2020 isn’t “Worst. Year. EVER!!”

R.I.P.

When Chadwick Boseman died (R.I.P. to a true icon), people decided it was time to break out their best “UUUGGGGGhGHHHHhhh, could 2020 GET ANY WORSE?” all over social media.

I’m done with this way of framing bad news. And before I go on, let me say I don’t actually blame anyone for the way they express grief. We’re all just trying our best, and my problem is with the “worst year EVER!” mindset, not any individual person.

But here’s why I hate the mindset.

1. It’s unoriginal. People say it like clockwork every year since 2016 (hmmmmmmmmmmmmmm). Is every single year worse than the year before it? I mean, maybe, but say it differently!
2. It’s not specific. Using individual instances of tragedy, brutality, mediocrity, and corruption to proclaim a whole year ruined takes focus off the actual issues. Isn’t it better to watch Chadwick Boseman’s movies, contemplate what made him an artist of such integrity, and learn how to emulate him than to bellyache about a period of time?
3. It’s missing the point. This is the big one for me. By blaming or shifting focus to the year as the thing that sucks, we’re ignoring the ways in which life just kinda sucks. To me, the “worst year ever” mindset betrays an inability to truly face difficulty. Instead, we memeify it. I just wish people would respond to celebrity deaths on social media by posting, “I feel an inexplicable pain, and I choose to experience that pain unfiltered before attempting to translate it into words.” Is it too much to ask that everyone on Twitter type like they’re at therapy?
4. It’s short-sighted. Is 2020 the worst year ever? Who knows what horrors await in 2021!

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