Good-bye 2011, you were amazing #Lineup

The Lineup: December ‘11

#EpicFail: Government.  No one thing was clearer to me this year than the disgust that people have had with government.  In the Middle East, we saw several revolutions that directly led to three dictators being ousted from their thrones.  Even stateside, we saw our fair share of protesting.  Whether it was the Tea Party or Occupy [Enter City Here], Americans were simply unhappy with the people that run our country.  Despite me being an avid Obama supporter, I too am disappointed with my government.  Shame on the Republicans for holding this country hostage and prolonging the economic crisis for the sole purpose of setting the table for the 2012 election and shame on you, President Obama, for allowing their antics to be paraded around as democracy.

(Related: Kim Jong-Il died this month. Not a great year for dictators.)

Missing the point: When are we going to realize that we are caring about all the wrong things?  We can’t be more focused celebrity weddings and preggo pictures than teenage pregnancy, crime and prejudice.   I’m not saying don’t read page 6, just read pages 1-5 before you get there.

(UNrelated: Media scandal and priorities were on the same page when it came to the Penn State Sandusky situation.)

(UNrelated: Charlie Sheen.  He was just too awesome to ignore.)

What really caught my eye:  Zombies.  In my humble opinion, the best television show of 2011 was The Walking Dead.  That’s saying something during a year where Breaking Bad and Sons of Anarchy reached epic levels, Rescue Me had its swan song and Dexter, well, you know how he gets down.  No other show on television kept me on the edge of my couch for nearly every second of every episode this season.  It is the first show that has been able to capture the “movie experience” (think the opposite of Terra Nova).  Before the show continues in February, I implore you all to catch up on this show.

(Related: Modern Family has the chance to go down as one of the greatest sitcoms of all time.)

Finality: After 9 very long years, the war in Iraq is over.  The last of the remaining American soldiers finally returned.  This is amazing news because we no longer have to hear about another soldier losing her life on the battlefield.  Having said that, I think its time that we take an honest look at what will be considered the greatest error of our generation.  The war in Iraq was wrong.  There’s no other way to say it.  Thousands of lives were lost and we have very little to show for it.  Rather than admitting our mistakes years ago, the issue got so politicized that leaving meant we weren’t supporting the troops.  There has got to be a way to be critical without disrespecting our armed forces.  The two points can be mutually exclusive.  This is surely on instance when history cannot repeat itself.

(UNrelated: Seal Team 6.  That was the target we should have been after the entire time and we got him.)

What caught my ear: Cole World.  Heading into 2011, I was fully prepared to give the crown to Jay-Z and Kanye when I heard they would be dropping a collaborative album.  Even Drake had a shot at the title since I’m such a fan and his first album was so successful.  But as I sit here today, the album that meant the most to me as a fan of hip-hop and its culture was J. Cole’s, Cole World: The Sideline Story.  To me, Cole took me back to when debut albums were about telling one’s story and introducing themselves to the world.  This album wasn’t about radio hits and club bangers, it was about Cole.  It was once in question whether, Cole would ever get to release this album and now he can say he delivered one of the best debut albums of the past decade. #Salute.

(Related: Thank you rap Gods for giving us Kendrick Lamar. That is all.)

Math 101?: 99 < 1. I am in favor of economic equality in the sense that we all deserve and equal opportunity to earn as much money as our ability allows but I draw a line at the point where I blame rich people for all of the ills of the poor.  It is not their fault your life sucks.  Period.  When you chose not to take 10^th grade seriously and you ended up with a GED, you put your self in a position where your ceiling was severely limited.  If you decided that you weren’t going to take the time to learn how to use a computer because that stuff was only for “geeks” you ultimately set your career ladder on fire.  There are people in this country who have a legitimate gripe and there are wealthy individuals who should be brought to justice but not everyone in the “99%” are victims.  If you fail to properly frame your argument, you run the risk of looking childish and bitter and that will ultimately prevent you from gaining support.

Divine Intervention:  No athlete caught the nation’s attention the way that Tim Tebow has.  He is currently the most divisive athlete in sports. (Lebron caused major waves but football is a MUCH bigger sport.) Since Tebow was named the Broncos starting quarterback, ESPN has discussed him every single day.  I’m not sure I’ve seen something like this before.  And never before have I seen someone with such a limited skill set win so many games and give haters so many reasons to hate.  Admittedly, some of the ways that he’s managed to win is inexplicable – almost to the point where the thought crosses your mind that a “higher authority” might be involved.  Either way, it doesn’t matter, Tebow is getting the job done and you have to respect him for that.

(Related: The Lebron James thing was pretty big.)

(Related: USA Women’s soccer was awesome this summer, thanks ladies)

(UNrelated:  I’m sorry but I saw 1,345 articles on how the “players” in the NBA were treated so poorly yet no one ever talked about the real victims of this lockout – the fans.)

Thank you and Farewell:  Steve Jobs.  I would be remiss if I didn’t give credit to the man that made it a bit simpler and a bit cooler to write and post my thoughts on Straight/Pen.  Everyday I use my MacBook Pro and my iPod nano and that simply wouldn’t be possible if it wasn’t for Steve Jobs.  Jobs made being a nerd, cool.  Not everyone can say that they changed the world, but he surely has.  Jobs was a visionary in every sense of the word and he will be missed.

Thanks for reading. See you in 2012.