2016 has left us all confused, leaving many already jumping to the conclusion that this is quite possibly our worst year yet. Who can argue with their logic when they support it with the many disasters that have seemed to define this year?
Between the election and the social unrest mixed with cringe-worthy trends, this year did not get off to a good start. This pattern followed until all hope for the year was reduced into nothing more than the dirt trampled by the many Pokemon GO! players as they desperately searched for the next spawning location.
As the new year resolution craze (a mandatory part of ringing in the new year) died down, we finally began to see 2016’s true colors…and they are awful.
As the Ebola epidemic died down, many thought they were in the clear for a short period of time. That was until the introduction of Zika became a reality and panic sprung and rightfully so. With this disease spreading fast through South America, many feared that it would do the same in America. Though there were cases reported the outcome of the disease was not the same as it was in other areas.
In addition there have been numerous events leading to social movements and overall tension within our country this year. For example, the Pulse nightclub shooting was a devastating event that led to #KeepDancingOrlando as a way for the city to heal through the ways of dance in the aftermath of this tragedy. It also raised awareness that action needed to be take so that such hate crimes of discrimination couldn’t be carried out again. Different causes highlighting specific groups of people rose to the spotlight as those groups met to advocate for their rights and their cause. Occasionally this lead to riots and protests. Several terrorist attacks were conducted as the year progressed. We also saw a rise in internal fanatic groups such as the threatening clowns.
With the early part of this declaring the presidential candidates within the primaries, the races began. By summer, campaigning was in full swing and it was difficult to find a channel that was not constantly playing a commercial highlighting America’s potential misfortune. As their campaigns continued, the media covered every issue and conspiracy involving the candidates leaving many feeling that this election had been talked to death.
This year we were also forced to say goodbye to many of our icons and role models. Between Alan Rickman, Harper Lee, Prince, and many others we found it difficult to cope with the losses we suffered as a whole.
While Hillsborough county students did enjoy a few hurricane days off due to storms such as Hurricane Matthew, others were not so lucky. Many in both Haiti and Cuba suffered losses with the destruction brought by the storm.
Now this whole 2016 thing wasn’t so terrible. A few good things included the release of some highly anticipated movies such as Captain America: Civil War and Finding Dory which proved to be huge hits among fans, and the fact that a few endangered species such as the Giant Panda and Iberian lynx have emerged from the brink of extinction.
Unity has also been a side effect of all the tragedy we have suffered as a collective society. Though many dividing factors have left our country in pieces, many still realize that we are all in the same position and that whatever comes we are going to have to face it together.
We have to realize one small fact as we criticize the year as a whole, claiming a certain year as the “worst year ever” is not an original statement. Not by a long shot. With each passing year, a frenzy of people emerge giving a list of reasons why the current year is worst year ever. Make no mistake, this year as not been our finest, but dubbing this our worst year yet might be a little too harsh.
