This year has been riddled with historic events and pop culture shake-ups that helped make it particularly memorable. Serious issues like the fight for civil rights, public health outbreaks and mass deaths made us all more grateful for our lives. Trivial news and trends gave us the chance to laugh and roll our eyes while we dealt with more heavy-hearted problems. Below is the list of things that sucked in 2016, which covers everything from the significant to the superficial.
1. The presidential election
Whether you supported Clinton, Trump or another candidate, we can all agree that the election was frustrating for everyone in one way or another. At times it felt more like a media circus than anything close to political. Here’s to hoping the 2020 election is less annoying.
2. Celebrity deaths
A slew of celebrity deaths, including Prince, Alan Rickman and Muhammed Ali among others, had us all reminiscing about the great things they had accomplished in their lifetimes. Even though these people may not be with us anymore, we’ll never forget their contributions to society and the way they made us feel.
3. Clown sightings
Fall’s headlines seemed to come straight out of an American Horror Story episode with the copious amounts of clown sightings. Many people across the country were getting arrested for dressing as clowns and threatening people face-to-face and through social media. The sightings and threats caused a national uproar. Schools were shut down, police had to issue warnings, and taking kids out trick-or-treating seemed more dangerous than usual.
4. Shootings
Hate-fueled shootings were a major component of the news cycle this year. Cities such as Dallas, France and Orlando were the backdrop of hate crimes and shootings that further spurred the civil rights movements taking place in America and around the world. Hopefully 2017 will be more peaceful and we will see a more widespread acceptance of minority groups.
5. Kanye West’s mouth
Kanye is arguably one of the most influential people in music and fashion today. Unfortunately, his voice got him into a lot more trouble than usual this year. His problematic statements about Donald Trump, Taylor Swift, Kylie Jenner and other topics left some of his most ardent fans unable to defend him. Here’s to hoping that Kanye looks at 2016 as a learning experience.
6. Damn Daniel
What happens when you mix a Vine video, a fresh pair of white Vans and one obnoxious friend with a camera? Damn Daniel. We’ve had enough of the obnoxious memes.
7. Tomi Lahren
If you don’t know who Tomi Lahren is, she’s the super-conservative woman that has made headlines over her racist, non-factual comments about the Black Lives Matter movement, Colin Kaepernick and other topics. Her appearance on The Daily Show has boosted her popularity even further. It won’t be long before she’s on our TV screens even more.
8. The Zika virus
The Zika virus, which has had reported cases in over 50 countries, including America, in the last year, can cause birth defects in pregnant women and a fever with symptoms like joint pain and rashes. Travelers beware – the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has issued warnings and released a response plan. Unfortunately, there is no specific treatment currently available.
As we reflect on the events that upset us in 2016, we still hope that 2017 will bring more progressive attitudes, ridiculous viral videos that are actually funny, good health and common sense. After all, you can’t appreciate the good times without the bad.