Time Magazine has named its Person of the Year.
And while a couple THG favorites (for very different reasons) nearly came out on top, the publication has instead chosen to honor Angela Merkel.
The German Chancellor is the “most powerful woman in the world” and the first female to take home this honor in 29 years.
We’re not about to say she’s done a bad job leading the German economy to greatness and/or positioning her country well in the sticky world of international affairs…
… we’re just gonna say that she didn’t earn her own E! reality show or prove that one can be say bat $ hit crazy stuff and still be considered a viable candidate for President of the United States.
Indeed, the magazine reports that Donald Trump finished third in voting, while Caitlyn Jenner came in seventh.
“Merkel had already emerged as the indispensable player in managing Europe’s serial debt crises; she also led the West’s response to Vladimir Putin’s creeping theft of Ukraine. But now the prospect of Greek bankruptcy threatened the very existence of the euro zone,” Time’s managing editor, Nancy Gibbs, wrote.
“The migrant and refugee crisis challenged the principle of open borders. And finally, the carnage in Paris revived the reflex to slam doors, build walls and trust no one.”
Well, yeah.
Added Gibbs:
“At a moment when much of the world is once more engaged in a furious debate about the balance between safety and freedom, the Chancellor is asking a great deal of the German people, and by their example, the rest of us as well.”
“To be welcoming. To be unafraid. To believe that great civilizations build bridges, not walls, and that wars are won both on and off the battlefield.”
Okay, fine. We’re convinced of Merkel’s worth.
But the issue did at least give Jenner a chance to talk about her incredible year as well.
“Over the last couple of months, I got to the point where I’m very comfortable with myself and where I’m at, but what does all this mean?” the 66-year old said.
“It’s more than makeup and clothes and all that other stuff. And what is that? I’m working on that. There’s still a lot to learn about being a woman.”
