Way To Go! You're The 'Person Of The Year'

Time Magazine Gives Its Annual Honor To The Citizens Of Digital Democracy

(AP)  Congratulations! You are the Time magazine "Person of the Year."

The annual honor for 2006 went to each and every one of us, as Time cited the shift from institutions to individuals — citizens of the new digital democracy, as the magazine put it. The winners this year were anyone using or creating content on the World Wide Web.

"If you choose an individual, you have to justify how that person affected millions of people," said Richard Stengel, who took over as Time's managing editor earlier this year. "But if you choose millions of people, you don't have to justify it to anyone."

The magazine did cite 26 "People Who Mattered," from North Korean dictator Kim Jong Il to Pope Benedict XVI to the troika of President George W. Bush, Vice President Dick Cheney and former Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld.

And Stengel said if the magazine had decided to go with an individual, Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad was the likely choice. "It just felt to me a little off selecting him," Stengel said.

The 2006 "Person of the Year" package hits newsstands Monday. The cover shows a white keyboard with a mirror for a computer screen where buyers can see their reflection.

It was not the first time the magazine went away from naming an actual person for its "Person of the Year." In 1966, the 25-and-under generation was cited; in 1975, American women were named; and in 1982, the computer was chosen.

"I always love it when it's a person — and it is a person, not a computer or something like that," Stengel said. "We just felt there wasn't a single person who embodied this phenomenon."

Last year's winners were Bill and Melinda Gates and rock star Bono, who were cited for their charitable work and activism aimed at reducing global poverty and improving world health.

[randalds]

Well, I don't know about the rest of you, but I know I was certainly deserving of the person of the year!!!!!! HA!

Thank you and thanks too all of the "little people". And to my ex-wives....all of them....I say "told ya so!!!" Nah Nah Nah!

[ronniehm]

Gee, we narrowly beat the president of Iran. If only he had blogged a little more.

[samthetvcat]

lol Randal!

I guess they haven't released this issue yet, so I haven't read it yet, but gosh what a strange pick . . . I mean it's not like the internet's undergone any sort of transformation this year in particular, and it's not like it's altered our lives in any significant way that would distinguish 2006 from 2004 or 2001.

I really hope they include in the article how many people in the world have access to the internet. Like it sounds like the article celebrates the benefits of having access, but it would seem much more socially significant to perhaps use the subject to also discuss
some of the troubles that plague the average person who lives in a society where computers are common as well as troubles that plague the the average person who lives in a society where computers are not common. I guess they could limit the discussion to troubles with regards to how computers affect our lives rather than going into stuff like aids and hunger, but maybe access to computers and internet would help combat those issues, so maybe it's all relevant . . . I don't know, Time's pick sounds kind of cheesy but they usually do a good job of reporting socially relevant material so I'm sure it'll be interesting . . .

[samthetvcat]

And lol Ronnie - y'all are so funny tonite :D

[randalds]

That's true Sam. Nothings really changed lately. I've been online for 10 years and I can think of 3 or 4 of them more significant.

[randalds]

***. Current wife says my kb is too noisy! Got to hit the hay. Later!

The annual honor for 2006 went to each and every one of us, except Bush and Chain-y gang

[mrn10ct1]

They should have used the picture of Al Gore. After all, wasn't he the one who CREATED the internet??

[oleander8]

mrn10ct1: "They should have used the picture of Al Gore. After all, wasn't he the one who CREATED the internet?? "

...that's getting real tired. Try being more creative.

[sharncedar]

What stupid pandering. Why don't they just name everyone who reads their stupid, pointless magazine as person of the year.

[kaliveotin]

Dude, I'm so cool. I'm person of the year. Yet, strangely enough, my year sucked. I can only imagin how the year went for so many others who weren't the person of the year.

[onebruz]

"If chosen I do not chose to run."
Digital experiences were foisted on a populace, most of whom had no interest in it's creation, by those that believed the world should talk.

we're at war on several fronts in this age of information. Is nobody talking, or is nobody listening?

[ruocalz]

I could have bought the concept of "You" if it were in the context of the American voter who, as a 'collective' (so to speak), voted in a revolution of sorts. The impact of the 2006 election has the possibility of instituting great change.

I agree with other posters who wonder why now with the digital age--it's not anything new. The vote was indicative of a tidal wave of the desire for change.

