Just before the end of 2006, lying on my desk surrounded by the clutter of my daily mail, was my latest edition of Time magazine. It was their Christmas issue, the one that everyone who, whether or not they read Time, cannot wait to be published. Thereby, finally solving the mystery and discovering, after all the speculation by their readers, other media sources and competitors, who will be chosen as "Person of The Year" for 2006.
As I quickly looked at the cover, a sudden wave of excitement came over me. I felt like a child who just discovered a new puppy under the Christmas tree. There it was in living color shining on a piece of three by five inch Mylar, my face. It was I. I was chosen as Time's "Person of the Year."
I was astonished. I felt humbled and honored. But why would they pick me? What did I do to deserve this wonderful honor? I know I did not cure some dreaded disease, find some new economic theory or save the world from oblivion. The euphoria was overwhelming. I was ecstatic. Prior to this moment the biggest thrill in my life, other than the birth of my children and grandchildren came during my first book signing after my first book was published. As a child, I was always chasing after baseball players after a game or celebrities outside of a theater seeking their autographs. Now for the first time in my life, people wanted mine. I had always wished it would be the Pulitzer. But "Person of the Year," I never even dreamed about it. Wow, what a thrill!
It did not take but a few minutes for the euphoria to wear off. I sat in my office and started to reflect after reading the article written by Lev Grossman, which explained why they had chosen "You" (a pronoun that I interpreted to mean me.) How we, who from Time's perspective is 'You,' with all the technological gadgets at our fingertips are able to scoop the newsmakers. With our camera phones, blackberry's, lap-tops and all of the other high-tech equipment, we have the capability to pass information along in nano-seconds; long before the paid professionals even are aware that it has happened. "You" are breaking the news.
Therefore, "for seizing the reins of the global media, for founding and framing the new digital democracy, for working for nothing and beating the pros at their own game, TIME's Person of the Year for 2006 is you."
I thought about this for a moment and said to myself that the brothers Grimm could not have written it better. Is that the real reason I was chosen or was Time's editors, as they sat around their conference room table brainstorming who would grace their cover, may have suddenly been overcome by a wave of political correctness. Did they chose 'you' so they would not be labeled as hypocrites? Think about it. Time has been singing the praises of political correctness for years. I cannot remember a recent issue that they published that did not have some politically correct overtones in it.
Political correctness has gotten so far out of hand, that I am afraid to speak extemporaneously in public anymore without having a battery of lawyers and a representative from the ACLU at my side. Political Correctness has taught us that everyone is a winner. Students are allowed to repeat exams in school if they fall below the grade. Many schools have done away with winners and losers. In some schools they have abolished failing grades. You can have as many chances as you need to get the right answer.
Students in many schools are marked wrong with a "Purple Pen" not red. Red is a harsh negative color - and negativity does not belong in our schools, the experts claim. Red became that way because of what it stood for- failure. How long will it take Purple to stand for failure? What will we do then, spend another million to discover it should be changed to Yellow? Maybe we will start to report failing companies on the NYSE and NASDAQ as showing more purple ink on their books than black. Most schools will not tell a student they have failed. The new catch phrase is "Temporarily Academic Deficient." After school, every child is allowed to join an organized sports team, such as Soccer, Little League or Junior Hockey, no matter what their athletic abilities are. When I was twelve-years-old, I tried out for my neighborhood little league team. My athletic abilities were not up to the team's standards. Therefore, I did not make the team. Every team member today, gets a trophy even the 15th place team in a 14-team league. Everyone is a winner; there are no losers.
Just recently in Needham, Massachusetts, a local school district did away with the reporting of a high school honor roll. It has become politically incorrect for students who do not study hard to feel different from those who excel. Honor students will no longer be recognized. Everyone is equal. Therefore, in the name of political correctness we are turning our future generations into consistent winners. From the time they enter school in kindergarten until they graduate college, they will always be a winner. That bears no resemblance to anything in real life. There are always winners and losers. We do not expect our professional sports teams to win every game. Someone has to lose. It almost appears that competitiveness is becoming politically incorrect.
Time has shown me, time after time, no pun intended, that they believe that this new proclamation on political correctness that has overtaken America over the past few years is a move in the right direction.
What happens when the winners we have contrived in the name of political correctness lose their first job? What happens to a winner if that person has never lost? How long will it take depression to set in? If you do not learn how to handle failure early on in life and turn it around, you are not going to learn it when you are twenty-five. The pharmaceutical companies must love it. Every year they produce a supply of new anti-depression drugs. If I were a clinical psychologist today, I would franchise depression clinics.
Therefore, with this in mind, and Time magazines position on political correctness, It did not take me long to realize that I was chosen as Time's, "Person of the Year" in the name of political correctness. You see Time did not want me to feel like a loser. Therefore, it is my belief that in the name of political correctness (they will never admit it), I was chosen.
I now have a new entry on my resume. Under personal accomplishments it reads, 2006 Time Magazine's "Person of the Year." Thank you Time.
Michael Solomon
Author of 'Where Did My America Go?"
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