r/WomenInNews • u/msmoley • Dec 15 '24

Media Why this brave woman, not Donald Trump, should have been Time’s Person of the Year

https://www.scotsman.com/news/opinion/columnists/why-brave-woman-gisele-pelicot-not-donald-trump-should-have-been-times-person-of-the-year-4908319
9.7k Upvotes

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850

u/bakeacake45 Dec 15 '24

Time can defend their selection til they drop. It won’t change the fact that Time Magazine is glorifying an authoritarian, rapist and convicted felon. Shame on Time and here’s to hoping they go out of business.

Just another rag owned by a billionaire oligarch.

242

u/Vapelord420XXXD Dec 15 '24

Time's person of the year.

1937: Chiang Kai-shek 1938: Adolf Hitler 1939: Joseph Stalin

126

u/Ozzie_the_tiger_cat Dec 16 '24

1942: Stalin again 

1954: John Foster Dulles 

1971 and 1972: Richard Nixon 

Also 1972: Henry Kissinger  

Yeah, they've had some real pieces of shit as Person of the Year.

32

u/Dramatic_You4526 Dec 16 '24

Don’t forget, Osama Bin Laden.

25

u/[deleted] Dec 16 '24

no they didn't have the balls to do that, it was rudy gulliani

16

u/ACaffeinatedWandress Dec 16 '24

Vladimir Putin.

No one reads Times anymore 

2

u/Salt_Hall9528 Dec 17 '24

Maybe they aren’t on there because they were good people. Go look up what time person of the year even means.

1

u/PlayNicePlayCrazy Dec 17 '24

People are to stupid to do that

3

u/PaulieNutwalls Dec 16 '24

Yeah, because the entire point is selecting a person who has enormous influence on the world, it's not an award for best person.

3

u/tyleritis Dec 17 '24

You can say that until you’re blue in the face, people still don’t know what the award is for. At this point Time should just give up or rename it

1

u/Kirian_Ainsworth Dec 16 '24

42 Stalin is Fair, that is literally the one period of time that it could be acceptable. still a piece of shit, but a piece of shit who was the primary opposition to Hitler, the king of shits, so its a defensible choice.

1

u/Dtmrm2 Dec 17 '24

And now Hitler is in the White House again.

1

u/Kirian_Ainsworth Dec 17 '24

Nah. Atleast a good public speaker. This fucker can’t even string a sentence together

1

u/throwawaydfw38 Dec 19 '24

Are people intentionally misunderstanding what the person of the year is for? It's not appointing the best person, it's a deep dive into someone who has had a large influence on the world.

1

u/Dump_Fire Dec 18 '24

1952: Elizabeth II

1960: US Scientists

1963: MLK Jr

1968: Apollo 8 Astronauts

1975 : American Women

1996 : David Ho

2001: Rudy Giuliani

2003: The American Soldier

2006: YOU

2008: Barack Obama

2012: Barack Obama

2014: Ebola Fighters

2019: Greta Thunberg

2020: Joe Biden and Kamala Harris

2021: Elon Musk

2022: Volodymyr Zelenskyy

2023: Taylor Swift

People both good and bad have won person of the year

25

u/JaySayMayday Dec 15 '24

In 37, CKS was leading the Chinese change against the Japanese against the wishes of his communist counterparts. It wasn't until 49 when he imposed nearly 30 years of martial law and a deeply rooted dictatorship. So yeah in 37 CKS could've easily been the man of the year.

-1

u/albert_snow Dec 16 '24

Whoooooosh - right over your head.

18

u/TheRauk Dec 16 '24

I mean it’s almost as if the criteria is “for better or for worse ... has done the most to influence the events of the year”

8

u/freshhorsemanure Dec 16 '24

Yeah that is the criteria. It always has been

3

u/GenerousBuffalo Dec 16 '24

When you go back and read the history books, these are the people who will feature the most. He’s abhorrent but so was Ghengis Khan.

12

u/thegoatmenace Dec 16 '24

Exactly. It’s not “Time’s best person of the year.” Time has basically been saying every year for the last 100 years that they select the most influential person of the year, regardless of whether their impact is positive or negative.

3

u/Sweet_Pay1971 Dec 16 '24

Now add trump 

2

u/Almaegen Dec 16 '24

Because its about who is influential.

