TIME's Person of the Year is The Protester

There is a lot of protests going on in the photosphere over the choice--and not juast so they can be included as POTY. I do not fret too much. TIME has never promised its POTY had a positive impact. Among some of their past choices were Adolf Hitler, Josef Stalin, and Ayarollah Khomeini. The magazine has made some stupid choices, too, such as the Baby Boomers in 1966 and everyone in 2006. (Maybe they have a lapse every forty years. We will know again in 2046.) But I do not believe awarding POTY to The Protestor falls in either category.

On the surface, the protesters of the alleged Arab Spring, the London riots, and the Occupy movement have little in common, but I think they are a reflection of their respective cultures. Muslims are making a violent effort towards removing brutal dictators only to run straight into the reality their religion iis incompatible with freedom and they really are not that interested in such a silly concept as that anyway. At least ballot box results do not often reflect any notion freedom is anything but a paralyzing fear there will not be a strong hand in control. Londoners were not rioting about justice for the slain Mark Duggan, whatever that means. They were destroying neighborhoods and looting plasma televisions out of their selfish sense of entitlement. Do I even need to explain the occupy movement’s obsession with entitlement/ Barack Obama is not progressive enough for them because he will not pay off their student loans and somewhere put their degrees in Transgender Hispanic Wiccan Studies to use in a $100,000 a year job.

Can you argue the attitudes of these protesters ought not be brought to the public attention/ They are a reflection of their respective cultures--for the worse more than the better. As I see nothing on the horizon to change anything for these reality impaired kids, their attitudes are going to continue to have influence well beyond t2011. Yes, I understand democracy is not going to sweep the Middle east. I know Londoners are going to quietly go back to enjoying their government subsidized lifestyles. I know the Occupy movement is going to fade away when a democrat lead crack down causes them to find other things to do. But any excuse go again in some misguided and delusional act of empowrrment will do to those upset they are not the powrrs that be.