as is demonstrated by the poor retarded fellow in the video you provided.
Related: Pure fscking idiocy is a symptom of working for TIME Magazine (which may explain why they chose their brethren this year).
Obviously, NOT representative of the movement.
If anyone needs a reminder, the whole “Occupy” movement represents the people who lost everything because of the decisions made by the “1%”, who lost nothing and in fact distributed fat multimillion dollar bonuses at the end of the year (2008, 2009, 2010 and most certainly 2011). Anyone with a sane mind understands that vast majority of those protesters would much rather be working a their jobs than squatting at a public park. Unfortunately, greedy money managers so effortlessly caused all those jobs to disappear (without consequence).
Let us not forget, the “PotY” refers to Arab Spring protests, as well as protesters in Greece, Russia and elsewhere in the world.
“The whole ‘Occupy’ movement represents the people who lost everything because of the decisions made by the “1%”, who lost nothing…”
Oh, so finally it is revealed: the aimless fools were protesting Barney Frank and Chris Dodd.
Cool talking points, bra.
Really, who cares. Time’s person of the year exists only to sell magazines. it carries not cultural or historical significance beyond the pages Time magazine. Apple and all its products is a far better tribute and legacy than the cover of trendy and exploitive news magazine.
Anything to avoid making a positive point about a growing prosperous capitalist business that employees LOTS of people directly and even more indirectly.
A cop out in my little opinion.
Giving credit to lazy bums protesting for a handout is just STUPID!
Life is much simpler when you’re mentally challenged, I suppose?…
Given your avatar, ironic you are oblivious to the bigger picture. Protestors in the Middle East, some of whom gave their lives for social justice and equality, deserve significant recognition and acknowledgement for their courage and determination to upend long entrenched tyranny in their countries.
I should have worded “the inclusion of those lazy ass basters…” there better? lol
Who cares !!! Time magazine is finished and dead !!!!!!
I have my own business. I made less than $50K this year. I have a great home and vehicles. Besides the mortgage I have no debt. I work hard to be where I am and thank God every day. And I hate that there are parks all over this great country that are full of unproductive, ungrateful hippies trying to relive the 60s protests but without any real direction or purpose. I am the 99%.
That Time would choose non-producing lowlifes over anyone — especially perhaps one of the greatest minds of the 20th century — proves which demographic they cater to.
Make up your mind- are you worshiping yourself or thanking God? Yes, some people are not as fortunate as you. And some people are lazy- too lazy even to protest. Simplicity is not always the answer. Sometimes the answer lies in recognizing the complexities and being able to distinguish from among them in order to formulate the best of possibly more than one solution. All black and white is like limiting your field of vision. Protesting is better than apathy, ignorance, and blind compliance. It’s not the whole solution and it’s not the answer. It’s not a “hippie” movement. What are you, a parrot? Where do you get your opinions- from Fox news, dim bulb right-wing friends, or maybe mom and dad?… The reason everything’s a mess is because it’s a mess. You can blame one person (Obama) or one movement (OWS), but rebellion is “springing” up all over the world, even in Russia. “Get out of the new one if you can’t lend a hand, because the times they are a-changing.” I personally “know” nothing, except that it’s not gonna be easy and it’s going to take a long time to fix this world, if it lasts long enough.
Ok, let me see if I understand you: The thousands (millions?) of protesters who rose up against their oppressive governments in Tunisia, Libya, Egypt, Syria, Russia and elsewhere are, quote, “non-producing lowlifes.”
Wow, in addition to all you other remarkable accomplishments, when was the last time you put your life and all that you have on the line to throw off the shackles of a government bent on your enslavement?
You, sir, are not the 99% – if this was 1776, you’d be a Tory and arguing the benefits of King George’s colonialism.
They are the muslim brotherhood and other terrorists. You watch what happens next over there genius. Islam the religion peace, eh.
