Dear Crabby,
This year has been crazy, but the last few days after losing George Michael and Carrie Fisher has really done it for me. Do you think 2016 could be the worst year ever?
Thanks,
Claude Lane-Sign
Dear Mr. Lane-Sign,
I think there are a lot of people out there who would share your sentiment. Someone told me that comedian Jim Gaffigan said ‘2016 was twice as long as any other year in human history.’ And there are times it certainly has felt that way. January seems so long ago that I barely remember any optimism our society may have had. And considering I’m a mean old son-of-a-gun, that’s saying quite a lot! Tragedy seems to be coming at us from all sides this year. From earthquakes to shootings in public places and involving law enforcement, to the Zika virus and weird elections in the U.K. and the U.S. It’s no wonder many feel that the earth has fallen off its axis and is spinning toward impending doom. But I think it’s all deaths in 2016 that have really sent people over the edge.
Now there are some out there that would argue that some of the celebs passing away is a result from years of substance abuse and that we shouldn’t be surprised that they are dying so young. That may be true, but let’s take a look at the most recent passing: Carrie Fisher (boy did I have a crush on her mom actress Debbie Reynolds). Ms. Fisher was very public about her addictions, but more than that she was a cultural icon thanks to those cinnamon buns she wore on her head in Star Wars. So I don’t think it’s so much that people are ignoring the fact some of these celebs battled addictions that may have led to their death, but rather so many that passed in 2016 were larger than life and a huge part of our pop cultural history. On the other end of the spectrum are those that passed away after living a good long life. I remember being in awe of John Glenn. He flew almost 60 combat missions during World War II. He orbited the earth! He was a U.S. Senator! And he went back into space in his late seventies. Sure he was 95 when he passed away, but by golly, I basically believed he was immortal. Regardless of how all these famous folks passed away, saying ‘goodbye’ to 130 of them is more than any other year I can remember. So, is 2016 worse than any other year in history? Well, I’m afraid if you asked 10 people you’d get 10 different answers. I think most would agree that it has been a bit brutal and that they are looking forward to 2017. It couldn’t get worse, could it? On second thought, don’t answer that.
Hope that helps and Happy New Year!
Dear Crabby
Stuck in a rut? Need some biased advice from a crabby old baby-boomer? Email me at dearcrabby@rochestermedia.com and ask your question. You can also head on over to my Facebook Page and tell me how wonderful I am.
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