Saturday, May 06, 2006

The TIME 100 List; 'The People Who Shape Our World'. Really?

It's an annual affair ad nauseam; The TIME comes out with it's list of the 100 'most influential' people, those who 'shape' the world, those who have a 'profound' effect on and the most... oh come on!
What kind of egotistical mind can make that kind of claim without flinching? Does everything have to be so 'americocentric'? For safe measure they throw in a few terrorists and dictators to make the list look balanced. Please view the list first, then we'll talk.

Artists & EntertainersThis diverse galaxy of influential stars has won fans and spawned imitators around the globe
J.J. Abrams
George Clooney
Dixie Chicks
Ellen DeGeneres
Nicolas Ghesquiere
Wayne Gould
Philip Seymour Hoffman
Arianna Huffington
Ang Lee
Renzo Piano
Rain
Rachael Ray
Jeff Skoll
Kiki Smith
Will Smith
Zadie Smith
Howard Stern
Meryl Streep
Reese Witherspoon
Rob Pardo
Daddy Yankee
Tyra Banks
Dane Cook
Matt Drudge
Stephen Colbert
Scientists & ThinkersWhether by harnessing the power of the Internet or probing the mysteries of the mind, they have come up with the big ideas of our time
Mike Brown
Kelly Brownell
Nancy Cox
Richard Davidson
Kerry Emanuel
Jim Hansen
Zahi Hawass
Bill James
John Jones
Ma Jun
Jim Yong Kim
Steven Levitt
Jacques Rossouw
Andrew von Eschenbach
Jimmy Wales
Geoffrey West
Leaders & RevolutionariesDictators, democrats, holy men (and a TV host)—these are the people with the clout and power to change our world
Muqtada al-Sadr
Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf
Hugo Chavez
George W. Bush
John McCain
Mahmoud Ahmadinejad
Ayman al-Zawahiri
Hillary Rodham Clinton
Pope Benedict
Condoleezza Rice
Wen Jiabao
Ehud Olmert
Pervez Musharraf
John Roberts
Ismail Haniya
Angela Merkel
Jigme Singye Wangchuk
Archbishop Peter Akinola
Junichiro Koizumi
Oprah Winfrey
Bill & Melinda Gates
Heroes & PioneersMeet some global icons—actors, politicians, athletes, entertainers and others—who are using their influence to do the right thing
Bono
Michelle Wie
Wynton Marsalis
Angelina Jolie
Bill Clinton & George H.W. Bush
Steve Nash
Orhan Pamuk
Elie Wiesel
Jan Egeland
Joey Cheek
Chen Guangcheng
Ian Fishback
Wafa Sultan
Pernessa Seele
Ralph Lauren
Mukhtaran Bibi
Paul Simon
Al Gore
Katie Couric
Builders & TitansInnovation, grand plans, style and substance—that's what it takes to be influential in the world of business
Vikram Akula
Tom Anderson & Chris DeWolfe
Franz Beckenbauer
The Flickr Founders
Sean Combs
Jamie Dimon
Brian France
Tom Freston
Huang Guangyu
Omid Kordestani
Eddie Lampert
Patricia Russo
Sheikh Mohammed
Anne Mulcahy
Nandan Nilekani
Jim Sinegal
Steve Wynn
The Skype Guys
Dieter Zetsche


***** Whew! There you have it. A couple of Chinese and Indians are there perhaps of the recognition of the emergence of new great powers.
But Al Gore? Dixie Chicks? Will Smith?
Michelle Wie; oh, ok. But where is the Tiger?
Angelina Jolie; isn't she a U.N. goodwill Ambassador? But where's Kofi Annan?

You see, basically anyone can nitpick like what I've done, with any list that anybody brings out. Such an all encompassing claim should not be made and if it is, at least some semblance of judicious balance and fairness should be attempted. Frankly I would have loved to see a Malaysian name or two on this or other 'power' lists. That's not going to happen and I'm not going to sound like 'sour grapes' and prolong this whinging.

Just out of curiosity what Malaysian names do you think should appear on such a list? Any nominations?

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