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Why be disingenuous – 2016 was a generous year for upheavals. The deaths of beloved artists, terrorist attacks, the successes of odious leaders… Even the Rio Olympics are remembered by many only in connection with the doping scandal. But we managed to remember the moments that also evoked warm feelings – joy, hope, admiration, fun.
The reaction to news in social networks, forums and blogs has long been a social barometer. We check with him to understand what is happening to us. Do we have moral boundaries, or have we completely “unbelted”. Can we freely laugh at death, suffering, faith, without feeling remorse. Are you still able to empathize with someone else’s pain, appreciate selflessness and sincerity. In the end, is it still customary to put dots at the end of sentences or will you have to finally switch to emoticons.
Of course, none of these events are associated with a single emotion. But these emotions turned out to be stronger and determined the main tone in our attitude towards them. Most likely, we will turn to them when we want to prove to someone that 2016 was not so bad.
Satisfaction
“Oscar” Leonardo DiCaprio
The Oscar ceremony this year came down to one single burning question – will Leo get the coveted statuette? Of course, everyone discussed the merits of the film “The Revenant” – how well the bear is drawn. But these discussions seemed more like an attempt to find a suitable excuse for our slightly childish thirst for justice. Indeed, in the view of many, DiCaprio has long deserved an Oscar. And only the stubbornness (or malice) of the members of the committee prevented justice from triumphing.
In the same way, in childhood, we worried about the heroes of books and films around whom Evil weaved its webs. Let Frodo be alone with the huge Mordor, but still he must convey the coveted ring and fulfill his mission, although everyone is against him. In life, we too often encounter injustice and therefore rejoice almost like children when the worthy receive their reward.
Delight
The feat of Yulia Korol
14-year-old student of the Moscow Lyceum Yulia Korol became the hero of the year. She rested with other children at Karelian Syamozero. During a boat trip, a strong storm began, and several boats capsized. Of the 51 people, fourteen died, but many survived thanks to Yulia – she knew how to swim and immediately began to pull the drowning people ashore. “Julia is an ordinary cheerful girl, sociable, nothing special stands out,” said one of those who managed to escape.
In September, by decree of the President of the Russian Federation, the schoolgirl was awarded the medal “For the rescue of the perishing”, and in July – the departmental medal of the Ministry of Emergency Situations “For the rescue of the perishing on the waters”.
Fun
Pokémon Invasion
Before the release of Pokemon Go, mobile games were just a harmless hobby, a way to kill time or take your mind off things. But the new fun – catching virtual monsters in very real parks, cafes, houses and offices – overnight became a cultural phenomenon that philosophers, psychologists, sociologists started talking about. And the world at that time was playing enthusiastically. In just a few months, the game has been downloaded more than 500 million times.
You can talk about game mechanics, skillful use of interactive elements and other advantages of the game, but it was the massive nature of the hobby that made hunting for Pokemon so fun. Some of the users even ironically: while parents unsuccessfully tried to drive children away from gadgets and re-accustom them to outdoor games, the gadgets themselves coped with this much better.
Sympathy
Death of Hodor
The Game of Thrones series has long earned the reputation of an uncompromising drama in which any hero can potentially die, and if he is still alive, this is because he turned out to be more dexterous and insidious than others. Hodor was almost the only character in the world of Game of Thrones who evoked real sympathy from viewers. Big, harmless, with a childish mind – against the background of the rest, he was the embodiment of comfort. His death shocked not only the fans of the series – in a matter of hours he was recognized and loved by everyone.
We may admire the inner complexity and inconsistency of sociopathic heroes, watch how they manipulate others for their own purposes, but more truly love only those in whom we see vulnerability. In this sense, Hodor’s character was the perfect combination: he could not speak anything but his own name, he was a faithful servant, and in the end he turned out to be an innocent victim of the “game” – his mind was clouded due to the magical intervention of the owner.
Surprise
Bob Dylan Nobel Prize
The words “Bob Dylan” and “Nobel Prize” don’t fit well in the same sentence. For many, Dylan is a shaggy awkward guy from the distant 60s who sings with a guitar about something of his own, American. And this guy suddenly becomes on a par with solid novelists who “composed volumes for the library.” Many commentators immediately remembered Okudzhava, Vysotsky, Tsoi. Like, they are also worthy candidates, the worse they are. And there, you see, it will reach modern rap artists.
And this is exactly what Dylan himself sang about – “times are changing.” Changes cannot be slowed down and undone. We can only be surprised that the world around us becomes different, and in the end change ourselves or go into oblivion. The Nobel Committee opted for the former. What can I say – amazing and really close.
Curiosity
Gravitational waves and new planets
It turns out that events in the “galaxy far, far away” can be of interest without any lightsabers and death stars. The mysterious gravitational waves predicted by Einstein have finally been registered. The perturbation of space-time due to the merger of distant (and very heavy) black holes can only be detected by very sensitive instruments.
For physicists, this is an event of epochal significance. This means that one of the building blocks in the shaky construction of the “theory of everything” has established itself in its place. But for many of us, this news is rather an occasion to think about the structure of the world in which we live. And also proof that the time of great discoveries has not yet passed. The world is full of secrets, and they can literally be hidden around the corner – behind the last planet of our solar system there may be another one, completely new organisms unfamiliar to scientists can live in the depths of the ocean. And in other systems, mysterious worlds are gradually emerging from the darkness, where life can exist.
Nadezhda
Genome editing work
In February 2016, the UK government confronted the world with a fact: scientists are now allowed to work with and modify the DNA of human embryos – but only for research purposes. With the help of a special molecule, biologists were able to cut someone else’s DNA and manipulate it – change the sequence of genes, cut some and insert others.
Despite the fears (partly due to the imagination of the authors of The X-Files, where this technology was used as a weapon), this news gave hope for salvation to many people who live with incurable diseases. For example, HIV, for which there is still no reliable cure, is built directly into the DNA of infected cells, and it has not yet been possible to “drive” it out of there with the help of a vaccine. But CRISPR-Cas9 technology has the potential to cleanse cells of the virus. Research is already underway in the field of cancer treatment.
Tenderness
The firstborn of Ksenia Sobchak
In June, the Russian media spread the news: Ksenia Sobchak is pregnant. The same Sobchak, who has repeatedly made it clear that diapers and borscht are the last thing she would like to do. Some gloated, recalled her complaints about the “little bastards” who kept the star awake with their cry, but most commentators were sympathetic.
Perhaps they saw in her the image of a kind of eccentric child who grows up, trying out the world around her and others, but in the end comes to what is really important. The motif of “correction”, “redemption” and “manhood” is hardwired into our cultural code – we like stories in which the characters go from resistance to understanding, from struggle to acceptance.
Irony
“Exhibit” by Sergei Shnurov
“Song about the Louboutins” has become almost the hallmark of Russian pop culture. Someone recognizes himself in the heroine, someone recognizes his acquaintances or abstract “modern youth”. One way or another, the irony achieves its goal – we look in the mirror and laugh. We hum the words to the chorus and laugh at how vulgar and absurd they sound. We experience children’s excitement – as during a risky game in a lesson, when you need to shout the swear word loudest.
Irony is a good antidote for bile and irritation. It is no coincidence that this method is used by some coaches and therapists to force the client to look at their problems from a different angle, to deprive them of their strength. Provocative therapy, for example, actively uses this technique. Consciously or not, Sergei Shnurov turned out to be a universal therapist, and his eccentric characters will make us smile for a long time to come.