Leave It Behind: The Trends, Words, and Stories We're Retiring From 2014

2014 left behind a skidmark in our hearts and minds. Let's leave it behind and these pop culture touchstones with it.

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Complex Original

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2014 was, if we’re all being completely honest with one another, kind of a brick.

A bummer that spanned 365 calendar days that saw both international and domestic crises loom large. Russia almost started WW III by invading the Ukraine and then possibly, more than likely, arming Russian agents with the sort of military grade hardware that enabled Malaysia Airlines Flight MH17 to be shot down. At home lawmakers collectively lost their shit in the face of Ebola fears. Feckless, hapless, and incompetent, members of the U.S. Congress went as far as as attempting to ban flights to the US from West Africa. Thankfully they failed, but failure is something they should be more than comfortable with as this Congress has been confirmed as the worst in all of America's history.

We’re ready to put 2014 firmly behind us and with it, this humble list of cultural touchstones that should be, if they aren’t already, put six feet in the ground permanently.

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