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| 2012: the year that changed everything. Or did it? |
I’ve been lucky enough to spend this Christmas with my family on
the beautiful island of Antigua. Every day, just before sunset, I take a walk
through the luscious Caribbean rainforest which surrounds the area. Whilst
these daily exertions have run the risk of being hounded by packs of savage
dogs and, on one terrifying occasion, murderous donkeys (like cows, they have
an evil glint to their eyes) they have also been an opportunity for
reflection. Today, I was contemplating how innovative
2012 has been.
It’s been a big year. I've turned 18, left
school and been financially severed from my parents. Britain held the Queen’s
diamond jubilee, the London Olympics and is now expecting the birth of their future monarch. The world has been dragged through elections, uprisings, hurricanes, earthquakes,
wars, economic turmoil and, through all the chaos, records have been broken, discoveries
have been made and random acts of kindness endure. In a farewell salute to the past 365 days, I thought
I’d ponder over some of the elements which have shaped 2012 in their own, unique way. This is not a summary. Nor is it a list of the most influential events or individuals. It's a snippet: a handful of newspaper cuttings from this incredible year.
Bradley Wiggins
It is as a lowly and inactive observer that I celebrate the
achievements of Bradley Wiggins this year. He is, in my opinion, the British icon
of 2012. Sir Wiggo (knighted at this year’s honours) became the first British
cyclist to win the Tour de France and, during London 2012, joined Sir Chris Hoy
as the most decorated British Olympian. He beat the French at their own game
and he effortlessly rocks canary yellow and sideburns. The man is a true role model
and made me care that bit more about the world of cycling than I did last year.
I pray that he doesn’t do ' a Lance Armstrong' on us.
Marie Colvin
This is a personal tribute as well as a nod to the news story
which has dominated media outlets throughout 2012 and has inflamed sensibilities across the globe: the Syrian revolution. This year has not been without heartbreak,
disappointments and tragedies. Among those was the untimely death of Marie
Colvin. An award-winning War correspondent, her remarkable bravery and
determination are an inspiration to me and thousands of others. In 1999, through
her reporting and refusal to leave a besieged compound, she was credited with
saving the lives of 1,500 women and children. This was not an isolated incident – she was not deterred when in 2001 she lost the sight in her left eye
after falling under attack in Sri Lanka. Right up until the end she was a woman
who fought for the causes she believed in: despite the Syrian authorities’
attempts to prevent foreign journalists from covering the uprising, Colvin
crossed the border illegally on the back on a motorcycle. It was a move which
led to her death in the city of Homs in February – she has not, and will not,
be forgotten.
The Evolution of the Meme
How could we forget Gangnam style, Kony 2012, the Overly
Attached Girlfriend and the Ridiculously Photogenic Guy? We couldn’t. Because
as an internet user, and I assume you are one if you are reading this, you will
see them ALL over the internet. Whilst you can dismiss spending hours mindlessly
watching videos of cats flushing toilets and chimpanzees on segways as a waste
of time, it’s important to put it into perspective: we are possibly witnessing
the beginning of a universal sense of humour. Just think, if the world shared the same jokes we could solve conflicts and prevent wars just by showing the “other
side” a meme of the Grumpy cat. It brightens my day to have a little giggle at,
what really is, a shared celebration of the absurdities of life. Whilst it is
imperative that we pay attention to the monumental episodes of this year, it is
also important that we don’t forget the small ones…
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| Images from http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/ |
Pussy Riot
It’s time I wrote about this. Like L’Affaire Merah it’s something I’ve been following all year but for
some reason cannot bring myself to write about properly. Nevertheless, I need
to address one of the central effects of Pussy Riot: the incarcerated Russian
rockers have revolutionalised the nature of political protest. They have
illustrated, like the Occupy movement and Kony 2012, that the internet is a
powerful political force: upload a video to YouTube and you can trigger a
worldwide political movement, supported by stars such as Madonna, Paul Macartney
and Lady Gaga. It doesn’t even need to be a universal struggle – make it “stylish”
and the trends of the Internet will bring in the cyber troops. I will not attempt to
defend Pussy Riot: what they did was wrong and I cannot abide the hypocrisy of
western “democracies” in their accusations. Their punishment, however, was
disproportionate to their crime and justice should always be fought for. 2012 also
saw the re-election of Vladimir Putin, a strong leader often criticised for his inflexibility. This
event alone will have long-term consequences for Russian politics and the
country’s relations with the West.
The Denver and Newtown shootings
The killings shocked America and the world. Lack of gun
control meant that the lives of hundreds were needlessly lost because of an
out-dated, dangerous clause in the American constitution. Whilst some argue that it is unbalanced to focus on these events when the American government has been responsible for the deaths of so many innocent citizens in Iraq and Afghanistan , it doesn't change the fact that gun crime brings grief and hardship to families every year. This pain could be prevented. Shootings happen all
over the world but it happens more often and more violently in the US. This
needs to stop. Everyone knows it. The die-hard protection of the 2nd
amendment has always been seen as inevitable and its revision impossible. Will
2012 be the year that the NRA finally starts to see eye-to-eye with the rest of
the world?
If you’re not drunk already, take a moment to reflect on
what 2012 has meant to you. I wish you all a very Happy New Year!
F.
© Francesca Ebel D-504 blog
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