With a little help from his friends, North Korean dictator Kim Jong Un blew away the competition in Time Magazine's 2012 "Person of the Year" Reader Poll.
Kim Jong Un is the third-generation ruler of the most repressive regime on Earth. He's also the man at the top of this year's Person of the Year Reader Poll, conducted by Time Magazine, more than doubling the votes received by the second-place finisher, Jon Stewart, and crushing such notables as Aung San Suu Kyi, Hillary Clinton, Mohamed Morsi, Psy, Barack Obama and even the Mars Rover. How did he do it?
As usual, the internet is to blame. "Jon Stewart, Undocumented Immigrants, Olympic gold medalist Gabby Douglas and Burmese leaders Aung San Suu Kyi and Thein Sein, Egyptian president Mohamed Morsi and New Jersey Governor Chris Christie all made it into the top ten," the magazine wrote. "However, some of the highest vote tallies got a boost from members of Internet forums like 4chan who launched a campaign to manipulate the results, pushing North Korea's supreme leader to the top of the list."
Time deserves credit for not invalidating the results because of the obvious "cheating" or even wagging a finger at those responsible for them, suggesting that it's come to terms with the fact that online polls like this are going to be messed with. And that's not all the manipulating 4chan did: A few days prior to his victory, the group used a script to cast votes so that the first letter of each candidate's name spelled out "KJUGASCHAMBERS." The user who created the script told The Daily Dot that the phrase was chosen because it's clever, referenced Hitler and "wasn't as childish as our second choice of KFCBUTTSEX."
And now, the top ten entries in Time's 2012 "Person of the Year" Reader Poll!
Kim Jong Un - 5,635,941 votes
Jon Stewart - 2,366,324
Undocumented Immigrants - 1,554,085
Gabby Douglas - 1,515,215
Aung San Suu Kyi and Thein Sein - 1,487,945
Stephen Colbert - 1,446,656
Chris Christie - 1,368,767
Hillary Clinton - 1,317,815
Ai Weiwei - 1,151,120
Mohamed Morsi - 874,486
Winning the Reader's Poll does not necessarily make Kim Jong Un Time's Person of the Year, however. That honor is chosen by Time's editors and will be announced on December 19.
Hazy992: I bet they voted for him because he has such a bitchin' haircut.
Also who is this Undocumented Immigrants person?
That's Homeland Security plan, actually, not 4chan: they get the undocumented immigrants to win the competition and wait for them to come claim their prize. Then, back to the border!
It's a shame the Higgs Boson wasn't in the top ten either, wonder if they did this in a way that people couldn't mess with it what the results would be?
One day the North Koreans will realise the world is laughing at them and blow us all up. That's one country nobody seems to mess with because they're that unstable. A bit like a toddler holding a gun in a locked room with a few people. They'll either shoot themselves by mistake or somebody else.
North Korea is the most fascinating country in the world... because it is so ridiculous and different to every other country...!
Seriously, it's amazing... the people have so little to do, that the ones living near the border to China (across the river) will stand on the banks for hours, staring into China, wondering what felonies and immoral, banned things (you know, like eating, and owning stuff) that the people over there are doing...
They also beat Pinata's that look like US soldiers in primary school! :P
I wonder what would happen if they became besties with Iran!?
AnarchistAbe: FUN FACT! They actually manipulated it to read (going downwards, first letters only): KJUGasChambers.
Which was meant to stand for: Kim Jong Un Gas Chambers.
I don't know if you missed it in the article, or if it was added afterwards, but Andy mentioned that (and runner-up idea KFCBUTTSEX).
OT: I like when big companies are good sports about this sort of thing. I'm just kind of curious about why John Stewart was #2; did 4chan push him up very high so that they could spell? I mean, he's a good satirist, but I don't think he did anything great this year that deserves Person of the Year.
And for Grammar Nazi points...
Andy Chalk: ...crushing such notables as Aung San Suu Kyi, Hillary Clinton, Modamed Morsi, Psy, Barack Obama...
It takes a troll to know a troll, and it takes a troll to vote for an obvious troll. This may be trolling, OR it could be 4channers pointing out that people should pay attention to what Un does.
How did the Curiosity rover get into a Person Of The Year Poll?
Didn't you know it gained sentiance 3 days ago? some think the Martians reprogrammed it to hide their invasion force. Either way, I for one welcome our new robotic overloards!
Nantucket: One day the North Koreans will realise the world is laughing at them and blow us all up. That's one country nobody seems to mess with because they're that unstable. A bit like a toddler holding a gun in a locked room with a few people. They'll either shoot themselves by mistake or somebody else.
That's propaganda. The West loves to say to someone they don't like that they are crazy, insane or monsters, all ways to dehumanize them, they did it with Stalin, they did it with Sadam, Kadaffi and with N.Korean leaders.
And what annoys me it's that it works, a lot of people out there really think the guy is crazy, and his father was too, and that they could put everyone's lives in danger by owning Atomic bombs.
Bad Jim: Well it's not as bad as making Adolf Hitler the real Man Of The Year in 1938. And giving it to Stalin twice.
Or worse, giving it to George W Bush.
Yes, you're very clever, joking that Bush is worse than Hitler and Stalin. In 2012. May you be forever lauded as a comedic genius years ahead of your time.
Ahem. Anyway, this is probably a good opportunity to point out that Time's Person of the Year status isn't meant to be an Award For Being An Awesome Person. It basically means "This person had more of an affect on current events than anyone else this year." They've had to clarify this a number of times, in fact, for the benefit of people stupid enough to believe that a major American publication would openly support people like Joseph Stalin or Hugo Chávez.
