To be honest, many of the items that made the Post‘s list felt like consolation prizes in a year that ground America down to little else but a nub. Even the board itself acknowledged that many items on the list were more “silver lining” additions than things to wholeheartedly celebrate. Sure, it was nice to reconnect with old friends and distant relatives over Zoom and FaceTime more frequently (No. 5), but I would have gladly given that up to skip the wave of suffering that swept over the nation and the globe.
Also, while many of us did gain a much deeper appreciation for “the selfless dedication of nurses, orderlies, doctors and other health workers who risked their lives to save ours” (No. 3), the sentiment seems to whitewash reality. Trump and hordes of his conspiracy-devouring supporters heaped scorn and derision on these tireless heroes all while ensuring that they would experience a maximum amount stress and tumult as they tried to nurse the country back to health. I have never been more grateful for our healthcare/frontline heroes, but it’s rather hard to take the glass half-full view as we enter the holiday with maxed out ICUs across the country. The real saving grace here seems to be the vaccine that hopefully will soon start to ease their tireless days and nights.
The racial reckoning that was jumpstarted this year, however, has been truly moving—a 2020 occurrence that was featured in several of the Post’s entries. The masses who took to the streets following the brutal killing of George Floyd and demanded police reforms have been both inspired and inspiring. And Black women—the backbone of the Democratic Party—leading the way to Trump’s ouster alongside the elevation of the first person of color and woman to be the nation’s second in command was legitimately so sweet and historic. Rounding out the top 20, the Post writes:
After four years of an administration appointing mostly White men to the judiciary and the executive branch, the government was set to look more like America. And not just with its new vice president, but with a plethora of new faces including the most Native Americans elected to Congress, the most trans people elected to state legislatures, a burst of Republican women elected to Congress and a highly diverse and competent array of nominees for the incoming Cabinet.
Oh — and a panda was born at the National Zoo!
Happy new year. May 2021 bring the country and the world far more to truly delight in at this time next year.
Source: http://feeds.dailykosmedia.com/~r/dailykosofficial/~3/gQvrXL0W1s0/–We-celebrate-the-defeat-of-the-worst-president-in-U-S-history