I guess the ignorance and intolerance of people on this forum is really bottomless. The protesters in Moscow are part of the Muslim brotherhood? Does watching Fox really make you THAT stupid? As for the Arab Spring, those uprisings have not been religious protests – or in Libya’s case, a war. What distinguishes these people is their fight to rid themselves of brutal dictators and choose their own leaders. Whether they will be theocrats or secular is unclear at this point. That you would trivialize their sacrifices tells me everything I need to know about your lack of commitment to true American values.
To say “PROTESTERS” in a generic way is to include all of them in one lump sum, as though they are all somehow on parity. The OWS movement is ridiculous and has nothing in common with the Arab spring or the Russian protestors. The Arab Spring uprising against the secular governments of the Arab world only seems like a win for democracy at a glance. In reality, the establishment of oppressive systems based on hard-line Islamic principles will result, while American hippie occupiers have no idea – as a group – what they want. It almost seems as though it’s goal is socialism and anarchy. But to suggest that the global protests are easily grouped for the sake of glorifying them is laughable.
And if this was the 1776, I would be an original tea party member. I would not be occupying a park or hugging a tree. I would be a hard-working homesteader until it was necessary to take up arms to overthrow a government run wild.
If you want to compare the OWS to patriots you are crazy. They cry about getting tazed or pepper sprayed. The revolutionaries took musket shot, and fired back. I can’t see these bums with the people’s mike ever even coming close to the same league!
Well said DMac! I think it’s a waste of time to spell it all out though for the drones. They will not listen no matter how much sense you make. They are brain dead, brain washed, drones. They won’t change their minds. It’s so obvious what’s going on you either get it or you’re clueless. You may get through to a few “independents” though. Putin is a punk, scum bag, and horrific person. The people protesting him should be protesting him. The middle east will be a disaster after the protests as usual. Hopefully when the meteor hits the earth it will land dead center in the middle east, Pakistan, Russia, and on every other evil dictator’s head and communist regime’s headquarters.
I drove by those bums not too long ago… im shocked they are still there. I heard police have been given the authority now to remove them from the area. Technically what they are doing is illegal and making no difference at all. Sure.. they have a cause but I think that cause has been lost now and its turning into just people thinking they are a bunch of hippie stoners with nothing better to do than collect unemployment and pitch a tent on the street. Some do actually have jobs from what I’ve heard.. but really now… If you want to make an impact how about gathering hundreds of people to go along with your idea and get full out towns to support you.. you start by changing where you are and let it grow into something bigger… start off with towns.. then go state by state…… don’t be lame and just camp outside… thats plain retarded and not being effective at all
About whom are you talking? About the protesters in Egypt, Libya, Tunesia? Where did you see them when driving by? In Syria, Russia, Yemen?
In some parts of the world, including the US, “Raising your Voice” means more than backing up your football team in front of your tv set with a can of beer in your hand.
It was never going to be Steve, after they had written so much about him only recently. What else could they publish? No big deal.
To me I think Time took the easy way out. Naming some faceless mob as “Man of the Year” is a cop-out. It means they couldn’t dig and come up with an actual man.
They named “You” as PotY in 2006. There’s already precedent.
Some people here are clearly clueless on the subject.
The Time Magazine’s “Person of the Year” is The Protester. As in Arab Spring (you know, people dying in Tunisia, Egypt, Lybia, protesting against their dictator), as well as protesters in Greece, Russia (against Putin), AND global “Occupy” protests. Since the beginning of this year, mass protests, where people risked their lives in order to vocally express their displeasure with those in power, continued to dominate world media.
Let us not forget; the ‘Occupy’ protesters united around the idea of protesting against the “1%” who drove economy over the cliff and at the end of the year distributed multi-million dollar bonuses amongst themselves, while the remaining 99% struggled through the worst crisis since the Great Depression.
Even if you, for whatever personal reason, dislike the ‘99% Occupy xxx’ protesters, the Time’s PotY represents all those other protest movements of the world as well.
“The ‘Occupy’ protesters united around the idea of protesting against the ’1%’ who drove economy over the cliff…”
Oh, so finally it is revealed: the aimless fools were protesting Barney Frank and Chris Dodd.
