Sidarth selected Salon’s Person of the Year
Online magazine Salon has named the man Senator George Allen dubbed “macaca”– UVA fourth-year Shekar Ramanuja Sidarth– its Person of the Year for changing history with a camcorder and introducting “Allen– and the rest of us– to the real America.”
Sidarth captured a moment that led to Allen’s defeat of a presumed safe seat and upset the balance of power in the U.S. Senate. Says Salon, “He becomes a symbol of politics in the 21st century, a brave new world in which any video clip can be broadcast instantly everywhere and any 20-year-old with a camera can change the world. He builds a legacy out of happenstance.”
3:45 Update: Time Magazine has also taken notice of Sidarth’s role as an unlikely political player and has named him one of 15� “online citizens” who are exemplary of how the Internet makes “You” the Person of the Year.
Congratulations to Sidarth and kudos to Salon for actually picking an individual for their Person of the Year, unlike a certain other news publication who copped out and chose “You.”
It’s astounding how one person with camcorder and internet savvy could have essentially changed the balance of power in Congress.
Thanks, Sidarth, for introducing us (and the rest of the country) to the “real George Allen”.
Congratulations to Salon for creating a legacy by choosing Sidarth. That being that it’s still possible to ‘out’ someone in politics that has no business helping to decide on the directiosn our country should take. Sidarth has shown that in politics it’s most critical to get to know the politician, even if it’s by video tape. Let’s hope that legacy continues, and that we reward those like Sidarth that aren’t afraid of the truth.