2016 still has two months left, but it has been a wild year. Politics alone could paint this year as one of the most memorable, but with the additions of celebrity gossip, sports, and the maybe too-interactive creation of Pokémon Go, people are definitely going to look back at 2016 with a criticial eye.
1. Beyoncé’s “Lemonade”
In an attempt to start off this list on a positive note, we can take a look at Beyoncé’s killer album “Lemonade” (released April 23, 2016). The album was released as a long music video, with stunning visuals and a strong fixation on Beyoncé’s love and appreciation for her black heritage. Other black figures appeared throughout the video, including Serena Williams and Zendaya, as well as the mothers of boys killed by police brutality (Trayvon Martin, Michael Brown, and Eric Garner).
The album also struck up conversation worldwide, as it appeared Beyoncé was speaking to her husband Jay-Z about his affair—something no one could really prove, but the lyrics hinted at nonetheless. Later on, the public discovered that some of this appeared to be true, along with the fact that Jay-Z was well aware of the album’s message and knew that this was how she would deal with the pain. Needless to say, people are still talking about it.
2. Pokémon Go
This app became a global phenomenon when it was released in July. The location-based game allows users to discover, capture, battle, and train Pokémon, who appear on the app as if they were in the real world. Since the game went viral, it has been downloaded over 500 million times! It was met with both praise and criticism; the game encourages people to exercise more, bond with other players, and explore some cool historical sites. However, others expressed their dislike for the game, as some locations where Pokémon resided became too overcome with people, resulting in many annoyed business owners.
3. Rio Summer Olympics
During the Rio Olympics, we witnessed the United States dominate the games (121 medals total), with athletes such as Simone Biles and Katie Ledecky becoming instant stars with their incredible performances in gynmastics and swimming. Michael Phelps gave us his last Olympics, winning a total of 28 Olympic medals to finish off his career. Though the U.S. went on a winning streak, Ryan Lochte decided to ruin it when he lied about being robbed after a night partying in Rio. As a result, he was suspended from swimming for 10 months and won’t be participating in the 2017 World Championship—a little too kind for a guy who acted like such jerk as a guest in a different country, in my opinion.
4. Clown Epidemic
If 2016 was not strange enough, beginning in late August, clowns began to pop up around the country. Not happy clowns, but very creepy clowns with the intention of scaring—and even potentially harming—people. On some campuses, including our very own UMass Amherst, students decided to take to the streets and hunt down these clowns. Since clown sightings have been slowly increasing since August and into October, people worried about what would happen on Halloween. With that in mind, many stores around clown-sighting areas took precautions to lower that risk. For example, Target pulled clown masks and costumes from their inventory just two weeks before Halloween.
5. Global Politics
Lastly, but not least, is the crazy politics of 2016. Americans watched in shock as Britain voted to leave the EU: a close 52 percent to 48 percent. When the vote was broken down, it became apparent that it was the older generations who voted for the exit, leaving the young people in anger that their country would be leaving a union they had no desire to abandon.
Turning back to look at our own politics, we again speechlessly watched as the titleless Donald Trump became the candidate for the Republican Party. It’s an ironic cruelty that our first female candidate for the presidency, Secretary Hillary Clinton, should run against a sexist bigot such as Trump. However, as sexual allegations against Trump began to rise, his poll numbers have decreased, hopefully just in time to make sure Clinton receives the nomination. If the Brexit has taught us anything, it’s hopefully that young people need to get out and vote to make sure our country ends up in good hands.
What else can 2016 bring to the table with just two months left?