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| Original cartoon by K.C. Green |
With the year waning, the Washington Post editorial board came up with a list of "25 Good Things That Happened in 2025." Displaying it prominently, on the upper right corner of their web site.
They start with Chicagoan Robert Prevost becoming the first American pope, Leo XIV. Hard to argue that one.
Hard to argue most of their points. A growing American economy, despite random tariffs imposed and withdrawn with mad, Lewis Carroll abandon. Overdose deaths and obesity down, alternate energy and tiger populations up.
There was only one thing I completely disagreed with — No. 15: "Idaho, Indiana, Tennessee, Texas and Wyoming adopted universal school choice programs, bringing the total to 18 states." School choice is a sham to direct public dollars into private, often parochial, schools. It benefits those who are already ahead of the game, and leaves those in public schools in an even worse situation.
No, what bothered me most was the exercise. Though the editorial board pointed out that they've done this before, I couldn't help but reflect how the Jeff Bezos-owned Post has drifted Trumpward over the past year. Ticking off everything good that happened in 2025 is a half sly way of saying, "Things aren't so bad!" I thought of that meme of the dog sitting in the burning room, saying, "This is fine."
Everything, of course is not fine. When your house is on fire, you don't list the rooms that aren't burning, yet and admire the as-yet-unsinged curtains. How can you cite China's lowering carbon emissions and rising support for nuclear power without noting that our country has abandoned clean energy across the board?
No mention of immigration at all. Any list I created would cite the good thing of regular Americans turning out, in Chicago and elsewhere, to push back against ICE, to defend their friends and neighbors. I'd say if you mention Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce getting engaged — a joy to the world for sure —that the massive No Kings rallies deserve a place of prominence too.
Most telling is what is missing. Not a word about our president. The name "Trump" doesn't appear in their list of two dozen plus one good things that happened this year. Of course not. Everything Trump touches dies. So a little credit for not trying to spin one of rare defendable actions —eliminating the penny, for example.
They start with Chicagoan Robert Prevost becoming the first American pope, Leo XIV. Hard to argue that one.
Hard to argue most of their points. A growing American economy, despite random tariffs imposed and withdrawn with mad, Lewis Carroll abandon. Overdose deaths and obesity down, alternate energy and tiger populations up.
There was only one thing I completely disagreed with — No. 15: "Idaho, Indiana, Tennessee, Texas and Wyoming adopted universal school choice programs, bringing the total to 18 states." School choice is a sham to direct public dollars into private, often parochial, schools. It benefits those who are already ahead of the game, and leaves those in public schools in an even worse situation.
No, what bothered me most was the exercise. Though the editorial board pointed out that they've done this before, I couldn't help but reflect how the Jeff Bezos-owned Post has drifted Trumpward over the past year. Ticking off everything good that happened in 2025 is a half sly way of saying, "Things aren't so bad!" I thought of that meme of the dog sitting in the burning room, saying, "This is fine."
Everything, of course is not fine. When your house is on fire, you don't list the rooms that aren't burning, yet and admire the as-yet-unsinged curtains. How can you cite China's lowering carbon emissions and rising support for nuclear power without noting that our country has abandoned clean energy across the board?
No mention of immigration at all. Any list I created would cite the good thing of regular Americans turning out, in Chicago and elsewhere, to push back against ICE, to defend their friends and neighbors. I'd say if you mention Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce getting engaged — a joy to the world for sure —that the massive No Kings rallies deserve a place of prominence too.
Most telling is what is missing. Not a word about our president. The name "Trump" doesn't appear in their list of two dozen plus one good things that happened this year. Of course not. Everything Trump touches dies. So a little credit for not trying to spin one of rare defendable actions —eliminating the penny, for example.
Still, an unwelcome bit of ballyhoo. A reminder that there are sins of omission as well as sins of commission. The MAGA world stands on chairs and howls their praise. While the bought-off, the compromised, and the oblivious, cough into their fists and talk about California embracing phonics education.
Good things happened in 2025. But so what? Unless some really good things happen in 2026 and 2027 and, especially, 2028, we're still going to be fucked, utterly. Never forget that.
Good things happened in 2025. But so what? Unless some really good things happen in 2026 and 2027 and, especially, 2028, we're still going to be fucked, utterly. Never forget that.
True that.
ReplyDeleteI thought the beautiful image at the top was by Thomas Hart Benton, but it's only the far right part of it. here's a link to the whole image:
ReplyDeletehttps://www.wikiart.org/en/thomas-hart-benton/achelous-and-hercules-1947
Too large to photograph the whole thing.
DeleteI got to play Big Mama once. It was a challenge, in that if you played the woman Williams described in hi stage directions, you got the silly, shallow manipulator that a guy with a mother-complex would write. If you played the character in the lines, you got a woman who understood this: “The world is violent and mercurial...it will have its way with you. We are saved only by love...love for each other and the love that we pour into the art we feel compelled to share: being a parent; being a writer; being a painter; being a friend. We live in a perpetually burning building, and what we must save from it, all the time, is love.” Tennessee Williams/Interview with James Grissom. The director counseled me to play the lines, and again and again audience members would come up afterward and tell me how moved they were. Love.
