Thread: Fuck off, 2016 Board: Hell / Ship of Fools.
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Posted by Zappa (# 8433) on
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For those of us who have cause to express some disgust at the year that has produced rather a lot of Very Public Departures™, Trumpit and Brexit, a fuckload of bigotry and or a heap of personal shit.
I'm not waiting for New Year's Eve: 2016, get your rotting maggot infested necrotic fucking arse outa here. I don't think, in my personal lifestory, I've experienced a worse year (despite some amazing moments which, thank God, outweighed the fuckawful litany of shyte).
Rot In Hell 2016.
Feel free to add your retrospective angst.
Posted by Palimpsest (# 16772) on
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At year's ends, it's good to remember the pilot's saying; any landing you walk away from is a good one.
That includes crawling which I've had to do with a holiday broken foot once.
And the worst of things like Trumpery, Brexit and the deaths of many people I've admired over the years is that for many of them, the worst consequences are just getting started.
Posted by Kelly Alves (# 2522) on
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We say this every fucking year!
Posted by Kittyville (# 16106) on
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Yeah, but 2016 has been particularly shithouse for many reasons. Pauline Hanson got re-elected to the federal senate here, among many many low points. Even if her views weren't utterly objectionable, having to listen to her voice would be appalling enough on its own.
Posted by Pangolin Guerre (# 18686) on
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Actually, Kelly, I don't bitch every year, but I am this time. Aside from the public disasters we all witnessed (elections, deaths, etc)... Of four friends with cancer, two died, and the other two are terminal; my own health has been the worst of my life; a potentially very lucrative contract never fulfilled its potential, and then was restructured out of existence, with nothing on the horizon; I've had an ongoing dispute with my lying bastard, cash-grabbing landlord, which while recently resolved mostly in my favour by the provincial board, has been an unceasing source of stress, which caused me to leave my catechesis and delay a return to education; leaving the apartment I have will mean paying 50% more than I am currently for the same quality; in consequence of all this, I've had to cancel a solo hiking vacation and sell some of my art. It's not just me - most of my friends have had a year of raining stones. That rat bastard 2016 can just fuck off.
Posted by Kelly Alves (# 2522) on
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quote:
Originally posted by Kittyville:
Yeah, but 2016 has been particularly shithouse for many reasons. Pauline Hanson got re-elected to the federal senate here, among many many low points. Even if her views weren't utterly objectionable, having to listen to her voice would be appalling enough on its own.
This is my point. It's almost like it's a hex.
"2016 Sucked! Top That, 2017!"
It's like the poor shmuck who says "Least it's not raining!" In some slapstick movie.
Anyway, don't confuse a despairing observation with a discouragement to rant about everything worth ranting about. In fact, rant for me, Willya? The asthma done took the rant out of me.
Posted by Welease Woderwick (# 10424) on
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Smile they said at the end of year X, things could get worse...
so I smiled and, sure enough, things got worse in year X+1!!!
Posted by Bishops Finger (# 5430) on
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Well, we still have Brexit, Trumpworld, the Trumpocalypse, and Nigel Garbage the UKipper to look forward to, so WW may well be right.... ![[Ultra confused]](graemlins/confused2.gif)
OTOH, 2016 started off for me with the possibility of disablement and death from a brain tumour. Happily (for me, at any rate)I'm now much better, and improving slowly despite a few residual problems. ![[Big Grin]](biggrin.gif)
At church, though, things have been dire. At least four long-standing and valued members of the already small congo have died (including our churchwarden, by suicide at the age of 46), and many others are afflicted by illness or have simply moved away. Much work is necessary in 2017 to rebuild confidence and numbers, having been hindered in 2016 by the neglect of Father Fuckwit to do any useful pastoral work. Fortunately, he retires in February... ![[Disappointed]](graemlins/disappointed.gif)
But, like many others, I'll be glad to see the back of 2016, damn its eyes...