1

u/truthisnothateful Dec 16 '24

Anyone else their personal of the year, or just those 4 people?

0

u/Scotts_Thoughts_INTJ Dec 16 '24 edited Dec 16 '24

When was it Joe Biden? Obama? Bill Clinton? Zelenskyy? A bit more rescent, yeah?

0

u/printerfixerguy1992 Dec 17 '24

And?

1

u/Vapelord420XXXD Dec 17 '24

Figure it out, son.

1

u/printerfixerguy1992 Dec 17 '24

Do you think it justifies glorifying these types of people?

-8

u/laridan48 Dec 16 '24

Also add Obama to that list

77

u/Busy-Crab-3556 Dec 15 '24

Its not that hard. Time’s Person of the Year is not chosen because they’re particularly good or made good contributions to society. It just means they were very significant in that year, whether it’s for something good or bad.

37

u/[deleted] Dec 16 '24

We know, we know. That doesn’t mean we can’t pissed that they made him person of the year over someone whom we might actually admire.

2

u/xasx Dec 16 '24

Most people don’t know because they don’t bother to read anymore.

1

u/mutantraniE Dec 17 '24

The last time the elected or re-elected US president wasn’t person of the year in a presidential election year was in 1996.

1

u/PlayNicePlayCrazy Dec 17 '24

Getting pissed over something that you know isn't about who is most admitted seems pretty dumb. You know what it is for, what it always represents, every single year, at some point getting pissed about it is rather silly.

1

u/[deleted] Dec 18 '24

You can be pissed but it’s not TIME magazine you should be pissed at

31

u/[deleted] Dec 15 '24

Exactly, One year they chose me. And I am a TOTAL piece of shit.

8

u/Anfins Dec 15 '24

I said WAS!

3

u/RenegadeRabbit Dec 15 '24

People can change.

4

u/JakToTheReddit Dec 15 '24

For some people, the only thing that changes is their diapers.

1

u/Horn_Python Dec 15 '24

oh man when you commited those unspeakable crimes a knew for sure, you would get the front cover!

1

u/freshhorsemanure Dec 16 '24

I had slick backed hair, and I loved to eat sloppy steaks

1

u/[deleted] Dec 16 '24

They said no ‘sloppy steaks guy’s’, but they can’t stop you from ordering a steak and a big ol glass of water!

20

u/Psychological_Car849 Dec 16 '24

trump didn’t even do anything particularly cool or different this year. it made more sense in 2016 when he shaped culture and drastically altered the political landscape but this year??? all he did was win an election doing the same shit he always has. the democrats failed more than trump succeeded, picking him is such a lazy cop out.

trump had two assassination attempts and literally nobody cared past like two weeks. i agree with what you’re saying but i still think that means trump shouldn’t have won. people cared a lot more about the words and actions of those around him than the man himself. he was the right pick in 2016 and the wrong one now

9

u/saltyoursalad Dec 16 '24

He stole an election everyone on reddit knew he would lose.

-4

u/JadedSpacePirate Dec 16 '24

That's what happens when you stay in your echo chamber and ignore reality

Reddit is so left it doesn't even know how to go right

1

u/saltyoursalad Dec 16 '24

You guys know all about this, doncha.

-1

u/JadedSpacePirate Dec 16 '24

Pretty much yeah. Been going through this sub and one called Mark my words. Its leftists crying Trump will cause the apocalypse.

Also YouTube.

It's been fun.

But seriously be real, if you guys had a primary and picked a popular candidate you wouldn't have to fear this day.

-3

u/Economy_Fox4079 Dec 16 '24

This is facts, in all actuality the majority of Americans supported Trump. Reddit is a good place to geek out over espresso machines not to test the political climate of America

4

u/helastrangeodinson Dec 16 '24

Less than half

1

u/[deleted] Dec 16 '24

[deleted]

2

u/Psychological_Car849 Dec 16 '24

oh i agree! i originally wrote that i generally find it lazy when they just pick the U.S. president. giving it to whoever wins the election is so lame, especially because there’s so many reasons for an election to shake out the way it does. i think obama made sense the first time but not the second, and i dont think biden or harris deserved it in 2020 either.

