2017: The year we felt it all

When one tries to mull over what happened over the past year, it may be impossible to try to wrap your head around. This is likely because I guarantee you’ve already forgotten at least a quarter of the big stories that infiltrated our media outlets over the course of 363 days.  Once it comes back to you, the mulling gets thicker.

Even as I tried to sit down and conjure up what I wanted to try and say about this year, so much had fallen from memory. Perhaps it was shoved out, a preference I subconsciously chose to  try and distance myself from so many of the unsettling stories that I absorbed, got angry about, and tried to find some solace within conversation with others.  Best word for 2017’s political climate? Tumultuous. What helped me get the donkeys and elephants back in a row? We can thank Domenico Montenegro over at NPR and his beautiful bracket work summing up the top political stories of last year. I have a feeling this may have been unlike other years in more recent times. Instead of taking a final at the end of the semester, imagine taking one at the end of your high school career that covered the onslaught you learned during your time there. That’s kind of what summing up this year feels like; daunting, unsettling, and too much to cover. So what affected us?  Who provoked it? I bet these answers will be the same.

If you find yourself glancing over the year’s news, you’re engulfed with bad memories, heartbreaking choices made by the US and its leaders, and destruction that changed the lives of those who reside in Texas, Florida, and of course Puerto Rico. Starting in order may be necessary to keep a proper timeline, as some of these events fueled others.

The Inauguration kicked off at the end of January, but we got plenty of wallowing in before that date had fallen. Of course, the fresh administration doctored up the reports of attendance. I wish I could say that was a glimpse of what was to come, but unfortunately, we already had the negative insight before it became official. We had millions of women march together worldwide to show that, YES, WOMEN’S RIGHTS ARE HUMAN RIGHTS. Seas of pink hats flooded city streets, lesser known areas, and popular capitals across the country. While the signs were witty, the presence alone was the loudest message.

Shortly after came the Syrian attacks and an attempted Travel Ban from Muslim countries. Gorsuch was put on the Supreme Court, Flynn was compromised; Sally Yates was fired. We got stuck with Sessions, and then came the Russia investigation. We certainly are still enjoying our tango with Russia, and it may be quite a long dance. Then came the recuse. Denial, cover-up, email unveiling, and other spin-offs have occurred since we’ve started the episode, and we’ll likely be staying tuned in.  We’ve seen a revolving door of staff members end up on the outside of the White House {Priebus, Gorka, Walsh, Bannon, Spicer, don’t worry, there’s more} and others with notable positions find their jobs threatened – frequently. A man that led one of our most respected institutions, James Comey, was fired without any warning when he was away, only to create its own sea of disaster. We waited apprehensively as he testified, hell, I brought a bag of popcorn to the office as I watched. Let’s not forget about the never-ending threats with the border wall. Then it was Mueller Time.

America pulled out of the Paris Climate Accords, being included among an extremely short list of non-participants. Pardoned, was a sheriff who confused race with criminal behavior. Four Green Berets were killed in Niger, a situation that still presents uncertainty. This was made into an entirely different story when a spouse of one of the soldiers received a disappointing phone call from the country’s leader. We were still trying our best to tolerate our own president who felt the best way to project his hatred, objection, and blatant ignorance was and still is via Twitter. Trump challenged Tillerson to an IQ test, spent overwhelming time on the wrong “course”, and tried to view the eclipse via squinting. Forget not, the shooting that took place in Alexandria against congressmen, including the Majority Whip, Steve Scalise, who, by the way, is still not all for added gun legislation.

Those who are transgendered were told that they would no longer be able to serve in the military, an unexpected and unwarranted call that was just another tweet for Trump. The bathroom debate lingered on. There was a new Communications Director that held position for less than 10 days, wildfires set California ablaze, Tom Petty died. We saw powerful men become significantly weakened by numerous women who were brave enough to come forward with their stories of assault and harassment; Harvey Weinstein, Charlie Rose, Bill O’Reilly, Kevin Spacey, and Matt Lauer. That’s the exceptionally short list, but names, whether we liked them, loved them, or just agreed to disagree with them, were a big part of media life that we grew accustomed to. Don't let that whole "Rocket Man!" debacle slip your mind. North Korea seems to be on the minds of many lately. Surprise, surprise.