IJ
Posted by roybart (# 17357) on
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I love the term "Trumpocalypse" and plan on adding it to my vocabulary in 2017. After the long, l-o-o-ong U.S. primary "season" it seems that Trump has been in our face forever. If Trump the candidate and President elect was ghastly, I can only guess how much worse it will be when he actually tries to govern. In political cartoons the new year is often depicted as a toddler wearing a diaper. I look forward with a mixture of relish and dread to see what the cartoonists make of the start of a full 365 days (let alone 4 years,!) of Trump in power.
Posted by Brenda Clough (# 18061) on
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I had hoped that Trump would go away, forever, in November. Alas! However, he is God's own gift to comedians and cartoonists, and I look forward to much pleasure from Saturday Night Live. I don't believe that even the Mango Mussolini can strangle all press criticism, even though he has expressed a desire to gut the First Amendment. He sowed the media wind; may he reap the media whirlwind.
Posted by no prophet's flag is set so... (# 15560) on
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Politically 2016 was actually a good year for Canada. Much better than the decade previous. We even got the Whiskey Jack designated as the national bird.
Posted by Zappa (# 8433) on
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Well NZ I guess changed prime minister (like Australia and Italy do every ten minutes) a few weeks ago ... that was meh replacing meh. On the other hand ... I'm happy to fall off the bottom of the world, but as I watch the renaissance of hatred everywhere ... I find myself digging deeper and deeper into narratives of love compassion hope ...
But I can't tap into those positives until I've named the fuckawful world we've allowed in 2016, Yeats' beast slouching towards Jerusalem to be born, named it for the horror it has been. 2016 has been awful ... the loss of wonderful public icons I guess happens every year, but the entrenchment of blatant lies and hate as The Thing™ ... this I have not seen writ so large across the globe before in my lifetime.
Personally, yeah, I've been through shit in 2016. But that may just have scoured the scales from my eyes. Maybe that's all 2016 has been and we'll wake up and see that Good Must Win. And then do the fuck something about it. Here's hoping.
Posted by Og: Thread Killer (# 3200) on
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quote:
Originally posted by no prophet's flag is set so...:
Politically 2016 was actually a good year for Canada. Much better than the decade previous. We even got the Whiskey Jack designated as the national bird.
That bird has not been designated by anybody but by some people at the Royal Canadian Geographic Society, and then over the wishes of most of the people the Society polled. This reeks of "we know better then the plebs" thinking and thus is highly unlikely to even get to parliament, let alone through it.
As for 2016 politically, I suppose if people think its good a Trump wannabe is likely to become the Tory leader federally, its been a good year up here. Its mostly been a year of not getting much done and things going backwards in some places.
Posted by rolyn (# 16840) on
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I just think that if you put the shitstick into any 365 an a quarter day cycle since the the time began when we worried about such things you'd come up with an average that 2016 falls well short of.
That isn't to say this particular year hasn't been especially dire for many. In the immortal words of noddy 'look to the future, it's only just begun'.
Posted by Kelly Alves (# 2522) on
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quote:
Originally posted by Zappa:
Well NZ I guess changed prime minister (like Australia and Italy do every ten minutes) a few weeks ago ... that was meh replacing meh. On the other hand ... I'm happy to fall off the bottom of the world, but as I watch the renaissance of hatred everywhere ... I find myself digging deeper and deeper into narratives of love compassion hope ...
But I can't tap into those positives until I've named the fuckawful world we've allowed in 2016, Yeats' beast slouching towards Jerusalem to be born, named it for the horror it has been. 2016 has been awful ... the loss of wonderful public icons I guess happens every year, but the entrenchment of blatant lies and hate as The Thing™ ... this I have not seen writ so large across the globe before in my lifetime.
Personally, yeah, I've been through shit in 2016. But that may just have scoured the scales from my eyes. Maybe that's all 2016 has been and we'll wake up and see that Good Must Win. And then do the fuck something about it. Here's hoping.
Interesting you wrote this.
I've been struggling to find words for something I have felt in the wake of the passing of La Fisher... As tragic and much too soon it was, the outpouring of love and respect and praise showered on her was like an antidote to the really base and degrading things womankind was having to endure from the media this fall. Trump attaches some jibe about physical appearance to every challenge a woman puts to him, but my 20 year old nephew and his punk friends freely admit to weeping over interview footage of a typically aged 60 year old woman and her 84 year old mother. This defies everything we are told by The World ( if I can use a Lutheranism-- replace it with "the dominant culture" if you prefer) about what makes a woman valuable.