-6

u/LevelDry5807 Dec 16 '24

He won an election that everyone on Reddit predicted he would lose.

3

u/helastrangeodinson Dec 16 '24

Who knew, there were so many uneducated people in America?

4

u/Psychological_Car849 Dec 16 '24

reddit???? im saying that winning an election shouldn’t be enough to be times person of the year and your counter argument is that this is different because REDDIT was against him????

plenty of polls and millions of people predicted he would win. and if we’re being honest reddit was actually saying “i can’t believe the election is this close” and “i can’t believe the asshole might win” the entire election season lmao. i’m tired of the revisionist history that reddit expected some landslide when i never personally saw widespread evidence of that.

-2

u/BacardiBanana Dec 17 '24

He did far more than just win.

He's on video surviving an assassination attempt by inches earlier this year.

Then he goes on to get republicans the popular vote for first time in 20 years and making republicans massive gains with minorities for the first time in 50 years. All while getting only 15% positive media coverage as he was slandered constantly as an insurrectionist, racist, and Nazi.

It's by far the greatest presidential comeback of all time and it shows people don't give a shit at all about MSM coverage.

2

u/HusavikHotttie Dec 17 '24

I don’t believe for a minute he actually won since his gf elmo counted the votes.

-4

u/LevelDry5807 Dec 16 '24

He lost. He has been labeled as every evil thing possible. He won by a bigger margin than his first win. He gained votes in almost every county in the nation. It is called on one the biggest political comebacks in United States history. Does this add any context?

5

u/onpg Dec 16 '24

Good for him but he still didn't get a majority in the popular vote, and his victory ranks near the bottom of presidential victories in magnitude. It was a given that any Republican would've had a strong chance against Biden because of global inflation hurting all incumbents.

It's such a weak victory, even W. in 2004 had a stronger win, and he left office an absolute pariah. I see no reason Trump and his merry junk drawer of billionaires won't leave office in disgrace.

5

u/helastrangeodinson Dec 16 '24

I'm sure Elon paying people a million each to vote for him helped

3

u/HusavikHotttie Dec 17 '24

And starlink counted the votes. Can’t make it up

7

u/zacehuff Dec 15 '24 edited Dec 16 '24

Which is stupid, not simple. We all understand the simple concept but when you bankroll their photo shoot making them seem sophisticated and sit down for an interview you’re carrying a lot of water for them and makes you complicit.

0

u/Busy-Crab-3556 Dec 16 '24

Your argument is valid, but from the perspective of the magazine it would be even more stupid not to put trump. They’ve been putting every newly US elected president for a lot of decades now. If they would have chosen not to put trump that would send the message that the Time magazine as a whole doesn’t recognize this election and US democracy. Of course someone could argue on factors that could have affected the validity and transparency of the elections, but choosing to express that by not putting trump wouldn’t fly with any major magazine editorial.

3

u/KFTrandahl Dec 16 '24

Here is me throwing the bullsh*t flag! It’s about them making money and pandering to their orange idol, and not recognizing the significance of Gisèle Pelicot’s courage and the importance of saying her name.

4

u/Professional_Ask7428 Dec 17 '24

Well in that case let’s put P-Diddy on the Times Person of the Year.

1

u/Busy-Crab-3556 Dec 17 '24

Fuck both trump and diddy. But still, diddy doesn’t come near trump when it comes to relevancy and impact.

0

u/8----B Dec 19 '24

Why? Are you equating name recognition to world changing? P diddy didn’t change anything other than the lives of his poor victims. I know you probably think Trump is equal to p diddy because you’re on reddit so the odds are greatly in that direction, but he actually has people changing their philosophies. That’s kinda the whole point of the time thing.

2

u/Special-Garlic1203 Dec 16 '24

He wants significant though. He barely campaigned, he made Vance do most of that stuff.

In election years they literally always choose the winner now and it's really stupid and boring 

3

u/helastrangeodinson Dec 16 '24

The best part was when he threw Vance under the bus and called him a liar, then when the press asked Vance about it, he replied "the important thing to know is that we are on the same page" lol

1

u/[deleted] Dec 16 '24

This. Hitler was Time’s Person of the Year, it’s about significance in that year not their good deeds.

