TIME magazine reveals its Person of the Year 2011

[dipsydoodle]

TIME magazine revealed the 2011 choice for its iconic Person of the Year cover live on TODAY Wednesday. The Protester is this year’s choice, managing editor Rick Stengel told Matt Lauer and Ann Curry.

“There was a lot of consensus among our people,” Stengel told the TODAY anchors as he revealed the magazine’s cover. “It felt right.”

As it has for the past 84 years, the weekly newsmagazine selected the person (or sometimes group, or thing) that its editors deemed had the single greatest impact during the past year, for better or for worse.

http://today.msnbc.msn.com/id/45657166/ns/today-today_celebrates_2011/t/time-magazine-reveals-its-person-year/#.TuigCFbcOVo

[mahatmakanejeeves]

1. Gotta agree.

My choice too.

[FlaGatorJD]

4. Hey look at that . . .

. . . all those kids and dirty hippies won something

With the Winter months to reorganize, along with the momentum,
I'm visualizing a Spring and Summer of 2012 the world will never forget!

I'm extremely proud of this generation and their willingness to go the distance.

[XemaSab]

35. If they had picked someone else there would have been riots in the streets

Oh, wait.

[Cid_B]

83. Still dumb...

They should pick an actual person...

[robbob]

85. Remember a few years ago

When the person of the year was "YOU!!!! The Reader", YOU, with your facebook and your myspace and your inter-connected identity?

And the cover was a somewhat reflective surface that was supposed to act as a mirror? Now THAT was dumb...

[Cid_B]

87. This is slightly less dumb than that...

... But not much.

[avebury]

2. Agreed nt

[Born Free]

75. I congratulate the occupy movement, they earned the honor.

The Occupy movement reminds me of the Sons Of Liberty, the original, true, Sons of Liberty the ones that were made up of mostly middle and lower class. The Sons Of Liberty were not well liked at the time. Although I am not good with twitter, I keep checking to see how they are doing and hope they continue to grow stronger. I am sure there are some Tea Party people that share a lot of ideas with the Occupy movement but the Tea Party was hijacked and now they just follow their assigned leaders, which are tied the corporate money. I get excited when I see a minister that marched with Martin Luther King now supporting Occupy, not leading, just participating as Occupy can not have assigned leaders knowing the 1% will destroy them once they have a set of leaders. The 1% can only try to discredit the group by saying they are lazy or need a bath. It's much like punching into the misty air, as there is nothing solid to connect to, every time the 1% strikes the mist just moves and more appears. I am part of the 99% and although I may not have what it takes to stand with Occupy, I fully support and admire them. Once again, I congratulate the Occupy movement, they earned the honor.

[MarianJack]

3. I love the fact that the cover didn't list...

...the tea baggers.

PEACE!

[Beavker]

29. +1

[24601]

56. So you wouldn't want them on the same list with Hitler & Stalin? Why not?

[MarianJack]

64. If you had actually read my post,...

...you might have noticed that I said THE COVER didn't mention the teabaggers.

I have nothing but contempt for teabaggers and haven't ever treated one of them with any respect.

[Bandit]

5. Notice how they combined the Occupy movement with the Muslims

After the big deal about Lowes backing out of sponsorship for a show about Muslims, this sort of puts an exclamation mark on the Protest movement..Instill more Hatred, It's an American Value...

[randome]

6. Yep.

Put another conspiracy log upon the fire. Toast those ideals until they're nice and crispy.

[Bjorn Against]

23. The Arab Spring did inspire many in the Occupy movement

Last edited Wed Dec 14, 2011, 08:27 PM - Edit history (1)

While I can see where some might hope to use this to diminish us, the fact is that the people involved in the Egyptian uprising were on the side of democracy and we should feel no shame in being lumped in with them.

edit: I changed my mind on this, looking at the way the eyes are shaded in a sinister fashion on the picture makes me believe Time is using subtle propaganda to create fear of the "scary Muslim terrorist" and associate them with the Occupy movement right before the NDAA vote. We can support the Arab Spring without supporting Time's portrayal of it.

[SaintPete]

27. Exactly

ty

[Fantastic Anarchist]

48. ^^^^^ Yep!

