Let me thumb through TIME’s “100 Most Influential People” list. There are some very inspiring individuals in this year’s issue.
Yeah, Malala Yousafzai definitely belongs in here. She is an activist from Pakistan who risked her life because she was an outspoken advocate for female education. On October 9, 2012 right after she boarded her school bus, she was shot in the forehead by Taliban terrorists who wanted her dead because they don’t believe that women should receive education. Oh and she survived the attack and gave a big “Fuck You” to the terrorists by being the youngest ever Nobel Prize laureate at the age of 17.
Pope Francis seems like a righteous dude. He has pizza delivered to his popemobile that is not bulletproof , he takes the bus, he has been more accepting of homosexuality and instead of the marble and gold of the pope palace he lives in his humble apartment.
Ruth Bader Ginsburg is clearly qualified to be on this esteemed list. She was a law professor at Rutgers and later Columbia, then moved on to became the leading litigator on behalf of women’s rights. In 1993, she was named the second female Justice of the Supreme Court of the United States.
Dr. Jerry Brown, medical director of the Eternal Love Winning Africa Hospital, looked Ebola right in the eye, and risked his own life to help stop the deadly disease from spreading in Monrovia, Liberia is deservedly on the list.
If you put your personal politics aside, you could understand the selections of Hillary Clinton (Her 8th appearance), Jeb Bush and President Barack Obama (His 10th appearance) to be on the list.
World leaders including Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi, Cuban President Raul Castro and Russian President Vladimir Putin also made the cut.
While Kevin Hart isn’t a world-changing political leader, he is a gigantic entertainer and had a monumental 2014. I believe I read somewhere that Kevin Hart starred in 83 percent of all the films released in 2014, which breaks down to 471 movies. Don’t quote me on that number.
Taylor Swift is also one of the most influential people and I can see their reasoning. Swift sold 1.287 million copies of her new album, 1989 in its first week of release. It was the only music album that was not a Frozen soundtrack to sell over a million copies for the entire year.
In entertainment, movie director Christopher Nolan, Bradley Cooper, Lee Daniels, Amy Schumer, Reese Witherspoon, Chris Pratt and Saturday Night Live creator Lorne Michaels all are listed.
Amongst all of the dignitaries, world-changers and politicians on this list, there is also Kim Kardashian. Yes that Kim Kardashian. The same Kim Kardashian who’s entire career was launched by, well we all know how it all started. Now she has a very successful show where fake arguments are staged and you watch her fiddle on her phone for hours on end. Maybe her posting is just a misprint.
“Every year we hope the TIME 100 will introduce you to influential people you might not have met before and encourage you to find out more about them,” said TIME Editor Nancy Gibbs. You failed us Nancy, you truly failed us.
Amongst all of the luminaries, word leaders and once-in-a-generation talents on this list, there is also Kanye West. Yes that Kanye West. The same Kanye West who refused to continue a concert until a disabled man in a wheelchair stood up. The same Kanye West who’s lyrical artistry spit this gem, “In a French-ass restaurant, hurry up with my damn croissants.” Prophetic.
SpaceX founder Elon Musk penned Kanye’s tribute in the article:
Kanye West would be the first person to tell you he belongs on this list. The dude doesn’t believe in false modesty, and he shouldn’t. Kanye’s belief in himself and his incredible tenacity—he performed his first single with his jaw wired shut—got him to where he is today. And he fought for his place in the cultural pantheon with a purpose. In his debut album, over a decade ago, Kanye issued what amounted to a social critique and a call to arms (with a beat): “We rappers is role models: we rap, we don’t think.” But Kanye does think. Constantly. About everything. And he wants everybody else to do the same: to engage, question, push boundaries. Now that he’s a pop-culture juggernaut, he has the platform to achieve just that. He’s not afraid of being judged or ridiculed in the process. Kanye’s been playing the long game all along, and we’re only just beginning to see why.
Well this will certainly humble the man who once said this about himself, “I am Warhol! I am the number one most impactful artist of our generation. I am Shakespeare in the flesh. Walt Disney, Nike, Google,” and “I will go down as the voice of a generation.”
TIME, do you realize the damage that you have done?
The issue hits newsstands on Friday.