The World said, women are only valuable in terms of how they accomodate men. Love said, bullshit. Love said, your previous ideas about what constitutes heroism, what constitutes worth, what constitutes beauty, are going to have to readjust themselves around the truth that is this woman. And that's all down to the kind of person she chose to be.
I'm saying it poorly, maybe Pyx_e or Martin will come in and rescue me. Basically I feel like what is coming is a big mixed bag-- that there will be lots of hard times, with people in high places demonstrating their perogative to not give a shit, but there will also be people rising up to Love's demand to have the last word. Hopefully many.
It's already happening.
[ 29. December 2016, 10:42: Message edited by: Kelly Alves ]
Posted by Soror Magna (# 9881) on
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2016 will become a cherished memory when Baby Fanta starts WWIII in 2017.
ETA: And I wouldn't bet against the Whiskey Jack:
#1. Go to Google Images and search for "feeding grey jay".
#2. Wisakedjak is the benevolent culture hero of the Cree tribe ... Wisakedjak is a trickster character whose adventures are often humorous. Unlike Plains Indian tricksters, however, Wisakedjak is usually portrayed as a staunch friend of humankind, and never as a dangerous or destructive being. Wisakedjak
[ 29. December 2016, 17:00: Message edited by: Soror Magna ]
Posted by Bishops Finger (# 5430) on
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Wisakedjak isn't related to Trump, then...
IJ
Posted by Stetson (# 9597) on
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quote:
Originally posted by no prophet's flag is set so...:
Politically 2016 was actually a good year for Canada.
Yeah, Justin can finally get Keystone built now!
Posted by rolyn (# 16840) on
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If anyone wants a satirical antidote to 2016 try Charlie Brooker
Posted by Spike (# 36) on
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Let's put this into some perspective. People are saying that 2016 was a terrible year, but it was no worse or better than any other year.
OK, I voted Remain in the referendum, so thought the result was a very Bad Thing, but for the 52% who voted to leave, it was a good thing.
If I lived in the USA I definitely wouldn't have voted for Trump, but those who did vote for him are happy.
As for the death toll everyone keeps on about, it's no different from any other year. People die all the time. Every year thousands of people we've never met pass away. This is devastating for their families and friends but doesn't affect the rest of us. This year, it just happened that some of those strangers we've never met happened to have "celebrity" status so their passing was reported in the media. Yes, it was sad but no real impact on my life or, I suspect, the lives of anyone else who didn't know them personally.
Posted by Penny S (# 14768) on
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When the people who are happy include those whose happiness is expressed
Posted by Penny S (# 14768) on
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When the people who are happy include those whose happiness is expressed in being beastly to other people - and over here there has been at least one death following, and apparently linked to ideas raised in Brexit, and another preceding the vote - there is some justification for the unhappy declaring that this is a uniquely nasty year.
Don't know what happened there - and I found out too late to delete. Sorry about that.
[ 30. December 2016, 08:14: Message edited by: Penny S ]
Posted by rolyn (# 16840) on
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If we want more perspective let's give up a round-robin to 1916
Try one on the general living conditions and knucklehead attitudes of 1816
We have come a long long way in 200 years and all we seem to want to do is berate ourselves and look back on some nonexistent golden age.
We are always going to have a shitload of celebs dropping because since the popular arrival of Television in the 60s we have been producing a shitload of them. And Hey, shock horror! many of these folks are now reaching the end of their God given lives. Some sooner than others admitted.
Posted by Kelly Alves (# 2522) on
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This is pretty damn funny.
Posted by Kittyville (# 16106) on
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That's gold.
I've been thinking about my favourite nickname for the President-Elect. With thanks to Brenda Clough, who introduced me to it, whether or not it's her original work - the clear winner is "The Mango Mussolini".
