A month after the Presidential Election, TIME magazine named President-Elect Donald Trump its Person of the Year. A title previously held by Adolf Hitler, Queen Elizabeth II, Barack Obama, and even groups of people such as "The American Fighter," or " The Peacemakers," TIME seeks not to celebrate or elevate the winners, but rather chooses the person they feel has made the greatest impact on the world.
So, why are people upset?
Maybe they are unclear on the parameters of the title.
Maybe they don't understand TIME's goal to be realistic rather than to only appease the left as most major news companies do.
Maybe they are so accustomed to unfair coverage of Trump, that they feel he is too great of an evil to appear on any magazine cover.
Don't worry, though, I'm not going to congratulate Trump either. Knowing the history of Person of the Year, I understand it is not a celebration nor a seal of approval. While TIME has proved itself over the years to be a valuable source of American and world-wide news, it does determine who does and does not receive my support. Whether you are a Republican, Democrat, or Independent, I hope it does not control your opinion any more than it controls mine.
Trump receiving Person of the Year is extremely warranted and fair. He ignited hope in a forgotten people, dismantled then united the Republican party, sparked patriotism in some and fear in others. He overcame a huge media bias that is still grasping at straws to mar his reputation. He encouraged a focus on actions over words, an inherently American concept that seems to have been forgotten. He challenged and defeated a person who has spent almost her entire career in Washington D.C. and did it without any interest groups.
Whether you contributed to his election victory or not, you witnessed one for the record books. TIME chose to not ignore the fact that history was made and to create some sort of memory of November 2016. As right-winged as I am, I believe fair coverage by the news is more important than pleasing everyone as ignorance is bliss.
Dissaproving of TIME's choice is a result of allowing mainstream media to control you, and equivalent to creating a safe space that allows you to check-out from reality. Inability to see change for what it is before forming your opinion is dangerous. TIME proved that opinions should not always be handed to us, as that is an insult to our intelligence.
Therefore, congratulations to Donald Trump. On defeating a biased media. On defeating a Washington insider. On defeating the idea that personality should win over policy. And on winning the 2016 Presidential Election.