Well, not quite. The most coherent formulations of the motives for the “Occupy”-ers always includes the “1%” quote; NEVER any single political figure, public figure, financial manager or other person. The ‘1%’ theoretically represents thousands of extremely wealthy people in the US, who were well protected during the economic meltdown. The protesters aren’t concerned all that much about “blamestorming” (figuring out whose fault was the meltdown); they are angry at the “1%” who successfully insulated themselves from any fallout, all at the expense of the 99%. Having had a hand in causing the meltdown doesn’t help them either.
Though you make an eloquent case, your own comments highlight the absurdity of lumping the “Occupy” folks in with other protest movements around the world, where people are actually being *killed* for demanding their rights.
Rather a glaring “one of these things is not like the other” comparison, and I think Time’s attempts to justify their decision are severely crippled by the inclusion of the Occupy protesters, most of whom I think would quickly give up their “cause” if they were actually threatened with death, torture, etc.
Though you make an eloquent case, your own comments highlight the absurdity of lumping the “Occupy” folks in with other protest movements around the world, where people are actually being *killed* for demanding their rights.
Rather a glaring “one of these things is not like the other” comparison, and Time’s attempts to justify their decision are severely crippled by the inclusion of the Occupy protesters – most of whom, I think, would quickly give up their “cause” if they were actually threatened with death, torture, etc.
Well, “The Protester” seems to refer to those in Syria (dying by the thousands), those in Lybia (who died in the hundreds), those in Egypt and Tunisia (who died in the dozens), as well as those in Greece or Russia (few to no deaths reported), in addition to the ‘Occupy’ protests. In other words, a very wide spectrum of social unrest movements, from those where lives are at stake, to those where they aren’t.
I don’t doubt that vast majority of ‘Occupy’ movement would have given up the public protest as a means if their lives were more seriously threatened. It’s another matter whether they would completely give up their cause.
In the end, this isn’t really relevant all that much. It just shows that this year was marked by a very high number of public protest movements around the world.
I was asked not too long ago how I’m handling the so-called “economic crisis” that has “gripped” the country. I replied that I’m handling it the same way I’ve handled my life for the past six years (since my divorce): living my life easy, simple, and free. Used vehicles, renting my home, using cash for purchases, and working a decent-paying, based-on-experience (rather than a degreed) job that covers all of my expenses while allowing me to save a bit and even have some fun occasionally (this goes for both my girlfriend and I). The way I see it, the media is feeding the sky-is-falling frenzy to those who wish to live their marketed-to “American Dream” of mortgages, car loan, and credit card payments to own stuff they really can’t afford. I’ve also learned over the past six (or more) years that most Americans really are idiots. You see it in the way they drive, act towards their fellow human beings, and how they have to project some rich or successful image of themselves to these very same people that they hate, all the while drowning in debt trying to keep up with their fellow losers. I dropped out of this crap when I woke up and finally dumped my idiot wife years ago, and haven’t looked back since. I’m weathering the “recession” just fine, as I understand the concept of personal responsibility. Two quotes I live by: ”
Achievement of your happiness is the only moral purpose of your life, and that happiness, not pain or mindless self-indulgence, is the proof of your moral integrity, since it is the proof and the result of your loyalty to the achievement of your values.” and ”
I swear, by my life and my love of it, that I will never live for the sake of another man, nor ask another man to live for mine.” Everything else is meaningless crap.
Just one nameless, faceless nobody’s opinion…
I think some folks at Time falsely assume that their selection is what decides the importance of the person or persons selected. Whereas the opposite is actually true – their job is to accurately reflect reality by recognizing that person’s existing importance.
With ridiculous decisions like this, they further cement their growing irrelevance and lack of awareness of reality.
Q: What’s the difference between a dog and an Occupy protester?
A: You can paper train a dog.
I cancelled my subscription about 8 years ago. The magazine just got thinner and thinner and essentially redundant as I new most of the news stories because of the web.
I have no problem about their decision re: protesters in Egypt and other Arab countries. This truly is an amazing event. I do have problems with the occupy people. Are they really included in their choice does anyone know?
My vote would have been for Steve. Time had a chance to make headlines with a posthumous award…they blew it. They probably all cast ballots secretly on their Galaxy tabs….
