The Grit: Heroes and Villains, 2011
The Grit has put together its Heroes and Villains from the hundreds of articles published on TakePart in 2011. Disagree? Can think of a few more? Join in below...
LOS ZETAS: VILLAIN(S)
Indiscriminate murderers and torturers who make a living “Supplying the bulk of the United States’ appetite for cocaine, heroin, marijuana and methamphetamine,” Los Zetas have turned Mexico into a slaughterhouse. More than 40,000 Mexicans have been killed in the battle for control of the production and distribution of drugs among the cartels.
KRISTEN CHRISTIAN - HERO
The power of social media and a damn good idea. Kristen got upset with an orchestrated attempt by some of America’s biggest banks to start charging monthly credit card fees. She decided her money, and everybody else’s, would be better off in a not-for-profit credit union. Kristen created Bank Transfer Day on Facebook, using the same Guy Fawkes image appropriated by many Occupiers on the streets of America. The event struck a chord. Thousands of disaffected customers switched their bank accounts to credit unions on November 5 this year, and a movement was born.
THE BURGER - VILLAIN 
America is fat and it is getting fatter. We’re eating too much meat. It’s affecting our life expectancy. We know meat production is far less resource-efficient than vegetable cultivation. We know vast swathes of virgin rainforest are being cleared to create agricultural land for cows to graze on. We know too much processed red meat can cause cancer. This year an Oxfam report demonstrated exactly how the growing demand for burgers is also taking food out of the mouths of the poor in Africa. And still we go large.
RIC O’BARRY - HERO
Every year a small number of Japanese fisherman drive hundreds of dolphins from the open sea into a small inlet by the town of Taiji. Some dolphins are caught and sold into captivity; the rest are slaughtered. Ric O’Barry is the former dolphin trainer who has been campaigning against keeping sea mammals in captivity for more than 40 years. Ric has used the success of the Academy Award-winning documentary The Cove to raise public awareness of the dolphin slaughters. His dedication to his cause and considerable success has been an inspiration to the many people who visit this site. For more, read the Cove Watch blog.
THE REPUBLICAN PRESIDENTIAL HOPEFULS - VILLAIN(S)
Not all of them. Just the ones who say things like this:
Climate change science is “all one contrived phony mess that is falling apart under its own weight.” —Rick Perry, Texas Governor
“The big thing we’re working on now is the global warming hoax. It’s all voodoo, nonsense, hokum, a hoax.” —Michele Bachmann, Minnesota Representative
Manmade global warming is “the greatest hoax I think that has been around for many, many years.” —Ron Paul,Texas Representative
Guys. People are laughing.
TATIANA GROSSMAN - HERO
There are many people profiled on TakePart who spend their time quietly doing great things. There is no better example than Tatiana Grossman, who at the age of 12 took it upon herself to collect unwanted books from her native North Carolina and send them to Africa. Tatiana’s idea became a charity called Spread the Words, which has so far delivered 23,000 books across five countries. This year Tatiana turned 16 and won a World of Children award for her amazing work.
The Grit came into being on these webpages in the latter half of this year. It's been a real privilege to spend some time waving a flag for the good guys whilst blowing raspberries at the loons.
Back next week with a Christmas Quiz, then normal service resumes in 2012. Thanks for reading. Have a wonderful holiday.
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