Annus horribilis
As we head out the door of 2016 the general feeling seems to be - “well thank goodness that’s over”. it’s been a challenging year on many fronts around the world. Some of Dubbo Weekenders regular contributing writers weigh in on some of the more memorable high and low points. “The unthinkable happened in Britain, and without an actual plan, Nigel Farage and Boris Johnson managed to withdraw Britain from the EU and, like a bunch of playground knuckleheads, could only muster a silly grin as an exit strategy.” – James Eddy
IMIGHT be tempting fate, given I’m writing this in early December, but it would appear that I’ve bucked a significant trend and survived 2016. (If something untoward occurs and I don’t make it through until the 31st, I guess I will at least be in credit for my contributions, if not my accuracy…)
It’s been a shocker of a year, in terms of the deaths of the great and the good, so I’m a little surprised by the fact of my survival. Think of the legends we have lost this year. And with all the other shit that’s gone down, it’s truly been an annus horribilis.
All the deaths… deaths of people like David Bowie, Gene Wilder, Andrew Sachs and Leonard Cohen to name just a few. We’ve had terrorist attacks, wars and refugee crises, the Trumpster effect, the shock of Brexit, it’s been a pretty filthy year. In many ways the best thing that can be said for December 31 this year is that it might give us some sort of closure and bring this run to an end. Like drawing a line in the sand and hoping that the New Year might bring something better.
The best commentary I’ve seen on the success of Donald Trump has come from British actor and comedian Tom Walker, and his character ‘Jonathon Pie’. So I’ve decided that I’m now following him on You tube. For something that is meant to be satire, it’s making a lot of sense to me.
2016 has been one of those years when humorous commentators actually run the risk of being believed. When someone like the Betoota Advocate gets quoted by other media organisations (who haven’t quite picked up on the subtleties of their schtick), you know we truly have entered the ‘post-truth’ era. As a journalist, it’s getting to the stage when I’m tempted to reduce my news intake to the comedy channel and get the ironic interpretation rather than the original story. Perhaps that might take some of the sting out the tail. News provided by the Betoota Advocate and Overheard in the Newsroom, on Facebook.
But we are now hearing there’s a trend toward people getting all their news from social media, rather than from news organisations. So if you only follow people who agree with you, then you’re not going to get any news that is new to you. Post-news in fact.