Not to rain on this entirely inappropriate pity party, but Time got it right. It was protesters who brought down the government of Tunisia and ignited the Arab Spring. How many Middle Eastern governments have fallen or are about to fall, all because their people took to the streets? And let’s not stop there. Protesters in Greece and Italy hastened the collapse of their governments. Your contempt of Occupy Wall Street-type protests doesn’t mean they haven’t raised awareness of the growing inequalities in the US and other western democracies.
I was a huge fan of Steve Jobs too, but his passing this year does not elevate him above the continuing struggles of the living. Time is right to recognize a movement that is continuing to reshape the world, and it serves as a reminder to everyone that the true power of the world lies with the people. Ironically, I suspect Steve would agree.
With this great insight and clarity, I wonder why TIME magazine still exists. Even if Steve Jobs never existed, TIME magazine chose to picked the Communist’s and union’s “useful idiots” of the world. You would think that choosing Steve Jobs would have given them a politically correct out and a way to avoid aligning with these people.
So, how many magazine do you think these unemployed give it to me free protesters will buy? Huh, no cash? No purchase. No subscriptions?
Apparently, you don’t seem to have a clue what POTY means.
Even Wikipedia has a decent definition (along with the list of previous selections):
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Time_Person_of_the_Year
Its ironic that one of the most potent weapons a protester can have is an iPhone. So potent in fact, they are outlawed in some countries.
http://digg.com/news/technology/apple_s_iphone_outlawed_in_syria
I think Steve Jobs would approve ‘The Protester’ as person of the year. He was one himself, and very effective. 😀
Lunging off topic, but on article:
‘Placing second behind those at Tahrir Square and Occupy emcampments is congressional Republican Paul Ryan, who burst into national prominence with his austere budget plan.’
I shy away from grand categories, but I am consistently compelled to state that I consider Paul Ryan to be the single most psychopathic person I have every seen in politics. It takes a deeply disturbed mind to lie and perpetrate intense evil against the citizens of the USA while smiling and remaining charismatic in character. Keep an eye on this guy. I’m not talking FUD here. This guy does damaging things and likes it.
I won’t be replying. So have at me. 🙂 😈 🙂
Yawn. You’re too fscking far gone to bother straightening out.
I don’t know about “pyschopathic,” but I do know that the fact that Paul Ryan was SECOND, and beat out Steve Jobs is totally out-of-whack. Really, a guy whose contribution to the national dialogue was his plan to give old people vouchers for private insurance instead of Medicare? Really? Good God.
Sorry, but Steve Jobs did not do anything this year to warrant PoTY. I’m not slamming him, but there just wasn’t anything that newsworthy or revolutionary to name him PoTY. Apple releasing the iPad 2, iPhone 4, and new MacBook Airs doesn’t rise to merit PoTY, even considering Steve Jobs died.
Naming protesters around the world at PoTY is probably spot on – regardless of the reasons, dangers faced or not, or results gained. The fact is that protests around the world ate up media attention and had a profound effect on many countries this year (particularly in the Middle East).
This exactly. Spot on Bizlaw. You want him to get an award for dying?
Congrats Steve on a superb death… Everyone else would have had surgery right away asap but you chose to stick it out with bizarre diets and acupuncture before finally getting surgery. He is a genius, but not in every department people. For that I bestow upon thee Person of the Year!
Time:mainstream news::Consumer Reports:product reviews
Occupy yourself: get a job.
I hate to be totally opinionated, but I will never subscribe to Time. Any magazine that can’t see that Steve Jobs is not only the person of the year, but is also the person of the Century is not worth reading.
Time blew it. If they can’t see the obvious, there is no point in reading their material any further!
I truly appreicate what Steve Jobs has done in the field of computers, mobile electronics and entertainment, but “Person of the CENTURY”? You can’t be serious.
Dear editorial staff of Time Magazine:
Call 1-800-GIV-ASHT.
Exactly! Time is just another old media rag that would qualify as “Irrelevant Paper Product of the Year” if someone wasn’t publishing the just slightly more laughable POS called Newsweek.