Troy Ohio

The Good, The Bad and The Ugly of 2016

By Ryan Quinlan, Trojan Tempo Staff Writer


As people attempt to make good on their New Year's resolutions and the lustre of the holiday season begins to fade, many look forward to the coming days as an excuse to start anew. And a great deal of them may be urged on by the desire to make the upcoming year an improvement over the last.


Almost universally, 2016 was a terrible year. From the turbulent election cycle (brutally and bloodily fought by both sides, leaving a wake of battered and broken relationships in its path), the United Kingdom's vote to leave the European Union in Brexit, the outbreak of the Zika virus, the despondent Olympics held in the decaying slums of Rio (albeit with a exterior shine of faux prosperity), and the countless celebrity deaths (more than any year on record, a total of 93 noted celebrity deaths) including Anton Yelchin, David Bowie, Harper Lee, Prince, Muhammad Ali, Leonard Cohen, Gene Wilder, George Michael, and Carrie Fisher to name but a few, it seems like there was a disproportionate level of misery injected into 2016.


This was reflected in the opinions of many Troy High School students. "It was terrible," said one senior, Sean Stanislaw. "I'm just happy it's finally over with." "It was the worst year ever. Awful in almost every way," added freshman Sarah Kraynek.


Some students, however, found a silver lining in 2016. "It was a pretty 'meh' year for me. I got a girlfriend at least," said senior Jon Mohr. Another senior, Adam Algeroni, shared a similar viewpoint. "I mean, it was a bad year, but at least we got a good Star Wars movie," said Algeroni. Regardless of your experience in 2016, be it good or bad, that year is in the past. Now people have the chance to look forward to the new year as a time for new relationships, experiences, and opportunities. Hopefully 2017 will be a little less turbulent than its predecessor, but if not, the world keeps on turning. After all, there's always 2018.


Ryan Quinlan is a senior Trojan Tempo staff writer whose New Year resolution was to become a robot. Oh god no, it's happening, not- 101000111001110011100010110010010011001.