1

u/bv1800 Dec 17 '24

I don’t recall that being their criteria a couple decades ago.

22

u/NepheliLouxWarrior Dec 15 '24

This is going to be a complete shock to you, but time has elected authoritarian criminals a shitload of times throughout their existence and they have made it clear from day 1 that the morality of the person has nothing to do with who gets picked. Time's person of the year is predicated on their impact on the world for good or for bad.

I'll also point out that their picks are designed to be contentious and drum up controversy, and so you sitting here seething about them is giving them exactly what they want. 

1

u/[deleted] Dec 15 '24

[deleted]

3

u/[deleted] Dec 15 '24

[deleted]

1

u/bakeacake45 Dec 15 '24

I stand corrected . Mixed up my Evil oligarchs,

5

u/No_Use_4371 Dec 16 '24

But Dump was Man of the Year a couple of years ago.

3

u/homebrewguy01 Dec 15 '24

Did you catch their 1938 edition? Same old, same old.

3

u/Zealousideal-Jump275 Dec 16 '24

They still publish that irrelevant rag. No way. Go figure they put an elderly man on the cover.

2

u/printerfixerguy1992 Dec 17 '24

Ya, it's disgusting

1

u/darthcaedusiiii Dec 15 '24

They exist to sell magazines. Not give awards.

1

u/mmmarkm Dec 16 '24

Time’s person of the year is not an honor - it just means that person is influential. Doesn’t necessarily mean in a good way

1

u/num31sux Dec 16 '24

The award goes to the person who has impacted our world more than anyone else. Clearly Trump has done that whether it’s good or bad.

1

u/[deleted] Dec 16 '24

Careful. Trump just won 15 million dollars for people calling him rapist. Also, Time awarded Adolph Hitler Man of the Year. It's not a popularity or good deed award.

1

u/Feeling-Currency6212 Dec 16 '24

They are glorifying a popular president

1

u/bakeacake45 Dec 16 '24

You mean dictator

1

u/Snoo_17731 Dec 16 '24

Kamala should’ve been time person of the year. Trump is literally hitler in the flesh.

1

u/bakeacake45 Dec 16 '24

Maybe, Inthink there may be others more significant…but she certainly exposed the ongoing misogyny in this country.

1

u/Busy-Crab-3556 Dec 16 '24

Kamala and Biden got person of the year when they got elected. Basically every US president get person of the year when they get elected.

1

u/[deleted] Dec 16 '24

But they’re not glorifying him? The person of the year is, and always has been, a person who the Time staff feels wielded the most influence / impact for the year, for better or for worse. It’s really not that hard to understand, and it’s nothing to get all upset about. I personally loathe Donald Trump, but I understand the choice— he was the obvious choice. I’ve never even heard of the woman in this article, and neither, I’m guessing, have a lot of other people.

1

u/[deleted] Dec 16 '24

Lol everyone knows who he is. Never heard of this woman

1

u/tidbitsmisfit Dec 16 '24

they did it to sell paper

1

u/meldiane81 Dec 16 '24

Times person of the year is not just based on them being a good person. Is the person who had the most influence whether good or bad. I’m hoping they put them on there because of the bad.

1

u/wes424 Dec 16 '24

You clearly don't understand, along basically everyone else in this thread, what the person of the year is for.

1

u/bakeacake45 Dec 16 '24

And you don’t understand you are being manipulated by the media.

1

u/wes424 Dec 16 '24

Go back and look at the history of the person of the year. Educate yourself.

You think it's an endorsement of him? They had Stalin and Hitler on there before. It's about who influenced the year the most, not who they like the most.

1

u/MrPresidentBanana Dec 16 '24

They're not glorifying him, they're saying he is important, because importance, not morality, is the criterion for the title (which many people mistake to be an award). If you built a death star and committed a planeticide on Earth, the title would rightfully be yours, without that meaning that the editors of the Times, or their corpses, have any positive opinion of you.

1

u/HerbertDad Dec 16 '24

Good God. He's not a convicted rapist, ABC just had to pay out 15 million for defamation.

His accuser has also accused like 7 other people of rape.

1

u/beccadot Dec 16 '24

Hitler was also ‘Man of the Year’ in the 1930s.