Posted by Amanda B. Reckondwythe (# 5521) on
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quote:
Originally posted by Spike:
If I lived in the USA I definitely wouldn't have voted for Trump, but those who did vote for him are happy.
For now.
Posted by Stercus Tauri (# 16668) on
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quote:
Originally posted by Kittyville:
That's gold.
I've been thinking about my favourite nickname for the President-Elect. With thanks to Brenda Clough, who introduced me to it, whether or not it's her original work - the clear winner is "The Mango Mussolini".
A lot of American English consists of continuations of older words that have fallen into disuse at home, so I believe we should set a good example and refer to him as president Fart.
Posted by Bishops Finger (# 5430) on
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![[Confused]](confused.gif)
Did you perhaps mean President Feortan (OE)? Fart is surely still in common use, no?
Personally I rather favour President Catgrabber..., but 'The Mango Mussolini' is just brilliant.
![[Overused]](graemlins/notworthy.gif)
IJ
Posted by Brenda Clough (# 18061) on
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No, the term was coined by some late-night TV show host or blogger, but has since achieved wide currency. I also admire Molester-in-Chief.
I am going to the March on Washington in a few weeks, and am revolving what to put on signs. Definitely "This Pussy Bites" and "The Future Is Nasty." I am also considering "Nasty Forever" and "My Pussy, My Rules", and (A modification of the popular gun-rights slogan, which depicted two crossed revolvers) an image of the female reproductive organs with the slogan, "Come and Take 'Em". I would welcome other suggestions.
Posted by Penny S (# 14768) on
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Are you planning on holding up a flip chart?
Posted by Brenda Clough (# 18061) on
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No, I will create as many signs as I have poster board for. I have rather a lot, also some nice sheets of foam core. I live in the DC suburbs, and plan to take the metro into town. So I don't have to worry about getting large unwieldy signs onto an airplane or bus. I will share the signs with my companions, and any over will be shared with signless.
Posted by Robert Armin (# 182) on
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Facebook has been full of this nonsense, whenever another celebrity has died. As a result I've taken to commenting, "Can't wait for 2017 when no one will die and all the undertakers will go out of business".
Posted by churchgeek (# 5557) on
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2016 TOOK MY CAT. ![[Mad]](angryfire.gif)
..which has improved my allergies, but still.
ETA: On the other hand, it seems to be bent on taking my '99 Taurus too, so...it's not all bad.
[ 31. December 2016, 04:35: Message edited by: churchgeek ]
Posted by Zappa (# 8433) on
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OK ... personally I've had the most fuckawful year of my life. That may have altered my perspective. I'm not actually that big on celebrities and none of them deeply inspired me. It remains the enshrinement, the permission, the licence and encouragement that has been given to hate: that, over and above my personal career-ending shit (and that can happen to anyone), has rocked, saddened, rocked and saddened, rocked and saddened me.
Only Canada shines as a nation-beacon. Canada and the knowledge that amongst the Millenials rising up there seems to be a generation that may set right the fuck up that we Babyboomers have birthed. Don't drop the baton, guys. The world needs you.
Posted by Golden Key (# 1468) on
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Kelly--
Your "I've been struggling" post is great. ![[Smile]](smile.gif)
Posted by Zappa (# 8433) on
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quote:
Originally posted by Golden Key:
Kelly--
Your "I've been struggling" post is great.
seconded, by the way
Posted by Stercus Tauri (# 16668) on
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quote:
Originally posted by Zappa:
...It remains the enshrinement, the permission, the licence and encouragement that has been given to hate.
Exactly what worries me the most, and we are already seeing it happen.
Posted by rolyn (# 16840) on
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Watched some of the TV celebrations up til 12.00am last night. Then went outside and heard many celebratory fireworks going off in various places. Went to bed, heard the radio news at 1.00am and thought to myself.... what the fuck difference has turning a page on a Roman calendar made to anything?
Posted by Bishops Finger (# 5430) on
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To which the answer is, of course, fuck all.
The bombs go off as per usual, pubs catch fire, children get mown down by hit-and-run drivers, etc. etc.
Welcome to the same old same old....
IJ
Posted by Baptist Trainfan (# 15128) on
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Well, exactly so.