+1000000

[Bjorn Against]

52. Please read post 51 , I have changed my mind on this

This cover is only good when viewed from our perspective, but it also evokes the fear card and is subtle propaganda that will be viewed very differently by the uneducated than it is by us.

[Fantastic Anarchist]

54. Why can't we stand up for our perspective?

I think you need to change your mind again ... and not let the enemy dictate what you stand for. Be proud that you want to be associated with a worldwide movement for democracy, and that it started with the Arab Spring. Don't shy away from what you think they'll say about you.

Own it! Your first comment is right on. Commitment and principle is what we have; they have smear and invective. Fuck them. Let us own who we are!

[Bjorn Against]

58. I do stand with the Arab Spring protesters, but not with Time Magazine

Look at how they shaded the woman's eyes on the cover they are clearly meant to look threatening. The media has a long history of using racist images to promote fear and it appears to me that is what they are doing here, she has a sinister look in her eyes and I do not believe Time did not do this intentionally. l can stand with the Arab uprising without accepting the corporate media portrayal of it.

[tavalon]

79. I think what Bjorn Against is railing against is the once again subtle diss in the middle of

a supposed honor. The person looks angry and sinister on the cover.

[On the Road]

59. The Arab Spring Protester

is much less threatening than the Guy Fawkes image that OWS has used on its own initiative.

[Bjorn Against]

60. I was never a big fan of using Guy Fawkes masks, but it is not the same thing

I liked the movie, but never thought it was a good symbol for Occupy. I don't necessarily view it as threatening though, violent movies have long been a part of American culture so I don't think people mean for the mask to be threatening they are just embracing a movie they enjoy that happens to have political themes to it. The mask is not an official symbol of Occupy, it has just been embraced by many ordinary citizens who happen to support Occupy. These people do not have the same reach as Time magazine does however so I really don't think you can compare the two, plus the mask does not evoke bigotry as I am worried this picture does.

[On the Road]

62. The Figure on the Cover of Time is a Protester for Democracy

The majority of Americans sympathized with the Egyptian uprising, even if that's the only one they knew about.

Guy Fawkes was an actual terrorist. The V character was a violent revolutionary, not only casually cutting the throats of law officers, but blowing up the British equivalent of the 9-11 buildings.

The Guy Fawkes character is intended to be subversive and dangerous. It's difficult to see the complaint about using the Arab Spring figure.

[Bjorn Against]

65. I doubt the majority of Americans know what the Arab Spring is

Yes V for Vendetta is a violent movie, but it is a part of American culture. A large number of American movies portray people as heroes while they kill people by the dozens, that is American culture but advocating violence in movies does not equal advocating violence in real life. Yes I am aware that Guy Fawkes was a real person, but the mask is from a fictional movie and is produced by the studio who created that movie. Like I said I do not think the mask is a good symbol for the Occupy movement to use, but I don't think you can compare it to the subtle propaganda from Time because they are completely seperate issues. The question is was the Time cover meant to evoke fear of Muslims? I think the answer is yes, but I will admit it is up for debate. With the Guy Fawkes mask however there is no debate on whether or not it is bigoted, there is no bigotry in the mask period. It arguably promotes violence so I don't think it is a good idea to use it, but the people wearing the masks are not working for one of the world's biggest magazines they are common citizens and there is no comparision between them promoting a movie and Time magazine.

[On the Road]

67. In a Sense, They are Separate Issues

It is just that the complaints seem to be inconsistent.

Time pretty much had to use an Arab protester since the scale and impact of those protests was so much greater. The partially covered face might be seen as threatening, but I suspect Time meant it to depict actual protesters whose lives were threatened and to make the figure less of an individual and more of a global symbol.

Complaining about that seems utterly self-absorbed from a group many of whose members go out their way to disguise themselves as a violent terrorist. If the ideals of V are the ones being championed, the being seen as a threat is a plus. Can't have it both ways.

[Bjorn Against]

69. Can you point me to an example of Occupy promoting the ideals of V?

If you can I will codemn it, but while I have seen the mask I have not seen the ideals of V promoted in fact the Occupy movement has been very clear that they promote non-violence. In a culture saturated with violent movies promoting a character in a movie is not the same as promoting the actions that character takes. People get killed by the dozens in many Hollywood movies and the people doing the killing are often portrayed as heroes, but if someone copied their actions in real life it would be viewed very differently.

