Parenting

Viral Twitter Thread Remind Us 2017 Wasn't A Total Dumpster Fire

by Thea Glassman
Image via Twitter/Jacob Atkins

2017 wasn’t The Worst after all

We can all probably agree that this has been a rough, rough year. The political world is a mess, natural disasters ripped mercilessly through our country, and it kinda seems like everyone is divided and fighting (just log on to Twitter for literally one second…you’ll see).

Before you write off 2017 altogether, we’d like to turn your attention to one spectacularly positive Twitter thread that points out all the good things that happened this year. Jacob Atkins, a 20-year-old student from University of Iowa, took to social media and broke down a few amazing things that happened amidst all the hideousness. And people were loving it. Each of his tweets in the thread pulled in thousands of retweets and tens of thousands of likes.

“I hope people take away that there is always some good even if it’s hard to see,” Atkins told BuzzFeed.

First off, scientists killed it this year. Can we get a big amen for nature news that doesn’t involve global warming?

Some corporations did their part, and gave back. Lots and lots of snaps for Amazon.

This majestic beast will continue to roam the land for years to come.

Big, important developments happened in Africa.

Yes, bees sting us and we hate it. They also help our food grow. More bees = good for us. Go bees, go.

Great news coming out of Argentina.

MORE good nature news. Should we all move to New Zealand?

Despite what our president has been saying, crime did go down in 2017. Imagine that.

So did child labor rates.

Lexington, KY came up with an innovative way to give back to the community.

Well done, Hawkeyes. Well done.

Hopefully this overload of goodness will make you feel a tiny bit better about 2017. Or, at the very least, pound red wine with a little less vigor come New Years Eve.

And if you need it, Atkins will be back on Twitter next year, spreading the cheer.

“Because this thread did numbers, I’m doing a 2018 edition next year,” he tweeted. “With the sources since some of y’all became professors and want citations in MLA format.” He kids, but one helpful user did provide credible sources to back up all of Atkins’ claims.

Thanks, Jacob Atkins. Not all superheroes wear capes.