Time Magazine POY Poll

[Virgil]

Do you think that Time Magazine made the correct choice for their 2006 Person of the Year choice of you, the internet user.

[RobinHood3000]

No. No no no no no no. (In other words, that would be choice number 3.)

[Koa]

I also miss the choice, Yes, but what's the big deal ;)

[Niamh]

No its a load of nonsense. o and a ploy to sell more mags.

[Jean-Baptiste]

I also miss the choice, Yes, but what's the big deal ;)

That's the vote I would cast too. Yes, but what's the big deal.

[RobinHood3000]

For me, the big deal is that Time's decision for Person of the Year suggests that the modern world has its priorities in the wrong order. Maybe I'm being overly pessimistic, but a huge amount of what I have to study in my Geography class suggests that the world is in far worse shape than day-to-day life in the Western world seems to suggest.

[Jean-Baptiste]

This suggests, Robin, that the priorities of the World are actually decided by Time magazine. Yes, there are much bigger problems with the World than we like to face. But looking to the editors of Time for some individual World hero is frivolous. They are not actually the authority in the matter of who is relevant to the World's plight. It is not a peer-reviewed journal; they are essentially in it for a pay check. If you want a hero, you'll have to do your own research and get to the heart of the fundamental issues yourself. Time's opinion does not actually matter. It's not as though their Person of the Year is actually elected to the post of Hero--placed in any position to fix things. It is merely an opinion of who has been the most relevant for the past year, and they operate with an obvious bias toward relevance in the Western Hemisphere. Yes, this decision is necessarily skirting most major issues, but what does it really matter? If you know what the major issues are, and wish to help, then focus on them and ignore Time and their silly popularity contest. If you disagree with their Opinion, simply find someone else.

[RobinHood3000]

In deference to the rule against the discussion of current politics (a topic our discussion is skirting on), I will simply point to the ability of media (a form, however base sometimes, of literature) to influence the mindset of those with the power to be Heroes or bystanders.

Time does not represent the priorities of the world - but for an economically powerful portion of the world, it creates them. I liked their People of the Year last year better. It put attention in the right places.

[Virgil]

This suggests, Robin, that the priorities of the World are actually decided by Time magazine. Yes, there are much bigger problems with the World than we like to face. But looking to the editors of Time for some individual World hero is frivolous. They are not actually the authority in the matter of who is relevant to the World's plight. It is not a peer-reviewed journal; they are essentially in it for a pay check. If you want a hero, you'll have to do your own research and get to the heart of the fundamental issues yourself. Time's opinion does not actually matter. It's not as though their Person of the Year is actually elected to the post of Hero--placed in any position to fix things. It is merely an opinion of who has been the most relevant for the past year, and they operate with an obvious bias toward relevance in the Western Hemisphere. Yes, this decision is necessarily skirting most major issues, but what does it really matter? If you know what the major issues are, and wish to help, then focus on them and ignore Time and their silly popularity contest. If you disagree with their Opinion, simply find someone else.

Yes that last sentence is true. But by their own standards they have decided to place this person of the year every year on their cover. They get incredible publicity and sell many magazines. When they pick a worthy person, people acknowledge it. When they punt by picking something superficial, they ought to get slapped with ridicule.

[Lily Adams]

Ach. It's a tie between choice number three and number four for me. But I chose four. They're sucking up to us so we'll say "Awww. Ther'e so nice. Let's buy their magazine!"

Or maybe I'm just paranoid. You tell me.

[Scheherazade]

I also miss the choice, Yes, but what's the big deal ;)I hear ya, sista! ;)

I guess it has been pretty much obvious all along that -even before they named 'us' as the POY-, TIME is a magazine aiming to sell as many copies as possible, with the apparent intention of making profit!

Just to clear something, the magazine does not claim to choose 'heroes'. They simply state that they would name someone/something, which they would find influential during that past year. So, this said influence can be 'positive' or 'negative', which has been proven by some of their choices in the past. Eg, Hitler. So, the magazine comes with its own disclaimer that please do not look up to the TIME magazine in your search to find a hero figure to worship.

[miss tenderness]

three ,no doubt!

[AimusSage]

Everybody is talking about it. For me that means they made the right choice. It is a bit disturbing that I too am person of the year, but appart from that little hiccup, I'm perfectly okay with it.

[RobinHood3000]

The "Great Man" theory of history is usually attributed to the Scottish philosopher Thomas Carlyle, who wrote that "the history of the world is but the biography of great men." He believed that it is the few, the powerful and the famous who shape our collective destiny as a species. That theory took a serious beating this year.If you can afford either an Internet connection or to buy a magazine, you are already among the few and the powerful.

[Laindessiel]

Superficially right. Ersatto, Robin.

[Laindessiel]

But really, what's the big deal about it? If in any case, the future of the world relies on that magazine, everybody be damned. False, false, false. Don't sweat on it.

[RobinHood3000]

Superficially right. Ersatto, Robin....eh? :confused: Erm...translation? I feel stupid.

EDIT: Never mind; I think I got it. If that means what I think it means, thank you. :)

[Laindessiel]

Ersatto is "That's correct." in Italian. http://www.cosgan.de/images/midi/verschiedene/c075.gif

[Koa]

Ersatto is "That's correct." in Italian. http://www.cosgan.de/images/midi/verschiedene/c075.gif

Nope, that's ESATTO :D That's what I thought you were meaning but it seemed weird since I don't think that's much of an international word ;)

[RobinHood3000]

Aye, that's what my dictionary turned up with. All the same, thank you, Lain. It's always nice to have some support.

[Laindessiel]

Nope, that's ESATTO :D That's what I thought you were meaning but it seemed weird since I don't think that's much of an international word ;)

Ooops! I really need to brush up on my Italian. My Italian uncles are here for the holidays aaaand I want to converse with them using their language. Triste, Koa! :)

Willkommen. No big, Rob. ;)