Lesbian Pop Culture Reviews

The Whole 9 Yards: Year in Review

We associate the number nine with extremes: highs (cloud nine), lows (the ninth Psalm, predicting the coming of the Antichrist), good luck and bad. Considering the spectrum of events we lived through in 2010-2011—from the greatest victories to the worst tragedies—the number nine seems a particularly apt symbol for the past twelve months’ happenings. On the plus side, DADT was repealed; on the minus side, a near-apocalyptic disaster devastated Japan. Last year, we opened our Annual Year in Review with the crisis in Haiti, which proves again that life is fragile.

26. FACEBOOK KNOWS MORE ABOUT YOU THAN YOU DO

Facebook, so ubiquitous it inspired a movie (The Social Network), continues to wield its power over our daily lives. We all know someone who is addicted to Facebook (just look in the mirror). With privacy settings set by default to “public,” the new interface that prevents photo-grabbing and the censorship of so-called offensive content, it‘s a little like buying crack from Big Brother. But is Facebook wack? It’s just so damned great for political organizing. Plus, how could we abandon it now that we’re allowed declare “domestic partnership” as our relationship status?

What Do You Think?