Seriously - 2017 wasn't that bad (a year in review)
As 2017 drew closer and closer to the end, I kept hearing people talking about how awful 2017 was, and how they couldn't wait for it to be over.
And I kept thinking that I just couldn't agree with that.
My first response boiled down to "Oh, please - I've lived though a collapse of a country. This is nothing." As I've written before, I was too young to really remember much about the Soviet Union, but I remember when it all fell apart pretty vividly. It wasn't just that stores had barely any food, that salaries weren't paid for months, that crime seems to have exploded overnight, that we wound up spending many cold winter days with no heat. It was the feeling of hopelessness. We all hoped things will get better, but it was a desperate hope. We didn't know what else would go wrong next. It seemed like we were falling and falling, and we didn't know if we could hit the bottom, let alone if we would ever climb back up. Compared to that, 2017 was... what?
Heck, forget Russia. I was more worried in 2008, when... Even then, I didn't think it would get as bad as t did in the first few years of post-Soviet Russia, but I still wondered just how bad it would get. I was more worried during the invasion of Iraq, when it seemed like nothing anyone could do would stop Bush from screwing up the world.
And, thinking about it some more, I realized it wasn't even just that I've seen worse.
Sure, there were bad things. The first in a series of attempted Muslim bans was scary, and it hit the nerve with this permanent resident. But, even if some aspects of the bans stayed, some of the more noxious provisions were ruled unconstitutional. There was a massive White Nationalist Tikki torch rally and a rally-that-wasn't that resulted in a counter-protestor's death. But the Trump inauguration also led to the biggest rallies I've ever seen. Here in Chicago, the planned Women's March attracted so many people that it was physically impossible to march.
Several Democrat candidates lost special elections earlier this year - only to see wins in Virginia, Alabama and New Jersey later. US Congress came close to repealing OBamacare - only for three Republican Senators to snatch victory out of jaws of defeat (or, I suppose, defeat from the jaws if victory if you're a Republican). While Trump Administration has made a number of sweeping changes that will affect this country for years, if not decades, to come (for better or for worse, one of Trump's most enduring legacies may be the judges he appoints), this year has also shown that the system of checks and balances, if not working 100 percent is intended, is still alive and well.
This year wasn't the first time a high-profile media and entertainment industry figures were accused of sexual harassment and/or sexual assault - but the allegations against Harvey Weinstein launched a cascade of revelations that is yet to quite abate. And, perhaps more importantly, there are more consequences, and more serious conversations about factors that enable powerful men get away with this kind of behavior. It's hard to say what kind of change this will ultimately result in, but we are clearly on a verge of major shift.
Say what you will about the clusterfuck that is the Syrian Civil War, Daesh have been severely hurt. Whatever else may happen in the next few months and years, that is a good thing. And, as the year drew to a close, Iran has been rocked by protests. I would be surprised if the Revolutionary Army doesn't crush it, but it shows that, no matter how much autocratic governments try to hang on to power, sooner or later, discontent will emerge. And no amount of repression will eradicate it altogether.
Gives me hope for the Motherland, is all I'm saying.
Now, speaking strictly for myself... It has been a difficult year for me. I wasn't anywhere near financial stability until March, and even now, it's not exactly resting on a solid foundation. The newspaper business has never been more precarious, and, if a few years ago, there was a possibility that online media will save us, this is looking increasingly unlikely as it becomes more and more clear that reporting costs money, and, whatever medium they are in, nobody really knows how to make profit. Not on the long-term. Not in the way that's sustainable.
I had to watch a person I've grown to care about struggle with demons on several fronts, knowing that there wasn't really a whole lot I could do. It was emotionally taxing in ways that I didn't really start to come to grips with until September. And it's still... a process.
But even then... I still make a living from writing about this city and its suburbs. And... As I told Sarah's sister, it's not that there were things I wish would have happened differently, but I do not regret trying to help her. Without me... Well, I am going to be vague about it because this is a public post, but without me doing a relatively small thing, it could have ended so much worse. Whatever happened after that... That, in on itself, was worth it.
This year, I got to see the birth of my niece. That, in on itself, is worth a lot.
I guess, in the end... This year had good parts and bad parts, just like any other year. And, unlike around this time back in 1991, there is hope.
