Time person of the year recognizes the protester
The Time person of the year for 2011 is an unusual, but not surprising choice — it’s the protester.
“No one could have known that when a Tunisian fruit vendor set himself on fire in a public square, it would incite protests that would topple dictators and start a global wave of dissent,” Time writes. “In 2011, protesters didn’t just voice their complaints; they changed the world.”
Indeed, 2011 has been the year of the protester, from protests in Tunisia, Egypt and Libya, to protests in Russia and even the U.S.
“There was a lot of consensus among our people,” Time Managing Editor Richard Stengel said about the Time person of the year for 2011. “It felt right.”
Time’s person of the year is an 80-year-old tradtition that recognizes the person who has had the greatest impace on the past year — for good or for ill. Past choices for Time’s person of the year have included Charles Lindbergh, Adolf Hitler and Mark Zuckerberg.
Read more about the Time person of the year for 2011 here.