And that puts both our Christmas cosyness and our petty ecclesiastical disputes into some kind of context.
[ 01. January 2017, 14:51: Message edited by: Baptist Trainfan ]
Posted by rolyn (# 16840) on
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I suppose one shouldn't view Hope pinned on an arbitrary date as pathetic and meaningless. The fireworks go up, jolliness is maintained and mass moral protected as best as it can be. Another scratch on the wall at the very least.
Crap things may have happened somewhere in the World yesterday, today, and will happen again tomorrow. The same can however be said of good things. PTL there are always more of the latter.
Posted by Pangolin Guerre (# 18686) on
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I'll come to the defence of our arbitrarily reckoned NYD. (I think that we can agree on the 365.25... days.) The first of any month is as valid a choice as any other, but, viewed from a psychological perspective, the New Year (any New Year) is an invitation to a fresh start, a new beginning, a re-ignition of some hope, and a chance to catch our breath. We just waded through a very swampy 365 days - perhaps the next 365 won't be quite so badly stained with blood, turpitude, greed, mendacity, and whatever else you might care to mention. Pray God.
Excuse me.... time to feed my unicorn.
Posted by orfeo (# 13878) on
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quote:
Originally posted by rolyn:
Watched some of the TV celebrations up til 12.00am last night. Then went outside and heard many celebratory fireworks going off in various places. Went to bed, heard the radio news at 1.00am and thought to myself.... what the fuck difference has turning a page on a Roman calendar made to anything?
Fine. We won't send you birthday cards.
Posted by Sioni Sais (# 5713) on
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quote:
Originally posted by Spike:
Let's put this into some perspective. People are saying that 2016 was a terrible year, but it was no worse or better than any other year.
OK, I voted Remain in the referendum, so thought the result was a very Bad Thing, but for the 52% who voted to leave, it was a good thing.
If I lived in the USA I definitely wouldn't have voted for Trump, but those who did vote for him are happy.
I some ways I disagree. Many if not most of those who voted to Leave the EU or for Trump were already unhappy and that was probably why they voted to leave or for Trump. I doubt they are much happier now but they do now feel smugly satisfied that a lot of others are more unhappy now than they were before.
But not, IMHO, as miserable as we'll all be in a few years time following tortuous exit negotiations and the chaos of Trump's presidency.
Posted by rolyn (# 16840) on
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The flip side of what would have happened during these 8 years yet to come if Remain had won and trump had lost will now never be known. Isn't living history just fascinating.
A lot of people wanted change--- 'Anything but more of the same. Anything must be better than this'-- went the cry before the gates of hell were opened.
Posted by orfeo (# 13878) on
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quote:
Originally posted by rolyn:
8 years
Good luck with that dream.
Posted by Stercus Tauri (# 16668) on
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quote:
Originally posted by rolyn:
The flip side of what would have happened during these 8 years yet to come if Remain had won and trump had lost will now never be known. Isn't living history just fascinating.
A lot of people wanted change--- 'Anything but more of the same. Anything must be better than this'-- went the cry before the gates of hell were opened.
Or, as H.L. Mencken put it, "Democracy is the theory that the common people know what they want, and deserve to get it good and hard". 37% of the UK electorate (52% of the vote) made a stupid decision that affects 100% of the population. In the USA the election was a referendum in which the question was, "Do you want a sleazy ignoramus for your leader?", with a predictable result. 2017 will have to try pretty hard to improve on that.
Posted by Robert Armin (# 182) on
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quote:
Originally posted by Pangolin Guerre:
I'll come to the defence of our arbitrarily reckoned NYD. (I think that we can agree on the 365.25... days.) The first of any month is as valid a choice as any other
At the risk of being a pedantic bore, for a long time in England (and throughout Europe, I believe) New Year's Day was 25th March. The only remnant of that now is our tax year beginning on April 5th (which is 25th March plus the 11 days that we jumped from moving from the Julian to Gregorian systems).
Why 25th March was picked as NYD, and why it was changed, I know not. Ken would have sorted me out in an instant; does anyone else know?