Here's to this year - and whatever the next year will bring.
And I kept thinking that I just couldn't agree with that.
My first response boiled down to "Oh, please - I've lived though a collapse of a country. This is nothing." As I've written before, I was too young to really remember much about the Soviet Union, but I remember when it all fell apart pretty vividly. It wasn't just that stores had barely any food, that salaries weren't paid for months, that crime seems to have exploded overnight, that we wound up spending many cold winter days with no heat. It was the feeling of hopelessness. We all hoped things will get better, but it was a desperate hope. We didn't know what else would go wrong next. It seemed like we were falling and falling, and we didn't know if we could hit the bottom, let alone if we would ever climb back up. Compared to that, 2017 was... what?
Heck, forget Russia. I was more worried in 2008, when... Even then, I didn't think it would get as bad as t did in the first few years of post-Soviet Russia, but I still wondered just how bad it would get. I was more worried during the invasion of Iraq, when it seemed like nothing anyone could do would stop Bush from screwing up the world.
And, thinking about it some more, I realized it wasn't even just that I've seen worse.
Sure, there were bad things. The first in a series of attempted Muslim bans was scary, and it hit the nerve with this permanent resident. But, even if some aspects of the bans stayed, some of the more noxious provisions were ruled unconstitutional. There was a massive White Nationalist Tikki torch rally and a rally-that-wasn't that resulted in a counter-protestor's death. But the Trump inauguration also led to the biggest rallies I've ever seen. Here in Chicago, the planned Women's March attracted so many people that it was physically impossible to march.
Several Democrat candidates lost special elections earlier this year - only to see wins in Virginia, Alabama and New Jersey later. US Congress came close to repealing OBamacare - only for three Republican Senators to snatch victory out of jaws of defeat (or, I suppose, defeat from the jaws if victory if you're a Republican). While Trump Administration has made a number of sweeping changes that will affect this country for years, if not decades, to come (for better or for worse, one of Trump's most enduring legacies may be the judges he appoints), this year has also shown that the system of checks and balances, if not working 100 percent is intended, is still alive and well.
This year wasn't the first time a high-profile media and entertainment industry figures were accused of sexual harassment and/or sexual assault - but the allegations against Harvey Weinstein launched a cascade of revelations that is yet to quite abate. And, perhaps more importantly, there are more consequences, and more serious conversations about factors that enable powerful men get away with this kind of behavior. It's hard to say what kind of change this will ultimately result in, but we are clearly on a verge of major shift.
Say what you will about the clusterfuck that is the Syrian Civil War, Daesh have been severely hurt. Whatever else may happen in the next few months and years, that is a good thing. And, as the year drew to a close, Iran has been rocked by protests. I would be surprised if the Revolutionary Army doesn't crush it, but it shows that, no matter how much autocratic governments try to hang on to power, sooner or later, discontent will emerge. And no amount of repression will eradicate it altogether.
Gives me hope for the Motherland, is all I'm saying.
Now, speaking strictly for myself... It has been a difficult year for me. I wasn't anywhere near financial stability until March, and even now, it's not exactly resting on a solid foundation. The newspaper business has never been more precarious, and, if a few years ago, there was a possibility that online media will save us, this is looking increasingly unlikely as it becomes more and more clear that reporting costs money, and, whatever medium they are in, nobody really knows how to make profit. Not on the long-term. Not in the way that's sustainable.
I had to watch a person I've grown to care about struggle with demons on several fronts, knowing that there wasn't really a whole lot I could do. It was emotionally taxing in ways that I didn't really start to come to grips with until September. And it's still... a process.
But even then... I still make a living from writing about this city and its suburbs. And... As I told Sarah's sister, it's not that there were things I wish would have happened differently, but I do not regret trying to help her. Without me... Well, I am going to be vague about it because this is a public post, but without me doing a relatively small thing, it could have ended so much worse. Whatever happened after that... That, in on itself, was worth it.
This year, I got to see the birth of my niece. That, in on itself, is worth a lot.
I guess, in the end... This year had good parts and bad parts, just like any other year. And, unlike around this time back in 1991, there is hope.
Here's to this year - and whatever the next year will bring.