Too much happened in the year of 2017 for us to let it end without giving thanks to all the people who made a difference and whose actions or achievements inspired us. In case you missed it, we talked about the 10 women we were grateful for in 2017 in an earlier article, and now, it's time for the men to be mentioned. There were a few tough calls but here are the 10 men we were so grateful for in 2017.
1. Yogendra Yadav
Yogendra Yadav is the man responsible for pointing the people's attention exactly where it needed to be - on our country's farmers. He was the driving force behind the two-day protest in November this year. The protesting farmers came from all over the country -- Punjab, Rajasthan, Gujarat, Tamil Nadu and Maharashtra -- to demand farm loan waivers and fair prices, among other things. Thousands of farmers participated, to bring to light the plight of lakhs of poor farmers in the country. We just hope this doesn't get forgotten and that their needs are met - soon.
"Wall of Shame" displays details of some of the 3Lakh farmers forced to commit suicide over the past 20 years. #KisanMuktiSansadpic.twitter.com/WMDsJbRiVq
— Yogendra Yadav (@_YogendraYadav) November 20, 2017
2. Mir Mohammad Ali
As a person living in Delhi, I can vouch for how much pollution and garbage can adversely affect the quality of one's life. Even though Delhi should definitely divert its energies in the direction of sustainable and clean living, we were happy to learn that at least the district of Kannur in Kerala has decided to step up and taken on the challenge. Led by District Collector Mir Mohammad Ali, Kannur has successfully become the first plastic-free district of India. We can all learn something from Mir Mohammed Ali and the 25 lakh people who decided to ditch plastic.
3. Justin Baldoni
We already have enough reasons to love Justin Baldoni (we've all seen Jane The Virgin, right?) but ever since we've caught on to his initiative to dig a little (okay, no, a lot) deeper into what it means to be a man... Well, we've been hooked. He has such an interesting perspective on the topic and we're just so glad he's starting a conversation that really needs to be had. Catch his new talk show, Man Enough here. It encourages men to challenge the rules of traditional masculinity and gender roles at a dinner table with different guests.
'Men/boys don't cry' is something we've all heard growing up - but why? Who made the rule that men had to keep their emotions bottled up and silent, and even cry if they felt like? These are the type of conversations Justin is encouraging with his new talk show, and we couldn't be happier.
4. KP Kelly
No other way of saying this... He's the man who ran 100 marathons in 100 days all for charity - again, all 100 of them. The causes he's trying to raise money for range from cancer, cystic fibrosis, Tourette syndrome, wounded war veterans... The list is long. The famous philanthropist and marathoner has been running long distance since he was 18. If that doesn't inspire you to get out of your cozy seats and make a resolution to at least complete you 10,000 steps a day, we don't know what will.
5. Farhan Akhtar, Shyam Benegal and Ashoke Pandit
Earlier this year, the CBFC, or, as it is more popularly known, the Censor Board, refused to certify Lipstick Under My Burkha as it's story was too "lady-oriented" for its liking. The CBFC letter, tweeted by Farhan Akhtar, also implied that the material of the movie would offend Indian Muslims. Immediately following this, Farhan Akhtar, Shyam Benegal and Ashoke Pandit publicly spoke out against this decision. And with good reason - what about a movie being female-oriented is worth censoring? The decision was overturned in April, and, thankfully, the movie was cleared for release and we got our 'lady-oriented' movie of the year.
Below is the reason CBFC listed for denying #LipstickUnderMyBurkha a release. Keep your barf bag ready.. pic.twitter.com/NFO42sRJIb
— Farhan Akhtar (@FarOutAkhtar) February 23, 2017
6. Anthony Rapp
It was only about two months ago that Anthony Rapp came forward, in an interview to Buzzfeed, about the time he was sexually harassed as a minor, by Kevin Spacey. It couldn't have been easy, it never is, and he deserves a mention here because of it. We can all agree that as important as the #MeToo movement is, and that as a society, we need to be paying a lot more attention to the rampant abuse of women, our preconceived notions about gender norms and masculinity make it just as difficult for male survivors of sexual abuse to come forward and speak up. That needs to change. Following Anthony's revelations, Netflix suspended the production of the 6th season of popular show, House of Cards immediately. They later announced that they will be resuming production, without Kevin Spacey. Many more allegations arose after the first, most of them by former staff. Spacey was also replaced in the movie All The Money In The World which had already been shot by Christopher Plummer.
7. Ryan (Last name unknown)
On a lighter note, it's just the traditional type of hard work that pays off. Sometimes, you can make your way into the world by doing exactly what you love - age no bar. Ryan, who is only six years old, made 11 million dollars this year by - get this - reviewing toys on Youtube. If that's possible, how can one not believe in their wildest dreams, huh?
8. Hasan Minhaj
The sharply, cutting, acerbic speech that Hasan Minhaj made at the White House Correspondents' dinner this year is the kind of stuff that makes us believe in the power of the written, and spoken, word. It was the best 25 minutes (and another 25, because you can't just watch it once) I spent on Youtube this year and then of course, his Netflix special, Homecoming King, definitely did not disappoint. And it's not just all about the jokes or his political opinions - the first minute alone of his speech pretty much sums up why him being on that podium was so relevant this year.
9. Navdeep Bains
Earlier this month, Navdeep Bains, Canada's Innovation Minister, openly stated that Canada will stay committed to the principles of Net Neutrality. A statement issued by his ministry quoted him as saying, 'Net neutrality is one of the critical issues of our times, much like freedom of the press and freedom of expression before it.' This was even more momentous since it came right after US FCC voted to repeal the rules that ensured a free and open Internet for all. At a time when faith in political leaders around the world has taken a major hit, it's good to be able to look up to some of them, somewhere. It makes us feel like there's still hope left, don't you think?
10. Prince Harry of Wales
Last month, after months of speculation about which way their romance was headed, the news of Prince Harry's engagement to Meghan Markle was made official. This announcement actually shows how far the British monarchy has come for there to be (finally) no objections to the marriage of a royal to an American, divorced woman. Not only that, she also happens to be half African-American, on her mother's side. A step closer to an ideal world? Maybe. It'll definitely be a royal wedding unlike any other.
Comments
Was there someone you were grateful for in 2017 who didn't make it to our lists? Let us know below.
