It's Thursday, December the 7th, 2023, and this is the Daily Article Podcast.

I'm Chris Elkins, narrating today's daily article written by Denison Forum co-founder and CEO,

Dr. Jim Denison.

Since time first began selecting a person of the year in 1927, it reports,

The Person Chosen has typically been a ruler over traditional domains of power.

14 U.S. presidents, five leaders of Russia, or the Soviet Union, and three popes have been recognized, for example.

And yet, as Time notes, the person whose singular influence was revealed throughout

2023 has held none of these roles or anything remotely similar.

Singer-songwriter Taylor Swift was chosen because, quote,

in a divided world where too many institutions are failing, she found a way to transcend

borders and be a source of light, end quote. Time explained that in her music, Swift is

committed to validating the dreams, feelings, and experiences of people, especially women,

who have felt overlooked and regularly underestimated.

As a result, quote,

so many have turned to her tales because they have been so disappointed by the storylines that emerge elsewhere in society.

In quote, let's consider some of the storylines emerging today.

Swift's selection was announced a day before the 82nd anniversary of the Japanese

attack on Pearl Harbor. It comes as Europe is facing what one authority called a huge risk

of terrorist attacks over the Christmas period. As one example, a tourist was killed and two

others were injured Saturday in a terrorist assault near the Eiffel Tower in Paris.

The killer had pledged allegiance to the Islamic State.

Closer to home, a gunman killed three people and wounded a fourth yesterday on the campus of the

...