Was 2016 The Worst Year Because of Death?

If you have spent any time at all on any of the social networks, such as Facebook or Twitter, you know 2016 was the worst year ever.  But why do so many people feel that way?

Maybe it’s because we lost so many celebrities and famous people this year  – I found a list compiled by fiftiesweb.com containing more that 150 names of well-known and some not so well-known folks who have passed away over the last year.  Follow the link to get the full list, but here are just a few you may recognize.

January

• David Bowie passed away on January 10th at the age of 69.  He was a two-time Grammy winner influencing music and culture for four generations.

March

• Nancy Reagan, First Lady of the U.S. from 1981-1989 passed away at the age of 94 on March 6, 2016

April

• Merle Haggard died at the age of 79 on April 6th He was a very well-known Country and Western singer/songwriter
• Prince, a flamboyant musician and winner of seven Grammy Awards,  died at age 57 on April 21st

June

• Muhammad Ali, one of the greatest boxers of all time, three-time heavyweight champion (1964, 1974, and 1978), died on June 3rd at the age of 74
• Pat Summitt, who was the University of Tennessee Woman’s Basketball coach from 1974-2012 passed away at the age of 64 on June 28.

August

• Gene Wilder, passed away at 83 on August 29th.  He was known for his roles in “Blazing Saddles”, “Young Frankenstein” and “Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory”.

September

• Arnold Palmer, one of the greatest golfers ever, died on September 25th at the age of 87.

December

• John Glenn, the first American to orbit the Earth, died on the 8th of December.  He was 95 years old.
• Alan Thick, best known for his role as Jason Seaver on “Growing Pains”, died at 69 on December 13
• Zsa Zsa Gabor, an Hungarian actress and socialite, most known for marrying nine times to mostly wealthy men, died on December the 18th at the age of 99.
• George Michael, a singer/songwriter, the lead singer of WHAM and solo artist with #1 hits, “Faith”, “I Want Your Sex”, “Careless Whisper,” passed away at age 53 on December 25.
• Carrie Fisher, best known for her iconic role as Princess Leia in “Star Wars” and four sequels was only age 60 when she passed away on December 27th.
• Debbie Reynolds,  Kathy Selden in “Singin’ in the Rain” and the mother of Carrie Fisher, died on December 28th.  She was 84.
• William Christopher, age 84, well-known for his role as Father Mulcahy on TV show “M*A*S*H”, died on December the 31st

Did loosing this many celebrities in just one year make 2016 the worst year ever?  Maybe….  But did you know we lose more than 90 iconic figures every year?  Don’t get me wrong, we lost over 150 this year, but does this really make 2016 the worst year ever?

I have a few other numbers that will probably shock you!

Was 2016 The Worst Year Due Abortions?

Did you know approximately 900,000 potential celebrities also died in 2016?  Who is shedding tears for these future movie stars, athletes, astronauts and world leaders?

Around 16% of all pregnancies in the U.S. end in abortion!

Why? you ask –

The top three reasons for abortion :

1. having a baby would interfere with work, school or other responsibilities (can’t be expected to take responsibility for my actions)
2. cannot afford a child (never thought about adoption)
3. do not want to be a single parent or are having problems with their husband or partner (selfish)

Just Because Abortion Is Legal, Doesn’t Make It Right!

Remember Slavery?

Now for the reasons everyone gives for allowing abortions –

1. Only 12% of abortions are for medical reasons
2. Only 1% of abortions are due to rape or incest

These numbers are just sad.  But I haven’t seen a single comment on Facebook or Twitter about this being the reason 2016 was the worst year ever!  We weep over 150 people who lived very full lives just because we saw them in a movie, but not a peep about the 900,000 babies murdered before the drew their first breaths.

Or was 2016 The Worst Year Due To Terror Deaths?

Suicide attacks killed more people in 2016 than any other year on record. 800 terrorist carried out 469 attacks in 28 countries killing over 5000 people!

Amazingly, I haven’t heard one person mention this when they are whining about “2016 The Worst Year Ever”

Priorities

Something is mixed up!  We have not got our priorities in the right place.  We mourn the deaths of a handful of wealth individuals who provide us with entertainment, but not the genocide of 900,000 innocent babies that never got a chance to be!  We fail to mourn the thousand of individuals that died just trying to live their lives.

Please get your priorities straight folks