For my first column of the new year, I want to take a look back at some of the things we learned in 2012.
There have been few stranger happenings over the past year than those that occurred in the sports world. This time last year, we learned to never count out the other Manning brother, after he defeated Tom Brady and the heavily favored Patriots in the Super Bowl. We learned how much the world has changed in just four short years, when the Olympic Games nearly broke the internet. The emergence of names like Gabby Douglas, McKayla Maroney and Ryan Lochte, along with the growing legend of Michael Phelps and the USA. mens basketball team, showed us how far social media has changed the world we live in. Perhaps most importantly, 2012 taught us the importance of transparency, as the scandals of Penn State, Lance Armstrong and others tainted the legacies of several beloved sports figures.
In music, we learned that as much as we may resent it, boy bands are back, and cheesier than ever. We learned that it only takes a small, vague request for a phone call to get stuck in your head for weeks. In 2012, we learned that when Jay-Z and Beyonce have a baby, and then hang out with Kanye West and a Kardashian, the tabloids can barely handle themselves. Amazingly, in 2012 we learned that all it takes to bring the world together is a slightly overweight middle-aged Korean man dancing his heart out.
In the world of film, 2012 taught us that the most important lessons are often found in the past. We learned that all it takes to make people weep is one of the greatest stories and musicals ever with a little help from Anne Hathaway and Hugh Jackman. We also learned that the critics love movies about overcoming the shackles of slavery and oppression, no matter how accurate they may or may not be.
As citizens of the United States, we have all learned a great deal. From the excitement of the Olympics to the constant annoyance of campaign ads, we learned that the world is constantly shrinking because of social media, and we are consuming more information than any generation before us has. I am not sure what 2013 has in store for us, but if these first couple of weeks have been any indicator, we are in for a lot more lessons than we may be prepared for. The most important lesson I think we learned in 2012 is that even after all the Mayan hype, life still goes on, and it is moving faster than ever.