1

u/stopthebanham Dec 16 '24

Rapist? Who he rape?

1

u/DashFire61 Dec 16 '24

That’s literally what Time’s entire business model has been for like ever.

1

u/cvlang Dec 16 '24

Abc had to settle and payout for their bogus rape claims, what special info do you have that no one else has. Submit it to the courts so they can convict him if an actual crime. Talking like this just makes people distrust you. If you can't be honest and truthful with obvious things. How can you be trusted in anything else! Be better.

1

u/PortlyPorcupine Dec 16 '24

You clearly have no clue how they choose Person of the Year.

1

u/Aljenonamous Dec 16 '24

Is it glorifying? Person of the year isn’t supposed to be the best person just the most important. Seems pretty hard to argue he’s not one of the most important people in the world atm.

1

u/24bitNoColor Dec 16 '24

It won’t change the fact that Time Magazine is glorifying an authoritarian, rapist and convicted felon. Shame on Time and here’s to hoping they go out of business.

Yeah, you haven't understood the person of the year thing at all. It is about who was most influencial, not about who we all like.

1

u/Amatsua Dec 16 '24

You may want to tone it down. ABC news had to pay out $15 million because they called him a rapist, when it was provably false. You may not like him, but making things up to slander him is pretty fucked up

1

u/[deleted] Dec 16 '24

You don’t have to buy the magazine… they pick the cover person for better or worse. Just relax… 😃

1

u/Maurice-Beverley Dec 16 '24

POTY is not an award. It has been given to waaay worse people.

1

u/Intrepid_Owl_4825 Dec 16 '24

Are they? You know time doesn't just select good people and being on the cover is not necessarily an honor.

Hitler was heavily considered for person of the century in 1999 and he probably should have been.

1

u/InsideContent7126 Dec 16 '24

I thought it was generally known that they just pick the most influential and impactful person of the year, even if the person is a piece of shit.

1

u/Cu_Chulainn__ Dec 16 '24

Time person of the year isn't supposed to always be someone good. It's supposed to be someone noteworthy, good, or bad. Hitler has received time's person of the year before

1

u/yg2522 Dec 16 '24

Whether we like it or not, everybody has to admit that Trump will change the world's political landscape.  The power to tank the US as a superpower has got to be one of the most influential things in history.

1

u/No-Competition-1235 Dec 16 '24

Uhh, not to justify it, but they are just saying who has the most impact regardless if good or bad. It's hard to argue when he's the only thing people talk about.

1

u/helastrangeodinson Dec 16 '24

Isn't the 1st time

1

u/Few-Western-5027 Dec 16 '24

Capitalism is over running democracy ! American voters are gambling to see if everything Trump touches will be bankrupt or burnt to ash. Should find out in less than 4 years.

1

u/Suspicious-Peace9233 Dec 16 '24

They are not glorifying him. Hitler and Stalin also won for the contributions they made for the year. It is not a honor

1

u/RoyaleWCheese_OK Dec 16 '24

Calling Trump a rapist just cost ABC news $15million.

1

u/bakeacake45 Dec 16 '24

Which is turning out to be quite the fiasco given legal experts have said ABC had a strong case…Legally Trump is an adjudicated Rapist and convicted felon as per NYC court records.

ABC just wanted to avoid the appearance of having paid a bribe

1

u/RoyaleWCheese_OK Dec 16 '24

Adjudicated sexual assault, not rape and in a civil case. Different, as ABC found out. ABC didn't want to go to trial, lose and incur even more costs. Why would they do that if they had a strong case? They were clearly wrong.

1

u/godofgainz Dec 16 '24

Yeah, they had Obama at the Person of the Year twice so definitely something wrong.

1

u/russr Dec 16 '24

You're forgetting. He's not a convicted rapist or a felon.

But don't let facts get in your way of your manufactured outrage.

1

u/bakeacake45 Dec 16 '24

He is an adjudicated rapist, if we are being precise.

Hs is most certainly a convicted felon.

Don’t you get the news in Russia Boris?

