This week, Time magazine announced president-elect Donald Trump as their 2016 Person of the Year.

The decision comes after a long presidential campaign which featured Trump insulting minorities, women and the disabled.

I do not dispute that Donald Trump is the most widely talked about person of the past year. I also do not dispute that Donald Trump will be the most visible and possibly the most important global figure for the next four years. He is, without a doubt, a phenomenon.

What I dispute is the idea that Trump earned this label. Or for that matter, that Donald Trump has accomplished anything to put him on par with some of the men and women who have won it in the past.

I know that Time is simply trying to pick the most logical choice in terms of somebody that the whole world has spent the year talking about, but “person of the year” seems to imply that Donald Trump accomplished something good.

Whatever you may think of the president-elect, it would be tough to dispute that he has done very little good for America during his time in the spotlight. The closest thing to a “positive” with Trump is that a few groups of Americans — the white working class, the KKK, and assorted racists — who previously felt ignored now feel important again, even though it’s almost certain Trump doesn’t actually care about them, and that their decision to elect Trump means millions of other Americans will likely suffer.

Kudos to Donald Trump for getting so many to believe in his nonsense, but that isn’t a real accomplishment, especially when you compare it to the real accomplishments taking place all over the planet in 2016.

Frankly, Time magazine awarding Donald Trump “person of the year” insults men and women all over the world who spend every day trying to make the world a better place. There are thousands of people around the world who deserve this title and if they received even a sliver of the press coverage that Donald Trump got for making statements which included sexist and bigoted rhetoric, they probably would have — and should have — won instead.

Founders or employees of major charities that seek to make life better for humankind everywhere, those who work for peace and diplomacy between conflicting countries who spend their lives trying to ensure global peace, world leaders who wake up every day trying to find ways to make their country a better place to live, or even prominent doctors around the world who spend their time trying to save as many lives as possible.

These people and thousands more deserve recognition for being “people of the year.” A bigoted con-man who hasn’t achieved anything other than exponentially increase irrational fears for millions of Americans, does not.

As upsetting as it is to see Trump given another title he doesn’t deserve, there is historical precedent for awarding those who have done nothing to earn praise.

Time magazine has named several People of the Year who are now known the world over as some of the most famous villains of the 20th century (re: Adolf Hitler, Joseph Stalin).

While we certainly have to wait and see what Trump does when he takes office — and I do doubt anything he does will be as horrifying and extreme as some of the men who’ve previously won — his rhetoric and picks for cabinet positions thus far make it seem likely that he will be a cringe-worthy Person of the Year in years and decades to come.

Based on those past few winners who’ve been nothing short of deplorable, Trump’s win seems more understandable — until you consider all the amazing, life-saving, world-changing people who’ve also won in the past. Those same people likely would be insulted to have their legacy, their hard work and their accomplishments compared to someone who does as much damage to progress in America as Trump does on a weekly basis.

Just take a moment to consider all of the incredible people who received this prestigious honor: “U.S. scientists,” Mahatma Gandhi, Winston Churchill, President Kennedy, President Eisenhower, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., “American women,” Pope Francis, “the American soldier” during the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan and President Barack Obama.

These men and women accomplished things which transformed the world around them. For the better.

Donald Trump has contributed nothing positive thus far and there is no reason to believe that will change.

I understand that he was the most talked about person of 2016. His tweets and his proposed policies have dominated nearly every single day of news coverage during the calendar year.

But what has he done?

If the criteria for being “person of the year” is helping to promote racist, misogynistic and bigoted ideology, then great. Donald Trump should win in a landslide.

But if Time magazine wants to give their Person of Year title to someone who has done something truly worthy of praise, they should look elsewhere.

Connor Touhey ([email protected]) is a senior majoring in political science, history and journalism.