So my question is do you have an example of someone in Occupy encouraging people to copy the acts they saw in the move? If not then they are not championing the violence in the movie any more than someone at a sci-fi convention wearing a Darth Vader mask is championing the Dark Side.

[ProgressoDem]

71. What if Darth Vader masks were being adopted as the symbolism for #OWS?

It is just a movie?

The point is: A Star Wars convention is for fun. #OWS is not for fun, and since its image to much of America is still up for grabs, using symbolism from a movie like that isn't really going to help the movement out.

[Bjorn Against]

80. I never said it would help the movement

[ProgressoDem]

84. I'm saying it doesn't help the movement.

[On the Road]

88. No, I Can't Point to Example of Occupy Promoting the Ideals of V

That's kind of the point.

OWS has been almost 100% pacificist. Martin Luther King or Mohandas Ghandi would be more appropriate faces of the movement. Instead, a lot of people are using the image of a violent terrorist, whether the character or the historical figure is intended.

I understand the argument about Hollywood violence vs real violence, but I just don't buy it in this case. If you're protesting, you're protesting in front of the world. Personal symbols have to give way to public perception, or the cause is undermined. One of the reasons "V for Vendetta" didn't inspire me like it did a lot of other people is precisely because of the casual attitude towards violence.

It's very strange to me. It's like the civil rights movement championing John Brown.

[Bjorn Against]

51. As I think about this more I am actually bothered by this cover

While I celebrated this cover at first as I think more about how this is meant to look to people who are not on our side it becomes far more bothersome. We don't notice the propaganda because we are not the bigots it is aimed at, but look at the person on the cover and tell me what she is protesting. Now many of us assume the Arab Spring but there is no indication of that aside from the fact she appears Muslim, we only assume we know what she is standing for because we are educated about the nature of the protests in that part of the world. Now think of what an uneducated person who is bigoted against Muslims would think when they saw this cover, "Scary Muslim terrorists". This is very effective propaganda because it makes our side celebrate while simutaneously sending a subtle message to the many bigots in America that makes the associate us with terrorists right as the NDAA is being voted on which would allow our government to label protesters as terrorists and lock us up without charges. The more I think about this cover the more it bothers me, I have no problem being associated with the Arab Spring but I do have a problem with subtle propaganda that is designed to make the bigots see something else.

[Bucky]

33. And the Greeks. And the Russians. Now everyone thinks occupy is a bunch of frat boys in "Rush Week"

Or maybe literate people aren't that stupid.

[ProgressoDem]

41. Come on.

#OWS is constantly hearkening back to the Arab Spring. The Arab Spring was the start of the protests and has been the most successful thus far. It makes sense to have this cover.

(And if the cover was something else, people would be caterwauling about how TIME ignored liberal Muslims in an effort to diminish the idea that Muslims could be progressive.)

[Bjorn Against]

55. When I first saw that post I thought the same thing, but as I think about it more...

I realize that the reason I thought the way you did was that I was viewing the cover through my own lens. Who is the woman on the cover? What is she protesting? Is she even protesting anything at all? We don't know we only make assumptions, but we have to remember people who think differently than us are making assumptions as well. What is an uneducated bigot going to see in this cover? As sad as it is millions of Americans are going to see the "scary Muslim terrorist" and associate Occupy with that right as the NDAA is being voted on. Remember Time has never been on our side, I do not trust their motives in choosing this picture. I celebrated this cover at first, but as I think about it more I see what Time is doing and I am not so happy.

[Posteritatis]

57. This kind of facepalm generator makes me want a reconstructive surgeon on speed-dial.. (nt)

[meow2u3]

82. The Occupy movement and Arab Spring are both pro-democracy movements

The difference is the type of dictatorship they're protesting. Arab Spring protesters demonstrated (and may well still be demonstrating) against flesh-and-blood dictators whereas Occupy is protesting corproate tyrants who've all but own Western governments, as well as their puppets in the government.

The Arab Spring, the Spanish and Portuguese "indignados" (not mentioned in the article), and the Occupy movement are all pro-democracy. That's where the similarities end.

[DeathToTheOil]

7. K'd & R'd

Sorry, I didn't see this one before replying to the duplicate.

[MattSh]

8. Get ready to do it again next year!

Hey TIME!

