by Mike Godesky
Well, it’s that time of year again. TIME magazine is once again deciding on it’s person of the year, the person, group, or idea that “for better or worse, has most influenced events in the preceding year.” The feature has been a yearly tradition for TIME since 1927 when Charles Lindbergh became the first “Man of the Year.” Already, there is quite a bit of buzz concerning who should be chosen as there is every year. So I thought it would be only appropriate to offer up my own suggestions for the person who has most influenced the events of 2004. So here it is. My top 10 picks for Anthropik’s Person of the Year.
by Mike Godesky
As somebody who watches television news more than any reasonable person should, there is not a doubt in my mind that The NewsHour with Jim Lehrer is easily the best nightly news show on American television. It is more professional than the CBS Evening News and ABC’s World News Tonight; and much more professional than NBC’s Nightly News. It is more substantive than CNN’s Anderson Cooper 360� or Paula Zahn Now. And comparing it to FOX News’ FOX Report is just an insult to Jim Lehrer’s ability as a journalist. So what makes NewsHour different from the rest of the competition? Well, one big difference is that the show airs on PBS.
by Mike Godesky
Who can forget about the controversy caused earlier this year when Justin Timberlake pulled off a part of Janet Jackson’s costume, exposing her right breast during the halftime show of Super Bowl XXXVIII? Seriously, if you’ve managed to forget it, please let me know how you did it. For weeks afterward we were forced to watch as outraged commentators raced to see who could be the first to work themselves up into having a stroke right there on the air. Because when you’re watching an event that serves as the number one advertiser for sex drugs and chauvinist beer commercials, it’s obvious that the biggest moral issue is a fleeting glimpse of a person’s nipple. Well, those responsible for policing broadcasts of football games are bringing us the same sort of moral guidance we have come to expect from them and 8-year-olds afraid of getting cooties. This time the controversy is over ABC’s opening to this week’s Monday Nigh Football game.
by Jason Godesky
Much of the current debate over gay marriage misses the biggest point entirely. The question is not at all what we think of homosexuality; it is not about building a godly society, nor what we condone or condemn as a society, nor about health insurance or tax breaks. At issue is our very formulation of freedom itself. There are 1,049 rights enjoyed by every citizen of the United States allowed to marry. If we categorically deny these rights to homosexuals, we have created a second class citizenship–and if we do that, then none of us have any rights at all.
by Giulianna Lamanna
By now, I’m sure we’re all familiar with this image:
It’s been burned into our national consciousness, not just as a simple graph indicating which candidate won the majority of which state’s voters, but as a symbol of the Great Cultural Divide in American politics. And yes, capitalization is required.