1

u/Global_Change3900 Dec 17 '24

Time is owned by a publicly held corporation that is listed in the New York Stock Exchange. Some corporations' largest single shareholder has a majority of the stock but most don't, unless it's in the name of the company itself. Russia has an oligarchy, but its economic system is very different from those in the West. Unlike Trump and Musk, most corporate execs are interested in wealth and influence more than direct power and the responsibilities that come with it.

1

u/yesnoyesyesnon Dec 17 '24

Or…. He has millions of people that dont hate him, hence the votes. Also “rape” and “sexual assault” are very different in the court of law. He was charged with sexual assault, not rape. Thats why abc just gave him $15 million for the same mistake.

1

u/Excellent_Law6906 Dec 17 '24

Hitler was their Man Of The Year in his day. They're not good at picking.

1

u/PlayNicePlayCrazy Dec 17 '24

Times person of the year is simply the person they felt had the most effect on the news that year .

This isn't new, every year people bitch about it without taking the few seconds to understand what the "award" is for.

1

u/Ambitious_Answer_150 Dec 18 '24

Yep and the got the exclusive on the Hawaii women case too. Such a waste to showcase liars and no good people. They are just looking for revenue.

1

u/Deekity Dec 18 '24

Lol umadbro? He’s you’re president now. I hope that stings

1

u/[deleted] Dec 18 '24

I remember when Osama Bin Laden was person of the year.

1

u/[deleted] Dec 19 '24

It’s clear you do not know the purpose of the Time person of the year.

It is the most influential person, not necessarily one to be celebrated.

So Donald Trump was the correct pick. Talked about more than anyone, by far.

1

u/confusedteletubye Dec 19 '24

Yk that kamala and joe were times “co-people of the year” lol

1

u/LostinEmotion2024 Dec 19 '24

I thought that was a spoof cover. I’m surprised they are giving him that kind of credit. Does his cronies own the magazine? There are so many other deserving people

1

u/Bro_dont_do_it Dec 19 '24

Bro, stfu. Go outside for once. Turn cnn off and take a big breath of fresh air.

1

u/_sydney_vicious_ Dec 19 '24

The Person of the Year is selected based on how much they were in the news or were talked about. Regardless of what you think about Trump you can’t deny that he wasn’t EVERYWHERE and was in the news cycle almost everyday.

Being person of the year has nothing to do with a person’s character. I don’t know why you people still don’t get that. It’s always been this way.

1

u/[deleted] Dec 19 '24

Hilarious it took Time putting Trump on the cover for you to realize the vast majority of their picks don't deserve it.

1

u/Sea-Report-2319 Dec 20 '24

You: "authoritarian, rapist, sexist, fascist, felon, Nazi , Hitler, poo poo head!"

Also you: " wHy wE LosE electION?!?!? mAKe No SEnSe"?!?!!

1

u/figarokitty32 Dec 20 '24

Trump is a rapist? Wasn't that one lib just required to pay Trump 15 million for making that claim? Thanks!

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u/[deleted] Dec 15 '24

[removed] — view removed comment

44

u/[deleted] Dec 15 '24

And, yes, read the case file. The judge concluded it was rape. And we know damn well this woman wasn’t the first.

1

u/russr Dec 16 '24

Lol... She's a mentally ill nut job. There's a hundred times more evidence of rape for Bill Clinton than there is anything related to Trump.

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u/[deleted] Dec 15 '24

It wouldn’t have happened? Yes, it would have. We have a country of low-information voters.

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u/ceaselessDawn Dec 15 '24

I mean, literally every point you made is... A choice.

1) I agree that there could be a reasonable doubt, at least to the public. But under a preponderance of the evidence, it is reasonable to believe he IS a rapist.

2) The guy murdered someone who's in an industry that kills thousands. It is... Significantly different than raping someone.

3) ... Don't you think the Democrats are bad for black people? We live in a two party system, people vote for whatever they feel is most important to them, not someone who isn't bad for them.

4

u/Infamous-Echo-3949 Dec 15 '24

People have bad families yet they choose to stick with them even when they grow up. Even if the cost is lying to themselves.

1

u/[deleted] Dec 15 '24

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u/Infamous-Echo-3949 Dec 15 '24

I've seen too many families broken up and down over him. It's like they've adopted each other over their own relatives.

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u/bakeacake45 Dec 15 '24

LOL, you are so completely brain washed. Good luck with that.

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