What do you miss about the 1990's

Post Reply New Topic

I actually miss the music from the 90's which I played on a cassette Walkman, which was old-school even for the 90's

I could identify a few negative things about the 90s, at least from an American perspective.

1.) For many Americans the 90s were a time of incredible shame and despair because they believed the Clintons were the absolute embodiment of Evil, dragging America down to the pit of Hell. It was especially bad for them when Bill Clinton was unexpectedly re-elected. The election of George W Bush in 2000, accomplished by the Supreme Court after the regular election system failed, was like the dawning of a new day for them.
2.) Some Americans had dedicated their lives to fighting the Cold War and believed their lives had lost any real purpose. Many of these did in fact lose their jobs.
3.) An alliance led by the US invaded Kuwait for the sole purpose of securing the West's supply of climate-altering petroleum. It's naïve to imagine they cared whatsoever for the rights of ordinary people living in Kuwait (which hadn't existed anyway). As a result, US military personnel were allowed to set up bases in Saudi Arabia which was the single biggest motivating factor for the 9/11 attack a decade later, and everything that followed.
4.) Although the US had always been divided politically, the division became toxic in the 90s, beginning with the Ruby Ridge and Waco incidents. Then there was the Oklahoma City bombing which was largely covered by the media as an admittedly horrific crime but not as an act of terrorism, perhaps out of fear of antagonizing those unable to condemn the acts of the perpetrators insofar as Ruby Ridge and Waco were the "real atrocities".
5.) For those of us disinclined to religion, the 90s were a REALLY religious time. This became inescapable after the Columbine shootings when the media covered a seemly endless series of Christian observances connected to the incident. Obviously if you're religious you won't see this as a problem, but people today, especially young people, aren't nearly so religious on average as they were then. And also, the Columbine shootings.

BTW dealing with dial-up modems and 16-bit Windows was aggravating. The MacIntosh was better in some ways but overpriced and nothing near what it was cracked up to be by the Apple Fanbois in the popular media. I don't see how anybody can be nostalgic about that stuff.

I'm not saying there weren't a lot of cool things about the 90s but a little perspective can't hurt.

BTW kids still do play outdoors where I live. I often see kids outside in my neighborhood. Yesterday I was in a townhouse community in Columbia MD (not where I live) and saw a multi-ethnic group of about 5 boys playing in a grassy area between the buildings. What amazed me was that they were all wearing masks, as I had been led to believe that you couldn't get children to wear masks.

I think the recent virtual schooling may have something to do with it. After being confined to the house all day, kids were eager to get out. I don't think the whole thing with "screens" becomes a real problem until Middle School though.

The Oregon Trail computer game.

A few more:
• B. Dalton (booksellers).
• Burger Chef (fast-food restaurant).
• Jolt Cola ("All the flavor, and twice the caffeine!").

Yep.....Amazon really screwed with the bookstores! There's still a few Barnes and Nobles around, though.

I was already an adult in the 90s. I guess if I was a kid, I might feel "nostalgic."

My father was in his 30's in the 60s. He doesn't understand why I feel nostalgic about the 60s.

He just had an "adult" view of the 60s, like I have an "adult" view of the 90s.

I didn't really partake in most of the innovations of the 90s. I never owned a pager, for example. I did get Internet around 1996. Even dial-up Internet was amazing to me back then.