Get ready to do it again next year, 'cause you ain't seen nothing yet!

[Bucky]

34. Naah. Whoever gets elected President gets Time's PotY.

I think you have to go back to the 60s to find an exception.

[Cal Carpenter]

9. Way to jump on the bandwagon, Time

Now go back to pushing the status quo.

I suppose this means that the protests are accomplishing something, that's good news, but Time is Time and fuck them.

[greyl]

10. That looks like Prince! nt

[dipsydoodle]

11. the artist formerly known as ?

[greyl]

12. Yes, formerly then, and now currently. :) nt

[barbtries]

13. love it.

let it grow, let it grow, in 2012.

[rocktivity]

14. This just in: The temperature in hell has just hit a balmy 32 degrees Farenheit.

Last edited Wed Jul 15, 2015, 09:04 PM - Edit history (12)

Well done, Time -- and I'd say that even if I hadn't voted.

They've made so many stupid and gutless calls over the years that ridiculing them has become one of my Christmastime traditions. When I voted, I also posted that they'd never vote for "You" a second time. Well, I hereby apologize to Time, and may it always feel this good to be proven wrong!












rocktivity

[midnight]

15. I support the nomination, but wonder about the cover pic....

[rocktivity]

16. I'm okay with it

because I don't think there could have been a Wall Street autumn if there hadn't been an Arab spring.


rocktvity

[midnight]

40. Ok...I went back and re-read and your make a good point... Thanks.

[DireStrike]

17. Will the US edition of time have a different version of person of the year?

How about Steve Jobs? He did important stuff, like marketing and stuff... came up with great new technology that could wrest more disposable income from the upper middle class than ever before!

[girl_interrupted]

18. K&R! Physical Abuse, Verbal Abuse, nothing is going to stop it now

People willing to put themselves on the line, for what the believe it. The more people learn what the movement stands for, the more they will identify with it. Thank you Time Magazine! I can't wait for spring.

[sabrina 1]

43. Couldn't agree more, girl_interrupted!

Wait until the Spring! The old order has to change, six billion people are demanding it.

[truedelphi]

47. Is it still six billion? I thought Planet Earth had

Acquired its seventh billion person some several weeks ago.

And only 500,000 of 'em from the Duggar Family!

[sabrina 1]

53. Lol, I left out the Dugger family. They don't have time to protest.

Seriously I think you are right and there are nearly 7 billion of us. But what is a billion here or there, we are still in the majority on this issue

[Hardrada]

76. Nach jedem Dezember, kommt WIEDER EIN MAI!!

After each December, May will return!

[Hotler]

19. Good! k&r n/t

[rocktivity]

20. WE'RE #2!!!

Last edited Mon Jan 2, 2012, 12:28 PM - Edit history (1)

Turkey's Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan received the most Yes (and, oddly, also No) votes. But if you combine the Yes votes of the 99% (the #3 top vote-getter) and the Arab Youth (#6), The Protestor takes indisputable possession of second place!

http://www.time.com/time/specials/packages/article/0,28804,2098471_2098928_2098929,00.html


rocktivity

[Kingofalldems]

21. Anti-OWS intruders not liking this one

K and R

[onehandle]

22. The only choice that I approve of over Steve Jobs.

He was in the top tier, but this makes total sense.

[GoCubsGo]

26. Some of those runners up are a complete joke.

Kate Middleton? Paul Ryan? Are they fucking kidding me? Someone is a runner up for Person of the Year because she snagged a prince? What a joke.

[AlbertCat]

24. See?!

They get it right every once in a while.

[DippyDem]

25. Yup...they changed history and will continue to. N/T

[katty]

28. great pick - amazed they actually allowed this

o my are we suddenly getting the real message, MSM?

[tawadi]

30. Good choice

From Egypt to OWS in small town USA the protests were THE story in 2011.

[AikidoSoul]

31. It's way too big to ignore. We are like a single, huge organism.

And we are getting bigger and bigger.


Where are the smiles? I can't find the little smilies.... where or where? Help doesn't list them as smilies or smiley or anything similar.

[workinclasszero]

32. Occupy the WORLD!

Time got it right, but...

Wait till 2012!!!!

&feature=youtu.be

&feature=player_embedded#!

[Amonester]

36. K & R

Made my day.

