Kevin McGeary

    THERE have been predictions, based on a Mayan prophesy, that the world will end in 2012. If this comes true, then 2011, as described by columnist Charlie Brooker, has been an excellent finale. Last year, a British lady made headlines around the world for throwing a cat into a bin. This year, stories such as the death of Colonel Gadhafi and the British royal wedding might not even be in the top 10 major international events.

    Like all good stories, there have been numerous heroes and villains. Here are some examples from the worlds of sports, media, entertainment and education.

    In sports, while English cities were being torn apart by riots, the country’s cricket team was obliterating world champions India. The cricket team showed they had everything the society lacked: discipline, belief and direction. For that reason I nominate them for sports hero of the year. Candidates for sports villain of the year were also numerous. But the villain of the year has to be FIFA President Sepp Blatter. His comment about racism not being a problem on the football pitch was part of a long line of remarks that showed the complete lack of leadership and inclusiveness of football’s governing body.

    In media, the late journalist Christopher Hitchens was not known for showing restraint. His book “The Missionary Position” attacked the reputation of Mother Teresa, and he wrote similar diatribes about Bill Clinton and Henry Kissinger. But his unsentimental writing about his slow death from cancer reflected the stoicism with which he dealt with the illness. Since the death of Princess Diana in 1997, media appear to have become more ostentatiously emotional with every year, but Hitchens’ work was a refreshing break from this, making him my media hero of the year.

    As villain of the year, I nominate comedian Johnnie Marbles. At the height of the biggest media scandal of modern times, Marbles attacked Rupert Murdoch with a plate of shaving cream. Assaulting an 80-year-old man whose guilt has not yet been proven is not a way of combating declining public morals. It simply reflects them.

    The world of education tends not to produce celebrities. Its “heroes” are the ones who quietly go about their jobs. But one retired educator inadvertently became a minor celebrity this year because of his tireless pursuit of knowledge. Hu Zhaozhu was the subject of a feature in Shenzhen Daily on Nov. 4 for overcoming age and illness to contribute to “Cihai,” the most authoritative Chinese dictionary.     

    Representating a very different approach to education is Crazy English founder Li Yang. His simple-minded approach to learning English has been doing to education what KFC has been doing to chicken. He has stated before that English-language education was key to helping China become the most powerful country in the world. His company, Crazy English, is starting to expand into the West with Crazy Chinese. But his treatment of his wife, the details of which emerged on her microblog, showed how much he still has to learn about what it means to be educated, and that greatness is not just about power and achievement. Everybody should have a second chance but for now he is my nominee for education villain of the year.

    As for what the rewards and punishments should be, I suggest the heroes be rewarded with a dinner with Pippa Middleton, the sister of the Duchess of Cambridge who became a celebrity this year. The villains can be punished by being left alone with Wendi Deng, Rupert Murdoch’s wife, while she is in an antagonistic mood.

    (The author is a Shenzhen Daily senior copy editor and writer.)