The list of contenders for the 2013 Time’s Person of the Year is as diverse as it gets and features the first Jesuit Pope, former child star and controversial singer Miley Cyrus and the president of the United States Barack Obama. Some of the previous winners of the title include Vladimir Putin of Russia, the CEO of Facebook Mark Zuckerberg, ‘The Protester’ – which was a reference to the Arab Spring revolt in 2011 – and ‘You’ in 2006, which marked the power of the internet.
The final list also reflects the obsession of America with Barack Obama’s proposal for a healthcare reform. Additionally, it is the reflection of issues like the gay and lesbian rights, civil war in Syria and the state’s surveillance of the public. One of the strong contenders also includes Bashar al-Assad, the president of Syria, however, for many wrong reasons and he might join Adolf Hitler and Joseph Stalin as those who caused destruction and death.
American singer Miley Cyrus caught the attention of the world with her overwhelmingly sexual performance at the MTV Video Music Awards in August 2013 and also stands a chance of winning the title. The leader of the Catholic Church, Pope Francis is also a good contender who is known for his talks about capitalism and launched a survey on attitudes towards contraceptives, as well as gay and lesbian Catholics having sex.
Finally, Barack Obama also has a good chance of winning and if he does win, then he will join President Franklin Roosevelt as the only people to hold the title three times.
Photo Credits: Washington Post