Nantucket: One day the North Koreans will realise the world is laughing at them and blow us all up. That's one country nobody seems to mess with because they're that unstable. A bit like a toddler holding a gun in a locked room with a few people. They'll either shoot themselves by mistake or somebody else.
That's propaganda. The West loves to say to someone they don't like that they are crazy, insane or monsters, all ways to dehumanize them, they did it with Stalin, they did it with Sadam, Kadaffi and with N.Korean leaders.
And what annoys me it's that it works, a lot of people out there really think the guy is crazy, and his father was too, and that they could put everyone's lives in danger by owning Atomic bombs.
But it isn't just propaganda when you look at how the citizens of North Korea are treated, and how far behind they are in every aspect of living... The US isn't just going "bad man", there are horror stories constantly coming out of that country.
Nantucket: One day the North Koreans will realise the world is laughing at them and blow us all up. That's one country nobody seems to mess with because they're that unstable. A bit like a toddler holding a gun in a locked room with a few people. They'll either shoot themselves by mistake or somebody else.
That's propaganda. The West loves to say to someone they don't like that they are crazy, insane or monsters, all ways to dehumanize them, they did it with Stalin, they did it with Sadam, Kadaffi and with N.Korean leaders.
And what annoys me it's that it works, a lot of people out there really think the guy is crazy, and his father was too, and that they could put everyone's lives in danger by owning Atomic bombs.
But it isn't just propaganda when you look at how the citizens of North Korea are treated, and how far behind they are in every aspect of living... The US isn't just going "bad man", there are horror stories constantly coming out of that country.
I'm talking about dehumanization from the West, not saying N.K is a good place to live. It certainly is place where the conditions aren't very good, but they are not crazy or monsters. If they were they wouldn't teach everyone how to read, build schools and colleges and provide free healthcare.
Nantucket: One day the North Koreans will realise the world is laughing at them and blow us all up. That's one country nobody seems to mess with because they're that unstable. A bit like a toddler holding a gun in a locked room with a few people. They'll either shoot themselves by mistake or somebody else.
That's propaganda. The West loves to say to someone they don't like that they are crazy, insane or monsters, all ways to dehumanize them, they did it with Stalin, they did it with Sadam, Kadaffi and with N.Korean leaders.
And what annoys me it's that it works, a lot of people out there really think the guy is crazy, and his father was too, and that they could put everyone's lives in danger by owning Atomic bombs.
Perhaps the reason everyone thinks Kim Jong Il was crazy is because, well, he was crazy. He has his own top 10 list and everything.
1. He kidnapped Shin Sang-ok in order to have him make a North Korean version of Godzilla. (Move bob even made a couple episodes about them i think) 2. He was, for a time, the purchaser of the largest amount of Hennessey whiskey. 3. He claimed he invented golf, and scored 11 holes in one in one game 4. He composed 6 operas in over two years, and had them performed 5. His birth was apparently marked by a double rainbow, and a bright star in teh sky. 6. He has a song with lyrics that claim, "We cannot exist without you, Comrade Kim Jong Il!" 7. He claimed to have invented hamburgers 8. He had constructed a fake town near the South Korean Border in order to show the people of that obviously inferior country how wonderful life would be if only they defected. 9. He at one point hoped to solve North Korea's famine via breeding giant rabbits. 10. He does not defecate.
But don't believe that list is all that there is to the worlds greatest leader, look up some trivia for yourself!
Nantucket: One day the North Koreans will realise the world is laughing at them and blow us all up. That's one country nobody seems to mess with because they're that unstable. A bit like a toddler holding a gun in a locked room with a few people. They'll either shoot themselves by mistake or somebody else.
That's propaganda. The West loves to say to someone they don't like that they are crazy, insane or monsters, all ways to dehumanize them, they did it with Stalin, they did it with Sadam, Kadaffi and with N.Korean leaders.
And what annoys me it's that it works, a lot of people out there really think the guy is crazy, and his father was too, and that they could put everyone's lives in danger by owning Atomic bombs.
Perhaps the reason everyone thinks Kim Jong Il was crazy is because, well, he was crazy. He has his own top 10 list and everything.
1. He kidnapped Shin Sang-ok in order to have him make a North Korean version of Godzilla. (Move bob even made a couple episodes about them i think) 2. He was, for a time, the purchaser of the largest amount of Hennessey whiskey. 3. He claimed he invented golf, and scored 11 holes in one in one game 4. He composed 6 operas in over two years, and had them performed 5. His birth was apparently marked by a double rainbow, and a bright star in teh sky. 6. He has a song with lyrics that claim, "We cannot exist without you, Comrade Kim Jong Il!" 7. He claimed to have invented hamburgers 8. He had constructed a fake town near the South Korean Border in order to show the people of that obviously inferior country how wonderful life would be if only they defected. 9. He at one point hoped to solve North Korea's famine via breeding giant rabbits. 10. He does not defecate.
But don't believe that list is all that there is to the worlds greatest leader, look up some trivia for yourself!
I wouldnt try to reason with that one. They think Stalin was a well balanced individual even though he killed millions of his own people after all.
I think people misunderstand when it comes to most important person and Time Magazine. It's an opinion based poll that is not a popularity contest. The most important person is the person that people feel have had the greatest impact on society. That is why people like Hitler and Stalin win these things. It's the person with the greatest impact on society. This person is not usually good, but they can be. Now on to the biggest question: Why did they do this? Just to do it? That seems stupid.
