Who should be Time's 2023 Person of the Year?

[John Dule]

Still cannot hum a single one of her songs from memory. Hard to see how she’s that influential when she can’t come up with a unique melody to save her life.

I’m not even a huge fan but I can easily think of several of her songs that I can sing along to. At this point, not knowing anything about Taylor Swift and her music is willful ignorance or contrarianism. Not a good look imo. Life is about more than politics and “very serious” affairs!

Trust me, I’ve been on road trips with women and I’ve been subjected to many hours of Taylor Swift. Not one of her songs remained in my head even a second after it ended. It’s like a white noise machine.

[Horus]

Still cannot hum a single one of her songs from memory. Hard to see how she’s that influential when she can’t come up with a unique melody to save her life.

I’m not even a huge fan but I can easily think of several of her songs that I can sing along to. At this point, not knowing anything about Taylor Swift and her music is willful ignorance or contrarianism. Not a good look imo. Life is about more than politics and “very serious” affairs!

How about if like me you only listen to like emo, hardcore and related genres and thus have no interest in Taylor Swift?

And I mainly listen to hip hop, trip hop, neo soul and jazz.

Also Michael Jackson should've won in 1983, if we wanna talk about artists truly changing the cultural zeitgeist.

[DaleCooper]

For those who are arguing it shouldn't have been her... are you saying that because you personally don't like her, or you genuinely don't think she deserves the title?

Time always picks someone who has had the most impact on the world that year, and I'm not really sure how you can complain that she hasn't done that. Her tour literally boosted the U.S. economy in a non negligible way and she dominated the news cycle the entire year. It's also nice not having a political figure grace the cover for once.

It shouldn't have been her because it is incredibly absurd (and insulting) to suggest that Taylor Swift had the most impact on the world this year. The current war in Israel will define the Israel-Palestine conflict for decades if not centuries. Sam Altman is the personification of the AI business and that technology is never going away. The Russian and Chinese dictators are some of the most powerful and dangerous people alive, with one of them currently engaged in a war of aggression while the other is considering doing the same. Even the Hollywood strikers, a pretty weak finalist if you ask me, brought the entire film and television industries to a halt practically overnight. Taylor Swift sold a bunch of concert tickets and got a bunch of attention for her tabloid relationships.

Let's really boil it down here. For all of the worshipful puff pieces about her saving the economy (as though concerts drawing a ton of traffic to local businesses is a new thing), really all that happened is that her fans listened to her music and gave her a ton of money this year. Every single thing she has done this year has been a shrewd business decision expertly engineered to enrich herself as much as possible. Cool. Good for her. She's great at self-promotion, I'll give her that. Even her Time's POTY cover and article is all PR nonsense about how perfect she is with no analysis whatsoever of her character or influence. (Seriously, if she's actually the most important person on Earth this year, wouldn't they want to dig a little deeper? These "journalists" are such big fans that it seems like a conflict of interest.) This whole Person of the Year spectacle is a commercial for her brand. Meanwhile, in reality, all this crap about the Taylor Swift concert movie or her relationship with a football player will be little more than trivia questions soon, and more difficult ones with each passing year.

[TheReckoning]

Should’ve given it to Biden to boost him in polls.

[President Johnson]

Should’ve given it to Biden to boost him in polls.

Wouldn't have moved a single point. Assuming your post wasn't ironic anyway.

[TheReckoning]

Should’ve given it to Biden to boost him in polls.

Wouldn't have moved a single point. Assuming your post wasn't ironic anyway.

Time is a magazine with a lot of heft. If they named him POTY and highlighted some of his accomplishments, it could motivate a people who would otherwise stay home to vote for him.

[GAinDC]

Should’ve given it to Biden to boost him in polls.

Wouldn't have moved a single point. Assuming your post wasn't ironic anyway.

Time is a magazine with a lot of heft. If they named him POTY and highlighted some of his accomplishments, it could motivate a people who would otherwise stay home to vote for him.

He will be Person of the Year in 2024

[TheReckoning]

Should’ve given it to Biden to boost him in polls.

Wouldn't have moved a single point. Assuming your post wasn't ironic anyway.

Time is a magazine with a lot of heft. If they named him POTY and highlighted some of his accomplishments, it could motivate a people who would otherwise stay home to vote for him.

He will be Person of the Year in 2024

I know what you’re getting at here, but that’s not relevant to whether or not announcing him as POTY now would help.

[GP270watch]

Well deserved honor for Taylor Swift, some of you just can't stand a woman bossing up.

[Red Velvet]

What did she do that was so relevant last year? The Eras Tour? I saw it in theaters and it was quite bland. Not bad, but bland.

[Pres Mike]

From an American centric perspective, she def deserves it

[Ferguson97]

Still cannot hum a single one of her songs from memory. Hard to see how she’s that influential when she can’t come up with a unique melody to save her life.

I’m not even a huge fan but I can easily think of several of her songs that I can sing along to. At this point, not knowing anything about Taylor Swift and her music is willful ignorance or contrarianism. Not a good look imo. Life is about more than politics and “very serious” affairs!

Trust me, I’ve been on road trips with women and I’ve been subjected to many hours of Taylor Swift. Not one of her songs remained in my head even a second after it ended. It’s like a white noise machine.

Again, "I, John Dule, do not personally like her music or find it memorable" is not an argument that she isn't culturally relevant.

The quality of her music is subjective, but's not what we're talking about here.

[DaleCooper]

Still cannot hum a single one of her songs from memory. Hard to see how she’s that influential when she can’t come up with a unique melody to save her life.