Posted by moonlitdoor (# 11707) on
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wikipedia has an article on the New Year, from which you will see that 1st of January for the new year is a much older practice than that of starting the year on Lady day.
[ 02. January 2017, 18:08: Message edited by: moonlitdoor ]
Posted by mousethief (# 953) on
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quote:
Originally posted by moonlitdoor:
wikipedia has an article on the New Year, from which you will see that 1st of January for the new year is a much older practice than that of starting the year on Lady day.
Ah but starting the new year on March 25 goes right back to the beginning of the Fourth Age, being the date the Ring went into the Fire, as we learn from Return of the King (the book, if not the movie). And that was a LONG time ago.
Posted by rolyn (# 16840) on
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quote:
Originally posted by orfeo:
Good luck with that dream.
If the Whitehouse is still standing in 8 years Daddy T will still be in it. With Mr P's assistance he might even be there longer that.
Posted by Pangolin Guerre (# 18686) on
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quote:
Originally posted by Robert Armin:
quote:
Originally posted by Pangolin Guerre:
I'll come to the defence of our arbitrarily reckoned NYD. (I think that we can agree on the 365.25... days.) The first of any month is as valid a choice as any other
At the risk of being a pedantic bore, for a long time in England (and throughout Europe, I believe) New Year's Day was 25th March. The only remnant of that now is our tax year beginning on April 5th (which is 25th March plus the 11 days that we jumped from moving from the Julian to Gregorian systems).
Why 25th March was picked as NYD, and why it was changed, I know not. Ken would have sorted me out in an instant; does anyone else know?
I was aware of that, but I don't think that the 25th of any month would find much support, it being plainly loopy, whereas were someone to say, "Why not 1 July?" the counterarguments would be much less forceful.
As for your pedantry, I live and breathe pedantry. I've been called worse than a pedant. You get a pass.
Posted by Curiosity killed ... (# 11770) on
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Quarter days were based on Saints Days and equinoxes, longest and shortest days - Lady Day in March, Midsummer's Day - summer solstice, Michaelmas and Christmas Day. Lady Day was the start of the new year because it was a good day for year long farming contracts to start - it was one of the big hiring days.
Lady Day also is linked to the Annunciation - and certain Christians thought that should be when the year started.
Posted by Soror Magna (# 9881) on
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It's still going on ... I found out yesterday via Facebook that a dear friend died while on his annual vacation in Puerto Vallarta. He wasn't as big as Prince or Bowie, but he was a really important part of the local opera / operetta / musical theatre scene for over 50 years - a valued and beloved colleague, teacher, mentor and friend. Unlike some of our other losses in 2016, he had a full and happy life and died in his happy place.
Posted by Evensong (# 14696) on
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My hope for 2017 is that FB friends will post less newsy articles and more personal stuff.
If I want news articles, I'll watch the news.
#firstworldproblems
Posted by Doc Tor (# 9748) on
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My hope for 2017 is that this fucking thread will die a natural death already, along with anyone who posts after me.
Posted by orfeo (# 13878) on
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As long as it's a natural death, I can live with that.
Posted by Doc Tor (# 9748) on
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Being struck by a mile-wide asteroid is natural.
Posted by orfeo (# 13878) on
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But deeply unfair to the millions of innocent people who will be affected by your vendetta.
Posted by Doc Tor (# 9748) on
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They would probably have posted too.
Posted by orfeo (# 13878) on
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![[Killing me]](graemlins/killingme.gif)
Posted by Evensong (# 14696) on
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quote:
Originally posted by Doc Tor:
Being struck by a mile-wide asteroid is natural.
Ah but broken creation waits with eager longing for the revealing of the children of God.
And it aint waiting for you boy
Posted by Doc Tor (# 9748) on
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East coast of Australia, please God.
Posted by Kittyville (# 16106) on
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She's on the west coast!
Posted by Doc Tor (# 9748) on
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We're going to need a bigger asteroid.
Posted by Evensong (# 14696) on
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Posted by Anselmina (# 3032) on
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quote:
Originally posted by Evensong:
Don't encourage him. He's one of the people keeping this thread alive!
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