Men, such as Bob Corker and Jeff Flake who served their states and constituents for years decided that this climate is no longer one they’d like to be serving in. If you decided to play a drinking game based on every time you heard “Fake News!” come out of Trump’s mouth, you likely would have fallen dead months ago. The retaliation against the media was just one of the scariest things to happen this year, you find yourself questioning all the time. Where is the validity? Sources, please. MORE BI-PARTISAN AGREEMENTS, IF YOU WILL!

Don’t forget about the backlash against the NFL. If you had avoided politics because it wasn’t “your thing”, now became a point in time when your ears perked up, because politics had now touched so many things that it hadn’t quite reached before. Did he really call the players who stood for their beliefs by taking a knee “sons of bitches”? Why yes, yes he did. Absolutely take the time to remember those who found themselves in the thick of hatred in Las Vegas, Texas, Charlottesville, and New York. The people who were gathered to simply enjoy another day of life; a festivity, a rally, a concert, a church service, only to be ended by ignorance and loathing.

There were three names you heard a lot without seeing any faces, but the destruction and devastation they caused were significant. You know them by Harvey, Irma, and Maria. McCain gave a “thumbs-down” to health care and we saw huge tax legislation that affects millions get passed in the blink of an eye. Remember when we thought Georgia was going to be the most exciting special election this year? Al Franken stepped down, and thankfully, Roy Moore lost. A man who was accused by multiple women of harassment {then again, so is our president} and being with underage girls, was a few breaths away from winning the Alabama senate race at the start of December. Doug Jones prevailed and now a democrat holds the seat for the first time since ’92. Women also helped close out the year in a big way. From the Women’s March to the stories of the “Silence Breakers”, women were stronger than ever, and we’re only going to continue to gain strength. That is not the point of this post, but it is an important take-away.

So where does all of this get us? How did it make you feel? I can say that this is the most impacted I have ever felt by a single administration. Is it because maybe I am paying attention a bit more than in the past? Sure. That is a good possibility. Is it beneficial that anger was a motivator in getting so many people involved in political happenings? That I do not know, but I do think that whatever gets you involved should be noted as some sort of positive,  because it’s not always what gets you to a point, but what you do with it once you with it once you’re there.

Many of these occurrences that happened over the past year left me with my mouth gaped and my mind astir. As a first-year PoliSci major at Northeastern Illinois, I was able to utilize what I was learning and apply it to many events that affected many around the globe. Having that semester was helpful, but it wasn’t a necessary factor when it came to me getting involved and mustering the desire to create change. This administration, was ITS OWN perfect motivator to go out and make some sort of positive impact. Perhaps it was the feeling of, “if I can’t do anything on a grand scale, then a smaller-scale effort will have to suffice”. More people got involved in local politics, campaigns, and fundraising. Law School applicants are on the rise. Younger politicians are emerging. This is is quite a radical time. While it feels rather scary, it also feels like you’re part of this grand scheme of change, trying to resist the negatives, and doing what you can to fight the good fight. You can do something good with it or you can go with the flow.

Another bonkers aspect of it all? This was merely what happened within the United States. Other stories deserve some serious mention and recognition, regardless of where they happened; they impacted people for the better or worse. I don’t want to leave those vital bits of information and news out of what happened in this post, but I also believe this post should stay focused on the mayhem that occurred within this country in what feels like such a short time. These are big issues that affected millions of people, and so negatively at that. All in all, this year was rough. I would love to talk more about certain issues, but there are so many things to delve into, I would be here through all of 2018 taking the time to spill out a few thoughts on each of these subjects. A small thing to keep in mind: if Steve Bartman can acquire a World Series ring in 2017, then perhaps this year proved that just about anything can happen.