Y’all lets be real, 2016 has been an interesting year. Every time we think that the next month will be better, we find that there is just something even more insane waiting for us. From icons dying to killer clowns and the crazy presidential candidates tearing the country apart, we have seriously had a rough year. And it is only October, what more could we endure in these last few months? So I decided to compile a list of things that I know I will never forget, some things I’m sure we all wouldn’t be able to forget from this year; some are funny, some are serious, and some things are just flat out interesting.
I’m just going to come right out and say it… SAVE. THE. BEES. It cannot be expressed enough how important bees are to this world and our existence. Now, some of you may have heard that bees have for the first time been put upon the endangered species list. This is quite true, but only about 7 type of bees have been put upon it and they are mostly native to Hawaii. And there is another type of bee found in the Midwestern and Northeastern part of America that is being considered for endangered protection. Although this may give you a bit of a sigh of relief BUT think again, it is still unsettling to know that such wonderful creatures are endangered. So why are these beautiful insects so important? Well, all those beautiful flowers we like to smell, trees we love for their shade, and fruits and vegetables we like to eat are all pollinated and thriving because of the bees. They are what keep us alive with the oxygen we care so much about and food that we enjoy, so simply put: No Bees, No Humans. See how important they are? Good.
Now, you’re probably wondering what GBR stands for, it stands for the Great Barrier Reef. I’m sure you have heard that is has been pronounced dead. *Insert eye rolling* It is not dead but it is slowly but surely dying- has been for some time. Trust me, I was afraid that it had finally died off too but I had to fact check this and was glad to find out that it was not actually gone for good. This wonderful and gorgeous reef has been dying for quite some time and there are portions of the reef that is deceased; 22% of it is dead thanks to a coral bleaching incident and that is all because the reef is stressed out. It stresses out because of climate change, pollution in the water, and other factors. And the reef is important because it houses a very large ecosystem that cares for a large number of marine life. Without all that life, the ocean would fall apart and more than likely have a huge impact on land life as well.
Again, save the bees and do what you can to protect the GBR. We depend on it.
3. The Death of Some Icons
Going to keep this short and sweet; it has been a great loss to no longer have Prince, David Bowie, Alan Rickman, Gene Wilder, Muhammad Ali, Kenny Baker, Lemmy, and many, many more in this world anymore. We took a great hit in our cultural world by them passing away and they will never be forgotten. They have all impacted our lives in great and astounding ways, and they will continue to do so. If you have never heard of any of these great people, I encourage you to look them up, be impacted by them, and never forget the imprints they have left upon this world.
4. Shootings and Attacks
There are too many to count honestly but none the less they should not be forgotten about. From police shootings; to the Pulse Nightclub shooting; to the attack in Nice, France they should not be forgotten. Yes, every year there are more than likely going to be some type of shooting to out source the one’s that happened in the previous year, but they need to always stay in our minds. History will continuously repeat itself until we learn from it and learn how to change our ways and our behaviors to better things. No, that does not mean to go all in about banning stuff and going crazy in other ways, instead it should be done by thinking logically rather than rationally. Take it as you will, we are all entitled to our opinions of how we need to better our country and world. But no matter what, never forget what happened in Europe, what happened on American soil, and never forget that in the end, we are all one and should not be divided.
5. Brock Turner
It will be hard to keep this short and sweet. The disdain that runs through my blood is probably as strong as it is in others when they hear this name. The ruling of this case will never be forgiven nor should it be forgotten. Now I know it all happened last year, but the final case ruling happened this year and boy howdy was it a doozy. As a woman in college, it is awful to hear that he got off because extended jail time would ruin his college experience. He was sentenced to be in jail for only about 6 months and have about 3 years’ probation as well as having to register as a sex offender. But guess what, he was in there for only 3 months…3 whole months. I don’t know about you, but I have had mascara longer than he was in jail. It is disgusting that this was allowed to happen and that no one has really considered that poor woman who was assaulted had her college experience ruined. I won’t forget this happening because this just shows that others can get off for the same thing and continue to terrorize and strike fear in the hearts of those who have been sexually assaulted as well showing that those who come forward about being raped will not be taken seriously like they should be. I stand against it and so should you. This will forever stain my mind.
6. Dabbing
How even did this trend start? It seems like one day we all woke up and this weird move was taking the world and memes by storm. It isn’t what you think it is either; like taking something to dab away something on your face or on a surface. It is some move where you crook your arm, move it up at the same time as striking your face down into the crook of your arm. That’s my observation of it and if I’m wrong, I apologize. I may be young but I’m not hip to the trends. This move will forever make me laugh and I shall not forget how it plagued the world with its silliness.
7. The Presidential Candidates
Do I really need to explain how this will be something we will all never forget?
8. A Flood
Now this is something more personal that I will never forget about. If you happen to be a West Virginian, you will more than likely will not let this escape your mind either. Over the summer, West Virginia was hit terribly with a torrential downpour thus causing for there to be mass flooding. When I say mass flooding, I mean that entire towns, strip malls, businesses, and homes were completely swept off their foundations. Repairs were non-existent or hard to come by and there was great need for assistance. Now West Virginia is usually never on national news unless we are being made fun of or we are in great need of some help. Thankfully when we were on the news over the summer it was because of the latter. Those who were affected by the flood received many donations from all over; food, clothes, water, money, and places to sleep. It was, and still is, truly heartwarming to know for once that people cared for West Virginia rather than make fun of them.
9. Clowns
Have we all entered into a Stephen King movie? Because I sure do wish that it would end by now and move on to being cast into another film. These clowns, or killer clowns, seemed just to pop up out of nowhere and started to terrorize the area they were in. It seemed as though they came from the South- so thanks for that guys- then migrated up North and has spread in other places. What has even spurred these people to dress up like this and terrorize people? It is straight not okay and down-right creepy. Pennyworth was enough creepy clown action for this world, we don’t need more.
10. Bob Dylan
At age 75 the great song writer and guitarist, Bob Dylan, won the 2016 Nobel Prize in Literature. He is the first musician to ever get this award and it is absolutely amazing that he won this. Not very many people are happy about Mr. Dylan getting this award but that is ridiculous. Musicians are just as talented in writing as any author and if they are able to write a song that sounds like poetry that can change the world, then by all means they should be able to have the chance at the award. I tip my hat towards the great Bob Dylan and it shall always be remembered that a musician reminded the world that they too can write eloquent prose.
Bonus: BTS
Those three letters do not make much sense to many but they make a lot of sense for those that know what music group they belong to. BTS is also known as Bangtan Boys, a South Korean boy band that produces great hip-hop, pop, and rap music along with dance moves that will blow your mind. Yeah, you’ve probably lost interest now and/or are wondering why they are something that I will not forget from 2016. When their album, Wings, dropped on the 10th of October they reached great international heights, becoming a #1 hit album on iTunes and even outranked Drake. Now if that isn’t impressive, I don’t know what is. Their music is inspiring, full of wonderful lyrics, beats, and make the soul uplift. Highly, highly recommend them.
So, there are a couple handful of things that I will never forget about 2016 and I sure do hope that the last few months will be smooth sailing. We'll just have to see.
