talkpolitics | Friday LOL. 10 Year Challenge

In the last couple of weeks, millions have taken part in the #10YearChallenge by posting a 2009 photo of themselves next to a recent one, to show how much they’ve changed. If you’ve been pretty much anywhere on the internet, you’ll have no doubt come across it on social media. Someone took the opportunity to reflect on bigger changes such as climate change, plastic pollution or global conflicts. Of course, there has been no shortage of critics who questioned the challenge for being — among other things — narcissistic, ageist and sometimes a bit sexist.

People are also sharing some of the things that appear to have improved over the last decade, like the extreme poverty currently at its lowest overall level in recorded history, child mortality and youth illiteracy both down, and global average life expectancy increased. Naturally, it is worth focusing on the brilliant bizarre side of the event.