Whether the year was more naughty than nice is debatable, but the naughty part surely got everyone's attention, with sex scandals rocking the worlds of journalism, sports, entertainment, and politics just to name a few. Several once-respected news media types fell from grace, from prominence, and from our TV screens and editorial pages. Bill O'Reilly, Charlie Rose, Matt Laurer, and Garrison Keillor were among those who disappeared from view in the wake of copious allegations, and please check out last week's column for a partial list of the politicians whose careers terminated abruptly. Although the O'Reilly episode may have predated it by a few months, the whole mess really took on a head of steam and roared down the track with the entertainment world, namely Harvey Weinstein, and the rotten apples are still falling off the trees from the production side and the performing side, and it seems that each day brings a new revelation of some sordid behavior from the past - and not always the distant past. Of course, few people are actually surprised at the disclosures for it has long been speculated that the casting couch and those broken hearts for each light on Broadway were not merely fodder for cliché. There have been admissions or accusations of many sorts of perverted behavior, and, at the risk of repeating ourselves, the biggest scandal is perhaps the multiple comments from Hollywood that "we all knew" the carrying on that was being carried on. Yep, we will believe that they all knew, and also that almost all of them that did know kept their mouths shut, likely out of fear for terminating their own careers or fear of some other form of retaliation.
One troubling aspect of the onslaught of charges is that the presumption of innocence no longer is presumed. A charge seems to carry the weight of a conviction, and any more it is almost as dangerous to one's career to question the veracity of an accuser as it is to be accused.
But, the year wasn't solely obsessed with sex; money and wealth made a lot of news as well, with a resurgent economy, increased employment and the US stock markets hitting a lengthy string of all-time highs that belied the apocalyptic claims of the left on election night 2016. Heck, you know the economy has to be going well when the previous President comes forth and thanks himself for it all. Of course, had things tanked, he would have been quick to blame the current President, we are sure.
And there were other scandals. The Russian collusion story has driven the news cycle far beyond what its insignificance deserves. Before you get too excited, please tell us exactly what law was broken by the Trump team - and then explain why the Obama team and the Hillary team were not breaking the same laws or worse. That's right, it is not illegal for a US citizen, even a candidate, to have contacts with a foreign government. In fact, it happens every election cycle, and it has never been considered criminal until now. Of course, the other party rarely has bought and paid for a fictitious dossier on the alleged perversions of a presidential candidate before, nor has the FBI or a special prosecutor ever based an investigation on such an obviously fabricated tale. But, given the immense number of anti-Trump folks in positions of power in those agencies and the news media, evidence of wrongdoing need not be reliable, only scurrilous, in order to prompt an investigation. Evidently the creation of a fake dossier is not a fit subject for investigation, while the target of said dossier is. From a rigged system of primaries on the Democrat side to a plethora of candidates on the Republican side (in 2016), the election was not necessarily between the two best choices available. However, the system honestly produced a winner, and just because the progressive left refuses to accept the outcome is not a reason to think otherwise. They have spent a year screaming at the heavens or breaking windows or resisting in various fashions that the term "opposition party" never was more apt.
There is a lot more to be said about 2017, but our space is limited, so we will close with fond wishes for a better, perhaps less lively, 2018. Oh wait, 2018 is an election year, so it is probable that this year will seem tame by comparison. Here's to a wonderful new year.