Year in review | Objects of 2022

Whether original or ordinary, easily obtainable or hard to afford, they all had their moment of glory in 2022.

The white sheet

They were beaten when they chanted slogans or held large peaceful marches. So, in desperation, they remained planted motionless, silent, with a simple white sheet in their hands. But even there, it was too much: the Russian authorities did not tolerate any gesture of protest on the part of their citizens opposed to the war in Ukraine. A simple blank sheet, as Hong Kong protesters held in their hands in 2020, has become too subversive for Vladimir Putin’s Russia. In December, it was in another totalitarian regime, China, that demonstrators brandished these immaculate papers. A blank sheet that says nothing at all, and that says everything at the same time.

The blue hook

Ah! What he has made envious of, this little blue hook! Since 2009, it has been used to distinguish Twitter followers whose identity has been verified by company employees. To obtain it, you had to be someone “important” enough for Twitter to take the trouble to take an interest in a particular user… But when Elon Musk took control of the social network in the fall , he made the famous blue hook available to anyone willing to subscribe to a paid monthly subscription. Within days, a slew of impersonators posed as personalities-with-the-blue-hook, so much so that Twitter had to suspend all new paid subscriptions.

Ukrainian flag

In fabric at the end of a pole, as a badge stuck on a virtual avatar, worn as a cape or painted on a cheek, the Ukrainian flag was seen everywhere. Blue and yellow, symbol of hope in a very dark period of 2022.

iceberg lettuce

Who will last the longest? That iceberg lettuce left on the counter or British Prime Minister Liz Truss? Answer: iceberg lettuce, because Liz Truss only lasted 45 days. The absurd competition, launched by an English media outlet, sought to ridicule the politician, whose anti-inflation ‘mini-budget’ has pushed the UK to the brink of economic collapse. His stay in Downing Street was the shortest in recent British history. His successor, Rishi Sunak, has already done better.

The Lord Chamberlain’s Staff

For the first time ever, the funeral of a British monarch has been televised right down to its most intimate rituals. Opportunity to see with our own eyes hyper-traditional ceremonies stuffed with centuries-old codes. Like that little wooden stick that the Lord Chamberlain broke on the royal coffin, live in front of the cameras. A very strange moment. All this to tell you that Queen Elizabeth II died in 2022. Did you know?

The One Love armband

Will they wear it? Won’t they wear it? The famous rainbow armband could have been an opportunity for some World Cup soccer players to show their support for the LGBTQ+ movement, as the competition takes place in Qatar, a country that represses “difference”. They finally gave up taking a stand following pressure from FIFA, the body that oversees world soccer. A missed opportunity?

The Iranian hijab

A young Iranian woman is beaten to death by the Revolutionary Guards because a strand of hair protrudes from her hijab. It was enough to ignite a protest movement that refuses to die down despite the repression. Some 469 demonstrators killed later (according to Iran Human Rights, dated December 20), the ayatollahs’ regime announced in early December a relaxation of dress rules. An illusion ?

In the trash the day after the elections…