ReplyDeleteThat's a lovely quote —a real keeper. Thank you for sharing it with us.
DeleteWhat a perfect antidote to the hopelessness banging at our consciousness. Thank you Neil for prompting this gem, and for your original thoughts. I had the same response to the educational choice malarkey and the same overall apathy toward the list. But we will NOT lose faith and live. And we WILL continue to push back.
Deletei really liked this comment, too, Once Big Mama. Thanks for sharing it.
DeleteIn looking back on the year that was, I can clearly recall how gloomy things were immediately following the election; and the gloom permeated into the holidays shortly afterward. Our worst fears were realized and then some (because our imaginations were no match for this administration). And yet..... I feel hopeful heading into 2026. I may not be able to make a list of good things that happened in 2025, but I might be able to make a list of things I'm hopeful about for 2026.
I would definitely have you in my list of good things. Thank you for reminding us that we are not alone and that we must unite to stop the loss of our civil and constitutional rights.
ReplyDeleteyes thanks . id forgotten about how we are losing our civil and constitutional rights.
Deleteis that really true? which ones?
The right to walk down the street without being seized my masked men comes to mind. The right to broadcast criticism of the government without your license being threatened. The right to make jokes about the president without your network being pressured to fire you. The right to serve your country even if you are trans, or hold a federal job if you're Black. There's more. Seems to me, you aren't paying attention.
Deleteseems to me you are confused about rights. and hyperbolic about government actions. just last week the Supreme Court ruled against the administrations actions . lower courts did several times.
Deletewell hooray, the supremes did the right thing for once. but remember, iit's still a temporary stay, and some concurring opinions and dissents have left the door open for more mischief to be done
DeleteThe existence of a “good things” list, the need for such a list, really serves to highlight the “not good” backdrop. It’s like in a Presidential debate where each party is called on to say something nice about the other.
ReplyDeletegood visual metaphor with that cartoon
ReplyDeletethey didn't mention trump? quel fromage!
ReplyDeleteyou make up for it by mentioning him nearly every goddamn day.
liberal piss water bullshit
And yet another fine example of what our Mister S has to deal with.
DeleteEvery goddamn day. Couldn't do it. Don't have the thick skin required.
Would be ripping new poster orifices left and right. But mostly right.
To the folks who think that "liberal" is an insult. It's a badge of honor.
Seriously, Tom, Bill, Joe, or Phil, why do you feel compelled, under the various pseudonyms that you employ, to visit this site if the postings are so objectionable to your fragile white supremacist fantasies? Is it some form of impotence, failure to make and:or maintain relationships, or a lack of thought or skill to accomplish anything meaningful that compels you to achieve some sort of recognition by posting hateful screeds that attempt to demean others thereby elevating yourself within your sick, twisted mind? You even fail at this since you lack the temerity to identify yourself in any consistent way. This is how you spend your day, especially so during the holiday season, spewing hateful and acidic bile? As someone once said, more is the pity for you.
DeleteWell you got me there Jim very astute I must say.
DeleteI come for Neil's posts because he is an excellent writer and a deep thinker.
Is there many of the commenters whoever they are most using pseudonyms.
Often I encounter the same bilge regarding this administration and our president of whom I am not a fan.
But I'm a big fan of our country and here on the cusp of its 250th anniversary I wonder how any of us miss the founders insight and intention that has led to a situation where even when we have an aspiring despot elected twice things hold together.
Now if we can just take back a house of Congress we could probably thwart the majority of his policies.
That's not going to happen from bitching in the comment section of a blog nor even writing a blog bitching about all the things that are wrong.
My point is often stop the bitching.
Act!
Which is met with bitching off the charts I hope it makes everyone feel better cuz it does nothing
Call and response with the choir
Love that quote-thanks-helps me feel a bit optimistic after reading today's newspaper-
ReplyDeleteI agree Neil Steinberg is one of the best things that happened in my world this past year. I was a long time Chicago Tribune subscriber so somehow missed his column in those days...also...this community discourse is interesting, educational, and fun!
ReplyDeleteWe all thank you Neil "Every ________day!"
The meme! Exactly. The Washington Post's list is what we have been recieving every day from the current administration and much of the billionaire-with-an-agenda-owned media: Look at this shiny object here; don't worry your pretty little head with that over there! These days especially, a partial story of what's happening without the larger context just isn't helpful or realistic.
ReplyDeleteThe Post sure isn't what it used to be in those Watergate Days. Hope the NY Times can still be counted on. Not sure about the LA times. I wouldn't trust the Trib.
ReplyDeleteglp1 meds have helped with obesity
ReplyDelete