I’m not even a huge fan but I can easily think of several of her songs that I can sing along to. At this point, not knowing anything about Taylor Swift and her music is willful ignorance or contrarianism. Not a good look imo. Life is about more than politics and “very serious” affairs!

Trust me, I’ve been on road trips with women and I’ve been subjected to many hours of Taylor Swift. Not one of her songs remained in my head even a second after it ended. It’s like a white noise machine.

Again, "I, John Dule, do not personally like her music or find it memorable" is not an argument that she isn't culturally relevant.

The quality of her music is subjective, but's not what we're talking about here.

She's culturally relevant but that doesn't mean that she is the most important or most impactful person on earth. Your brain would have to be fried on empty girlboss feminism to believe such an absurd thing. The fact that Time thinks she is, and that they published what is essentially a Teen Vogue puff piece about her instead of a real profile, is further proof that the mainstream media is essentially dead.

[beaver2.0]

Initially I didn't want any of these choices but looking back I think Sam Altman was the best choice. The explosion of AI this year is easily the most important technological development I can think of in the last few years. Ideally I'd have had the Person of the Year just be AI but if they're looking for a single person then Sam Altman is the right choice to represent all these technological advances.

[Del Tachi]

Still cannot hum a single one of her songs from memory.

Imagine thinking everything is about you lmao 

[Del Tachi]

Still cannot hum a single one of her songs from memory. Hard to see how she’s that influential when she can’t come up with a unique melody to save her life.

I’m not even a huge fan but I can easily think of several of her songs that I can sing along to. At this point, not knowing anything about Taylor Swift and her music is willful ignorance or contrarianism. Not a good look imo. Life is about more than politics and “very serious” affairs!

Trust me, I’ve been on road trips with women and I’ve been subjected to many hours of Taylor Swift. Not one of her songs remained in my head even a second after it ended. It’s like a white noise machine.

Again, "I, John Dule, do not personally like her music or find it memorable" is not an argument that she isn't culturally relevant.

The quality of her music is subjective, but's not what we're talking about here.

And while the quality of her music is subjective, her influence is not.  Eras will be the highest grossing music tour in world history, by a long shot. 

[Del Tachi]

Of course Atlas, as a >90% male space, would misunderstood what makes Taylor Swift a cultural giant.  It isn't the quality of even quantity of her music.  It's the width and depth of her celebrity.  Some of y'all are obviously uncomfortable with the idea a woman can be a celebrity on the same level of the Beatles, Michael Jackson, etc, but no woman has ever achieved what Taylor has.  

And 2023 is the year to recognize this.  The Eras tour and Barbie were the biggest cultural phenoms of the summer.  Beneath their bubblegum pop surfaces, both are uncomfortable yet ultimately gleeful female coming of age stories that so many (White) women are able to reflect.  Telling a story and being a character that people can see themselves in is a superpower, and one that will put Taylor into the upper echelons of celebrity forever.  

[I spent the winter writing songs about getting better]

Of course Atlas, as a >90% male space, would misunderstood what makes Taylor Swift a cultural giant.  It hasn't the quality of even quantity of her music.  It's the width and depth of her celebrity.  Some of y'all are obviously uncomfortable with the idea a woman can be a celebrity on the same level of the Beatles, Michael Jackson, etc, but no woman has ever achieved what Taylor has. 

And 2023 is the year to recognize this.  The Eras tour and Barbie were the biggest cultural phenoms of the summer.  Beneath their bubblegum pop surfaces, both are uncomfortable yet ultimately gleeful female coming of age stories that so many (White) women are able to reflect.  Telling a story and being a character that people can see themselves in is a superpower, and one that will put Taylor into the upper echelons of celebrity forever. 

I bet the ~40% of Furnace Fest attendees who are women would agree with us!

[DrScholl]

The anger over Taylor Swift being person of the year is evidence of the deeply rooted problems some people have. You have some misogynistic elements that are angry because they hate her and then you have far leftist angry at her because she won't condemn Israel. Like her or not she has built a brand that generates massive cash flow and she will have a cultural impact for a long time.

And personally I would prefer more recognition of positive achievements instead of something negative. I seriously think a lot of people need to take a step back and find something positive to dwell on, because the current era of politics and foreign police is toxic. I've had to take a step back myself because it's overwhelming.

[°Leprechaun]

From what I understand, Time has never picked a pop culture figure for POTY, it’s always been a political figure.

As it should be. Political figures rule the world for good or for ill. Entertainers generally don't change my life one bit. Entertainment is good, but they don't change anything unless they get involved in either politics or advocacy for good causes.

Scientists certainly have an impact.

[John Dule]

The anger over Taylor Swift being person of the year is evidence of the deeply rooted problems some people have. You have some misogynistic elements that are angry because they hate her and then you have far leftist angry at her because she won't condemn Israel. Like her or not she has built a brand that generates massive cash flow and she will have a cultural impact for a long time.

And personally I would prefer more recognition of positive achievements instead of something negative. I seriously think a lot of people need to take a step back and find something positive to dwell on, because the current era of politics and foreign police is toxic. I've had to take a step back myself because it's overwhelming.

Wow, what a nuanced take bro. Maybe you should be person of the year.

[PSOL]

From a US-centric standpoint, the award should have gone to either Swift or Altman based on impact and popularity.

Internationally and from an objective standpoint, with the greatest mobilization of people since the 2000s excluding BLM, giving it to any leading actor in the current war between Israel and Palestine is the correct choice. I suppose if you want to be detailed and get in the nitty gritty give it to Hamas military leader Deif.