Thanks!

[Jefferson23]

37. Hard earned too. Excellent and K&R.

[OswegoAtheist]

38. Third time for me...

...2003 "American Soldier" (though technically I was on IRR at the time), "You" in 2006, and now "The Protestor".

Oswego "Maybe I should put that on my C.V." Atheist

[rocktivity]

46. Holy hat trick, Batman!

Last edited Wed Dec 14, 2011, 08:21 PM - Edit history (1)

And in your honor, let's spin an oldie but goodie -- where's what the Daily Show had to say about "You"!
http://www.thedailyshow.com/watch/mon-december-18-2006/newsweak?xrs=share_copy


rocktivity

[Grateful for Hope]

39. Excellent!

Thanks for posting this.

[mahannah]

42. I'm so happy that it "felt right" for those folks at Time. Where the hell have they been?

...and where are they now?

[handmade34]

44. as well it should be...

[DallasNE]

45. Notice The Explanation

That reads "from he Arab Spring to Athens, from Occupy Wall Street to Moscow". In other words, the broad based protests. Some seem to think OWS only when it is much broader than that and should be a message to all smug politicans world wide.

[YOHABLO]

49. Conservatives Will Hate This One.

I don't subscribe to TIME, I find it awfully right wing leaning and corporate .. so this comes to me as a surprise. This movement is just beginning .. stay tuned to chapter 2.

[Dragonbreathp9d]

50. Hey! I'm the person of the year!

Lol

[DirkGently]

61. Weirdly astute, given what weak sauce Time has become. (nt)

[Liberal_in_LA]

63. excellent choice

[TheMightyFavog]

66. And... in response a right winger I knew in high school

Posted a picture of the asshole at OWS shitting on the police car with the caption "Behold, Time's person of the year."

I wonder how much more pissed he's going to be when I tell him his idol Paul Ryan was on Time magazine's shortlist?

[Bozita]

68. FWIW, this is the main topic on Charlie Rose tonight

December 14, 2011
Tonight Rick Stengel and Kurt Andersen on "Time" magazine's Person of the Year: 'The Protester.' Later Viola Davis on the film 'The Help.'

www.charlierose.com

[Eric J in MN]

70. She is an Occupy Los Angeles protester.

http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/lanow/2011/12/protester-on-time-cover-is-occupy-las-own.html?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed:+lanowblog+%28L.A.+Now%29

Bandana said "99%."

[Hissyspit]

78. Look how nice she looks there. On Time's cover she looks evil and has a scary fire-like (violent)

background. That is such a nice photograph and they turned it into something ugly. I agree with their choice of the protesters (and it should be plural), but what the fuck is up with that horrible artwork?

[HughBeaumont]

81. Eyes are definitely angrier. Color looks like it's meant to Red-bait.

I think it's done, as it says above, to convey a message of "BE VERY VERY AFRAAAAIAIAAAD OF THE LEFT, MIDDLE AMURKA!!"

[Eric J in MN]

89. Time Magazine hired the guy who made the Obama 'Hope' poster

...to do the cover (Shepard Fairey) and so they probably didn't mean to portray protesters negatively, even if it turned out that way.

[azurnoir]

72. Good for Time

The Protester has been one of the main driving forces for the news in 2011

[AntiFascist]

73. From the cool mega-corporation that also brought us...

the film version of "V for Vendetta". Just sayin'.

[Fearless]

74. I wonder if the cover will be shown in America...

considering their track record.

[Rhiannon12866]

77. Good point. This might "scare" some people...

[thescreaminghead]

86. I got the LULz for this one

Check this link out...

http://www.occupyxmas.net/2011/12/irony-of-protester-as-2011-time.html

[Born Free]

90. Wrong to lump them all together

I think it is wrong to lump (and boycott) all the biggest businesses together, just as I believe it is wrong to lump all the rich, poor, middle class or immigrants, whites, blacks, etc. For example, both Wal-Mart and Costco are similar businesses but operate differently, if a company grows while taking care of it's employees they should be rewarded. I know members of the middle class that will screw their coworker if it means an extra dime in their pocket, these are not the values that should be promoted else you end up with replacing the top 1% with another group that is no different in the way they operate. The idea should be to reward good behavior and encourage more to strive towards that good behavior.