The 10 Most Searched Things of 2012 Show How Screwed Up Humanity Is

Google, the number one
search engine on the
planet, has published its
comprehensive list of
what was on people's
minds during 2012. The
company's 2012
Zeitgeist—"the defining
spirit or mood of a
particular period of
history as shown by
the ideas and beliefs of
the time"—is as
accurate a reflection of
humanity's current
state of mind as we've
got. And, with all the
crap that has happened
this year, humanity's
mind sucks. Here's the
overall global ranking:
1. Whitney Houston
2. Gangnam Style
3. Hurricane Sandy
4. iPad 3
5. Diablo 3
6. Kate Middleton
7. Olympics 2012
8. Amanda Todd
9. Michael Clarke Duncan
10. BBB12 (don't search
for this, it's a terrible
Brazilian show,
apparently).
Whitney Houston?
Gangnam Style? Really?
Hurricane Sandy, sure.
But then iPad 3 and
Diablo 3 and Kate
Middleton? Is that really
"the defining spirit or
mood of a particular
period of history as
shown by the ideas and
beliefs of the time"?
Hooooo-Kay.
But hey, at least the
official Google video—
which shows some of
the most important,
far-reaching events of
the year—is inspiring.
At moments.
The lists by country are
not that much more
enlightening. In the US
this is what we get for
the general ranking:
1. Whitney Houston
2. Hurricane Sandy
3. Election 2012
4. Hunger Games
5. Jeremy Lin
6. Olympics 2012
7. Amanda Todd
8, Gangnam Style
9. Michael Clarke Duncan
10. KONY 2012
If you go by category,
things don't get much
better. You can explore
all the lists here. Or
screw the internet. You
can tell us what you
think are the most
important events,
things and people of the
year in the discussion
below.