In a discussion yesterday on whether humanity is more good or evil, my friend said, "good news doesn't make the front pages" to promote his argument that, as a whole, humans are awful. Though I disagree with his argument, I think we've all known for quite a while how true his point about media is, particularly when we look at 2016. The biggest headlines of 2016 were about the Zika virus, terrorist attacks, the deaths of several important figures, the sufferings of people at Standing Rock as they peacefully protest the pipeline, the attack on the Orlando night club, the Syrian refugee crisis, every awful thing that came out of Trump's mouth or the mouths of his supporters... there was a lot of bad news to report! Which is absolutely justified because terrible things have to be reported, we can't ignore the dark sides of life, but what news networks truly reported any good news? The only places talking about good news are social media or small news centers which don't get much attention. Not to mention the good deeds people do without seeking attention. So, here's good news for each month of 2016.
1. Zimbabwe Declared Child Marriage Illegal
As one-third of girls in Zimbabwe are married, moving the legal marrying age to 18 is a major victory in the fight to end child marriage. (For a couple other good news stories from that month, check here.)
2. Jocelyn Elliot Freed After Kidnapping
The Australian woman was kidnapped with her husband Dr. Kenneth Elliot in January 2016 by a group with al-Qaida links. The group released Jocelyn Elliot without conditions due to "guidance from al-Qaida leaders not to involve women in war". Governments are still working to get her husband released.
3. Same-Sex Couple Adoption Legalized In All 50 States
Mississippi was the last state to have an explicit ban on same-sex couples adopting children until March when a federal judge declared the law unconstitutional. This was a long time coming considering the governor who'd signed the adoption ban bill into law in 2000 expressed his desire for overturning the law in 2013 after he considered how difficult it would be for an indeterminate amount of children to find happy, loving homes with the ban in place. Though same-sex couples still face adoption complications in many states due to discrimination, this is a huge step in the fight for equality in the US.
4. Same-Sex Marriage Legalized In Colombia
In other MOGII news, Colombia legalized gay marriage! In November 2015, Colombia made it legal for same-sex couples to adopt children so it was only natural for same-sex marriage to be legalized as well. Though the ruling was opposed by conservatives such as the group 1 Man + 1 Woman, same-sex couples rejoiced!
5. First Female President Inaugurated In Taiwan
The US didn't elect a female president this year, but Taiwan inaugurated one! Tsai Ing-wen was elected in Taiwanese defiance against China but the president says she plans to ensure both the independence of Taiwan and peace with China (gotta love when people do good things to spite others).
6. John Oliver Forgave $15 Million In Medical Debt
I can not explain his segment on debt buyers nearly as well as he could, so check the video here. Essentially, he saved a lot of people from being forced to pay for medical debt they were no longer required to pay (but other companies would be able to do so...seriously check out the video).
7. One of America's Two Major Parties Nominated A Woman For President
...Okay so she didn't end up elected and she was problematic but this was still a milestone in gender equality! We still need better than than this, than her but we ought to celebrate what was accomplished.
8. Colombia And FARC Find Peace
Another good thing from Colombia! After 50 years and over 260,000 people dead, the Colombia government and militant rebel group FARC finalized a peace agreement (which was rejected by a referendum but a different one was ratified later in November).
9. Giant Pandas No Longer Listed As Endangered
Due to conservation and Chinese government efforts, the giant panda moved from the "Endangered" species list to the "Vulnerable" species list. More sneezing panda videos will be possible in the future (let's ask Phil since he's apparently psychic).
10. Loophole Closed In Pakistan Which Allowed People Responsible For "Honour Killings" To Go Free
The killers used to be able to walk free if they received forgiveness from the victim's family. Now they merely avoid the death penalty if they receive forgiveness and instead will have lifetime sentences. Honor killings kill at least 1000 women annually in Pakistan and this is huge step towards ending it.
11. AIDS Virus Vaccine Clinical Trials Launched In South Africa
Tough the results may take years and won't completely prevent the disease, scientists say this is the first promising vaccine to be seen since identifying the virus in 1983. As South Africa has one of the highest rates of HIV infection in the world, the nation is quite hopeful and somewhat desperate for a solution. Hopefully, these trials will have good results!
12. It's Nearly Over
We're in the home stretch everyone! There's been a lot of things that went wrong this year and as James Corden said 2016 was "kinda the worst" but there was so much more to it than that. This list doesn't include the good moments of 2016 that I don't know about and couldn't find news sources for. This doesn't include the babies that were born or the random acts of kindness made. Nor the ways people helped others navigate the tragedies and fear of this ear. There is so much good in the world when you go looking for it. There's even more when you try to make good things happen. So, yes, 2016 was awful on so many levels but let the anger and pain of the events of this year lead you to do good in 2017. Whether that's through meme-making or charity or peaceful protest, have at it!
This year is nearly over, we can make it!
...Wait...
THE YEAR IS GOING TO BE ONE SECOND LONGER???
Well, take it away John Oliver. You pretty much summed up a lot of people's feelings about the year.
