On being … 2017’s year-end retrospective

By Ingrid Sapona

Normally my year-end list is a potpourri of observations about things I found interesting throughout the year. (And it’s usually fairly long, as a result.) This year’s list is thematic, instead. (And because of that – surprisingly short.)

I’m betting most of you won’t have to read too far down the list to pick up on the theme…

A is for alternative facts.

B is for “believe me” and its new synonym: b.s.

C is for Comey.

D is for dangerous.

E is for echo chamber – perfect for someone who loves their own voice – bad for democracy.

F is for feckless.

G is for all the toady generals (Flynn, Kelly, Mattis, McMaster).

H is for hatemongering.

I is for indictment(s) – or maybe this should be under W – for wishful thinking.

J is for Jarred, or jail (but see P below).

K is for Kelly Ann – see A above.

L is for liar.

M² is for meanspirited misogynist.

N is for nasty.

O is for obsessed.

P is for post truth – and pardons (but that depends on I above).

Q is for quixotic – “in the name of winning”.

R is for reckless.

S is for Spicer, Scaramucci, self-serving, and scary.

T is for twit who twitters.

U is for unpredictable.

V is for vindictive.

W is for wanton disregard for the truth and for reality.

X is for xenophobic (normally X is the hardest letter… not for 2017!).

Y is for year – hard to believe it’s not even been a full year since we were told it was “the largest audience ever to witness an inauguration, period, both in person and around the globe”.

Z is for zealot.

Whew – what a year, eh? Sad thing is, I fear 2017 was just a prelude – foreshadowing of things to come. Hope we make it through 2018, 2019, 2020 and beyond…

© 2017 Ingrid Sapona