Via CNN: CNN.com - Time names Bono, Bill and Melinda Gates Persons of Year. Here’s the Time story itself.
As a commenter at Balloon Juice noted, really it would seem that “their Thing of the Year is Charity.”
And, I must confess, that’s not a bad thing.
Still, I must also confess that my response to the choice was not unlike that of Michelle Malkin who termed the choices to be “lame.” (I will say that Malkin is off the mark in her critique of Melinda Gates’ inclusion, as it is the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, after all).
Still, it seems to me that the Person/Persons of the Year should represent something significant about the year in question. I don’t recall Bono or the Gates being key players this year, or that their philanthropy was especially noteworthy in 2005.
It seems to me that that voters of Iraq, or Mother Nature, would have been far better choices. Heck, even Zarqawi would have been a possible choice (given that the PoY isn’t always a positive honor).
Although I think that I would have voted for “Mother Nature”–was there a bigger story in 2005 than Katrina? (Not to mention the year started with the immediate aftermath of the tsunamis and there was the Pakistani earthquake and the general preponderance of hurricanes). Indeed, Katrina could have been the Person of the Year.
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December 18th, 2005 at 3:37 pm
Mother nature put in a late bid for PoY with the ice storm in the Carolinas. Clearly, it was to no avail. But I’m glad the charity folks got their shot at the limelight.
December 18th, 2005 at 4:00 pm
Mother Nature isn’t a real person.
But don’t worry, the Easter Bunny is a real bunny.
December 18th, 2005 at 4:06 pm
Of course, Time’s “person” of the year isn’t always a person.
December 18th, 2005 at 4:49 pm
Yeah, but Malkin’s right: All she’s doing is giving away money someone else earned. How hard is that, really? At least Gates earned the money.
December 18th, 2005 at 4:51 pm
But, she does help run the Foundation. If they are going to honor the Foundation, they can’t very well just honor Bill.
December 18th, 2005 at 5:10 pm
Michelle Malkin sounds like a shrew. I’m sure that will be red meat for some conservatives, but to me she just sounds like a cartoonish witch (although you could switch the “w” for a “b” and it would probably be more accurate).
December 18th, 2005 at 5:19 pm
Bitter Shrew
Via Steven Taylor, I find out that Michelle Malkin is disappointed in Times “Person of the Year” because, well, Melinda Gates didn’t “earn” the money she’s giving away.
Okay. I don’t question that the rock star and the world’s biggest philanth…
December 18th, 2005 at 6:40 pm
[...] s, Stingy List, Original writing, Commentary — Chuck Simmins Poliblog points out this story. Time picks three very rich people as their person[s] of the year. For their giving, of course. I [...]
December 18th, 2005 at 7:56 pm
Was There No One Better?
Apparently I’m not alone in thinking that Time’s choices were, ummm, lame. So did a lot of folks. This happens every year, but if you’re going to honor generosity, how about the millions of people who donated billions of dollars to help with the rel…
December 19th, 2005 at 11:03 am
I would have thought the U.S. Navy has a place on this list. Who else could bring hospitals, fresh water, an airfield, and thousands of people (collectively known as an aircraft carrier) anywhere in the world?