One thing Time did succeed at once again was getting people talking about their choice. It is always an interesting topic of debate.

[creeper00]

They blew it. Their "Person of the Year" award should go to every citizen of this country who cast a vote last month.

[feelfree1]

Re: "why now?"

Because THIS is the year in which the Corporate powered "Project for a New American Century" plan of global domination, was finally exposed as a complete fraud, a crippling failure, and an unmittigated disaster, for the entire world to see.

Who can take credit for exposing the depth of the deception? Time? CBS? FOX?

Look in the mirror, my friends, and congratulations!

[feelfree1]

If I had to pick 1 person in particular to thank, I think that it would have to be 'SHURCH4TRUTH', who may have, somehow, disabled the 'BUSHROCKS1' spam-bot.

If so, this was a tremendous public service!

Very, very well done!

[bobgee_1999]

Actually, mrn10ct1, you're wrong twice. That wasn't this year and you still got the quote wrong (I know, because I have it on my computer to listen to every time time idiot misquotes it). He said he "took the initiative in creating the internet," which, of course, was a bit of a statement no matter how you slice it. Probably he should have said "I took the initiative in introducing the High Performance Computing Act, thus making it easier for know-nothings like mrn10ct1 to access the internet and endlessly misquote me." Yeah, that probably would have worked. Anyway, how far back does the right to quote stupid statements go? Because I have several dozen by Dan Quayle I haven't had occasion to use in a while. But ok, the fact that our current "president" has us involved in an unwinnable global crusade against a faceless, nameless enemy might be more important.

[nynative1340]

Well, FeelFree1, SHURCH4TRUTH would probably thank you for the thought. But clicking 'report this comment' on about 20 of bushrocks1's posts got the individual posts removed; however, clicking on 'Contact Us' at the bottom of this page, stating the problem, and insisting they cancel his login did the trick. After complaining about so many of his annoying posts, I didn't think they would cancel him, but thankfully they did. I suspect a lot of people complained.

[nynative1340]

...but I decline the honor. The friggin computer and internet have made my job harder, not easier.

[melbournedav]

NYNative,,,,You are my hero. You summed it up quite well. Idiot conservative have lost their ability to think on their own They go through life quoting fat dimwits like Hush Bimbo or Sean Hasbenity. They just love to misquote because they want to be just like Hush.

Time's choise for person of the year just pinpoints a problem the whole world has. There are no more true leaders who strive to make this world a better place to live. It seems there are only quasi leaders who have been shifty enough to get idiots to vote for them. These people like Bushlite, Cheney, Rumsfied, Castro, Hussain, Iraq's president and North Korea's dictator care only about taking care of themselves. Take a good hard look at the world and you'll see what I mean.

[feelfree1]

nynative1340,

Good work!

But I still think that there was more than meets the eye going on with 'SHURCH4TRUTH'.

[janish64]

This is no big surprise - Time (and Newsweek, as well as WaPo, NYT, etc..) have been outpaced by the internet for quite some time. They are letting junior grade gaggles of reporters presen copy/paste opinion columns as "news", the reporting standards have been dismal since the internet surge, they underestimate their readers, and don't even know HOW to reach them anymore. This is such a laughable "yay everyone" year end piece, I almost pity them.


Seriously - this quote is a real PEARL, coming from the NGIC:

"If you choose an individual, you have to justify how that person affected millions of people," said Richard Stengel, who took over as Time's managing editor earlier this year. "But if you choose millions of people, you don't have to justify it to anyone."

[nynative1340]

You're right, FeelFree1. I haven't seen SHURCH4TRUTH around for awhile either. Maybe he/she and bushrocks1 cancelled each other out.

[nynative1340]

Thanks, Melbournedav. With that I think I'll get a couple hours sleep before I have to face another tough day at work. You'd think that a guy with 28 years in the military and another 20+ in civilian industry could retire. But no, Reagan made sure of that.

Search on 'usfspa' or visit
www.vetsforjustice.com
to learn how the Reagan administration scr*ewed the U.S. military, and none of the cowards in congress since then have had the courage to "fix it."

[nynative1340]

...guess I spoke too soon. Bushrocks1 is alive and still sick as ever. He posted about six times already this AM on the Powell topic...