2016 Was Fun, Until It Wasn't
Are we all talking about the same year?
2016 is one of those years I remember vividly — the sound of Rihanna and Drake’s “Work” in rotation on the radio, the ambition I had in my penultimate year of college, and the community we formed by way of Pokémon Go. The threat of a Donald Trump presidency was ever-looming, but most of us remained hopeful that the US would see its first woman president in Democratic candidate Hillary Clinton. While millennials and Gen-Z often long to return to 2016, perhaps a simpler time for some, many of us don’t look back on that year fondly.
It’s worth noting that 2016 was a cultural cornerstone for several musicians. Rihanna dropped her long-awaited Anti album, which was her most cohesive musical effort yet. Kanye West held a massive release party at Madison Square Garden for his seventh album The Life of Pablo. Zayn Malik made his solo debut with the steamy “Pillowtalk” after a shocking exit from One Direction a year prior. Drake dropped Views, which turned out to be his last good album. And of course, Beyoncé changed the game with the dual release of her Lemonade album and HBO short film, which are collectively regarded as her magnum opus.
Also in the realm of music, newcomers dominated airwaves with instant hits, like Ethiopian rapper Amine with “Caroline.” Some artists who had been around for a while were starting to have breakthrough moments, like DRAM with his cheery marijuana love letter “Broccoli” and Chance the Rapper with his third mixtape Coloring Book. All of the aforementioned projects made for a great summer soundtrack for the 1994 babies who were graduating from college that year1 and the 1995 babies, who had just turned 21. But toward the latter half of the year, some sort of tragedy struck, seemingly daily.
I’ll never forget waking up to the news of the Pulse shooting — in which 29-year-old Omar Mateen shot and killed 49 people and wounded 58, many of whom were of Latino descent, as the shooting took place on a Latin music-themed night. As a Latino queer man, this tragedy hit me twice as hard. Especially going to church that next day, and the community sanitizing the nuances of the shooting, calling it “an attack on Americans”2
That same summer, Philando Castile and Alton Sterling were killed by way of police brutality. Videos of these shootings filled social media user’s feeds for weeks, and in tandem, conservative commentator Tomi Lahren would go viral for her comments on the tragedies. In the days to follow, five police officers would be shot and killed in Dallas, Texas. It was during this time when many of us would see which of our family members and friends would take the side of the victims, versus who would take the side of the police3
In recent weeks, many people have taken to social media to look back on 2016, sharing photos from that time, presumably before everything had gone to shit. Even major brands have hopped in on the trends, some of them changing their social media avatars to their 2016 stylings.
But why this year in particular? Even in 2016 I remember many people saying that it was the worst year on record4. Especially after Trump was elected that November.
Perhaps it was the last time we felt optimistic as a collective society. Truthfully, very few people thought Trump would win. Ilana Glazer and Abbi Jacobson, the creators of Broad City5, had to push back their fourth season because they originally wrote the whole thing, having anticipated that Clinton would win the election.
But also, when we look back, it was also one of the last few years when social platforms weren’t fueled by algorithms. Generative AI was not yet a thing, and we were more thoughtful in our words, and what we shared online — before the social media landscape was pressured into turning every moment into “content.”
In my personal life, my 2016 was good. I landed my first PR internship, scored an event planning role that summer, embraced being single after getting out of my first real relationship6, and visited cities like New York City and Denver for the first time.
The year ended in the deaths of icons like George Michael, and daughter and mother Carrie Fisher and Debbie Reynolds — all of whom died within the final week of 2016. Earlier that year, we also lost David Bowie and Prince.
In the 10 years since 2016, I like to believe I have more discernment. I rarely have to unfriend or unfollow people for shitty takes on contemporary events, as I’ve curated my feed to align with my principles. I also regularly contribute to various news publications, without the use of AI. I don’t wish to return to 2016 for the music, as the music of the time still holds up today — and I also have a good ear for fresh new sounds.
And nostalgia can be a wonderful thing. Reflection is essential for growth. But in between the 2016 throwback photos and playlists, let’s not rewrite history.
Not me though! It took me five years to finish undergrad. UNT class of 2017 for the win!
I happened to be staying with my parents that weekend, meaning I had to attend mass on Sunday morning. I haven’t identified as Catholic since 2012.
Make no mistake, the murder of the Dallas Five was a tragedy, but we have to understand it was in response to decades of systemic violence.
You know, before 2020, and the years to follow
a.k.a., the best sitcom of all time.
And no disrespect to any of my exes. But balancing college, a job, and a relationship is draining for any 21-year-old.