The Good of 2017
In a year that some have described as ‘A Scooter to the Ankle,’ here are some of the highlights
News and commentary are overwhelmingly negative. Views and clicks and advertising money don’t go to the people running the most positive or optimistic websites, after all. Reporters and pundits in this industry are most often rewarded for breaking scandals on Twitter, criticizing the other team with razor-sharp wit and finely-honed insight, or being the first to deliver a blazing-hot take on the latest tragedy. It’s a red meat business, a “will snark for food” business, a “thoughts and prayers” or “anti-thoughts and prayers” business.
But that’s not how the world actually works. People earn degrees, lose weight, get a new job, welcome a new baby into their family, fall in love, sacrifice for the common good or the good of another, every day, all the time. We just don’t get paid to talk about those areas of life. Too earnest.
In the spirit of end-of-year reflection and a refusal to completely bow before the gods of pessimism and criticism, I offer you here a short list of things, good things, that happened in this much-maligned year of 2017.
(Remember, I’m a center-right, fairly conservative person, so if you find yourself disagreeing with my evaluations of what is “good,” keep this in mind.)
#1: Truth
This year, we learned the truth about something we already, deep down, knew the truth about. Despite the temptation to think of 2017 as “The Year of the Lie,” or as somehow “post-truth,” given the current occupant of the White House, truth was all the rage in 2017. Powerful men, across the political spectrum and in every economic and cultural sphere we share, will be tempted — and many times will give in to the temptation — to use their power, money, and position to prey upon the objects of their (sexual) desire. This is true, and thanks to 2017, there is no denying that it continues to be a problem in our society. The admission of this truth is a good thing. Honesty is a crucial step on the path toward something like justice, or healing, or accountability. The (mostly) women who have come forward this year with the truth have brought us the very best thing we got in 2017.
At the time, I wrote that these revelations about the sexual predation of previously respected and powerful men exposed several truths, including that
sexual predation and abuse knows no (or at least very few) bounds. Yes, the vast majority of sexual predators are men; that should be stated from the outset. Men are, on average, more physically powerful than women and children, and have historically used that power to dominate societies in economic, social, and political ways as well. Other than the vast disparity between men and women when it comes to sexual assault, harassment, and abuse, sexual predators seem to be equal opportunity employers. In this group, we have white men and black men, Protestants, Catholics, and Jews, politicians, celebrities, coaches, priests, military officers, directors, and producers. We have Democrats, Republicans, and fairly non-political actors, people in the private, public, and non-profit sectors, gay men and straight men.
In other words, the truth is that no ideology, organization, or group (other than powerful men) has a monopoly on abuse of power, especially in terms of sexuality. This is a powerful truth that should not be ignored, and the women (and some men) who came forward in 2017 did our society a great service by reminding us of this seemingly timeless reality.
#2: Justice
This is where my conservatism will inevitably come into conflict with your definition of “good,” if you find yourself on the opposite side of the political center of our nation. In 2017, we got one of the most qualified Supreme Court Justices to ever rise to our nation’s highest bench, Neil Gorsuch. Even the decidedly left-of-center New York Times had to admit, upon Gorsuch’s confirmation, that
Judge Gorsuch possesses the credentials typical of the modern Supreme Court justice. He is a graduate of Columbia, Harvard and Oxford, served as a Supreme Court law clerk and worked as a lawyer at a prestigious Washington law firm and at the Justice Department. He joined the United States Court of Appeals for the 10th Circuit, in Denver, in 2006, where he was widely admired as a fine judicial stylist.
What the Times does not mention, more specifically, is that Gorsuch holds not only a Juris Doctorate from Harvard Law School, but a Doctor of Philosophy in Law from Oxford. In other words, his is one of the most intellectually impressive legal resumes of a generation. For conservatives like me, when his case history is considered, there may have been no more qualified candidate for Scalia’s seat in the entire nation. The Times, commenting on the Senate confirmation process, further noted that
neither side harbored any doubts, based on the judge’s opinions, other writings and the president who nominated him, that Judge Gorsuch would be a reliable conservative committed to following the original understanding of those who drafted and ratified the Constitution.
Once again, my liberal and leftists friends may disagree on whether Gorsuch’s appointment was indeed a good thing in 2017, but this is my list, so I am forced to use my own definitions of the good here. But, as Varad Mehta argued in October, Trump’s conservative record on judicial appointments is much larger than just Gorsuch:
Prominent figures in conservative legal circles lavished praise on an “extraordinary” group of picks which demonstrated “President Trump’s commitment to picking judges who have a record of excellence.” Twitter users were especially elated about Justice Willett’s selection. Little wonder, then, that The Daily Caller’s Kevin Daley characterized Trump’s latest slate of nominations as his “most popular” yet.
The most remarkable thing about this reaction might be how unanimous it was. Even conservative critics of Trump have had nothing but kind words about his judicial nominations, a pattern which continued Thursday. The Cato Institute’s Ilya Shapiro offered Trump “a double-barrel salute” for hitting a “home run” with his latest nominees. Law professor and legal blogger, Jonathan Adler, wrote that Trump’s choices “compare favorably with those of any administration in recent memory.”
That is, if you are a fan of conservative jurisprudence, then 2017 was in some ways a banner year, not only for justices, but for justice itself.
#3: The American Way
While I may rejoice in the appointment of a conservative member of SCOTUS, I am no blind partisan. I opposed Trump from the very beginning, and we at Arc have made a point of holding this administration accountable in every way we can. To those put off by my second “good” of 2017, you may join me in celebrating the third: Americans love to punish the party in power, especially when that party is led by one or more buffoons. Democrats are racking up political wins, Trump has very little to show (at least in terms of legislative wins) for his first year in office, his approval rating is abysmal, his Speaker is contemplating retirement, his majorities are in danger, and he is being resisted in (almost) every quarter of American society. If the American Way is to be suspicious of those in power, to seek some kind of balance or deadlock, to attempt to hold the most powerful accountable, and register their political displeasure at every turn, then the American Way is a gift to us in 2017.
Call me old-fashioned (and pour me one on New Year’s Eve), but I like that kind of American Spirit that, despite having recently elected them, somewhat drunkenly cries “Throw the Bums Out” in the streets for all to hear. That’s right, as someone who has historically been a bit of a red-teamer, as 2017 closes, I celebrate the pushback of the blue team as a potential means of preserving this fragile thing we call a Republic. I’ll save any ongoing criticism I have of the blues for 2018, if you don’t mind.
Additionally, as Nicholas Grossman has argued, although they may have “lost control” of the conservative movement, many conservative intellectuals have resisted Trump to varying degrees, at risk to their own careers, rather than playing the Hannity-esque game of simply pivoting to support the most powerful member of the “team” one plays for in the political game of American ruling power.
If the American Way continues to include those who willingly risk their livelihoods and public popularity, or even safety, for their deeply-held beliefs and principles, then 2017 was, in many cases, a good year for this facet of the American Way. Not everyone has abandoned their cause in the pursuit of political power and praise.
As an extension of “good” #3 and as a means of conclusion, I’m grateful for the ongoing good of a free press, no matter how flawed, and a Medium for my own thoughts to be expressed and sometimes cheered, here at Arc. You may disagree with any or all of my highlighted goods of 2017, but I’m glad you chose to do so. Speaking of the good things 2017 has brought us, check out Berny Belvedere’s top 50 songs of 2017 if you need a brief respite from politics.
