I know it’s just the nostalgia talking but the 90’s seemed like a simpler time.

[MudererofCrows]

Our political disagreements were less divisive. We no longer lived under the threat of global nuclear war. The music was good. Star Wars was coming back to the big screen. Economy roared. The Simpsons was still funny. Al Gore invented the Internet and it was easier to see boobs when you wanted.

The last twenty years it seems the world has just gone off a cliff. Everything is so batshit crazy now, polarized. Maybe I just think the 90’s were simpler because I was a kid and didn’t have all the concerns or worries of adult life. I don’t know but I kind of miss that feeling.

 

[_Mav_]

"Nostalgia is depression with a smile."
-- anonymous

 

[Ron Mehico]

I’m currently thoroughly enjoying my life. The 2000s and 2010 kicked *** as well. 1990-2000 were my teenage years and far and away the absolute worst decade of my life. I hated Junior High and High School.

 

[MudererofCrows]

I’m currently thoroughly enjoying my life. The 2000s and 2010 kicked *** as well. 1990-2000 were my teenage years and far and away the absolute worst decade of my life. I hated Junior High and High School.

I mean my life’s not terrible or anything. I have a great life.

Just things in the 90’s seemed a lot more cut and dry. Simple. You knew who the bad guys were. Everything wasn’t “ you’re either for us or against us”. People, as a whole, seemed relatively better off in a lot of ways.

It’s definitely the nostalgia coloring things but I’d be lying if that feeling doesn’t give me some comfort.

 

[phunterd]

If you truly want to boil it down to its simplest form - we no longer share a common culture or values. Pretty simple really. Tough to have a cohesive country when core, fundamental values and beliefs diverge significantly as has happened the last 10-15 years.

 

[akaukswoosh]

Our political disagreements were less divisive. We no longer lived under the threat of global nuclear war. The music was good. Star Wars was coming back to the big screen. Economy roared. The Simpsons was still funny. Al Gore invented the Internet and it was easier to see boobs when you wanted.

The last twenty years it seems the world has just gone off a cliff. Everything is so batshit crazy now, polarized. Maybe I just think the 90’s were simpler because I was a kid and didn’t have all the concerns or worries of adult life. I don’t know but I kind of miss that feeling.

On Oct. 7, 1996 Rupert Murdoch unveiled the Fox News Fear Factory.

 

[JumperJack]

In the 90’s, the rise of China, the impact of reckless policies regarding immigration, outsourcing, and government spending, plus the impacts of rising illegitimacy….all of these were the bogeymen of the future.

The future is now.

 

[phunterd]

In the 90’s, the rise of China, the impact of reckless policies regarding immigration, outsourcing, and government spending, plus the impacts of rising illegitimacy….all of these were the bogeymen of the future.

The future is now.

Good list. I’d toss in the culture changes as well. So many aspects of today’s cultural beliefs would’ve been unthinkable in the 90’s. You can’t rewrite major cultural norms and then cry when the country is torn apart.

 

[MudererofCrows]

Thanks for proving my point guys! Good job!

Jesus Christ we really are doomed.

 

[P19978]

When did Barack Hussein Obama take office? That's your answer.

We're still paying for that mistake even today... but maybe another "Beer Summit" or "Cash for Clunkers'" program will solve our problems...

 

[rudd1]

-2000 presidential election changed everything...it was dragged out unnecessarily. Everything since then has been an "emergency"...as opposed to something to be worked out together through the legislative process.

^before that Reagan had Tip O'Neal to work with, Clinton had Gingrich...wouldn't have gotten **** accomplished without Newt.

-after 2000 *everything* was hyper political...I mean the media/hard left called Reagan a ww3 starting nazi, but O'Neal still worked with him. Clinton and Gingrich got *good* things done together.

-there are always cultural changes, the difference now is that "cultural issues" have been deemed the most important thing in the world by some...at the expense of economics and national defense.

 

[MegaBlue05]

I agree the 90s were a simpler time. The partisans are certainly proving your point because said partisans can’t handle a changing world.

Politics didn’t seem as cutthroat, but the 1994 midterms changed that and it’s only accelerated with each passing cycle since.

 

[UKRob 73]

On Oct. 7, 1996 Rupert Murdoch unveiled the Fox News Fear Factory.

To go along with the other two fear factories. Oh but they spout the BS you agree with so it's ok.
When this country learns to think for themselves and stop believing the partisan rhetoric the cable news spouts, we may be ok. But until then we are doomed.

 

[RunninRichie]

To be clear on nukes by putin. He almost did the same thing in 2015.

 

[J_Dee]

Star Wars was coming back to the big screen. ...The Simpsons was still funny.

The buildup for The Phantom Menace in the months before its release was unique and simply amazing. There was so much speculation and excitement, especially over Darth Maul.

The Simpsons was my favorite show in the '90s. I've recently been revisiting that era of the show on Disney+ and it's as sharp and funny as ever.

One of the things I miss most about the '90s is challenging and/or interesting video games. The SNES, Genesis, PS1, N64, and PC all consumed countless hours of my life and overall I probably burned through close to a billion dollars at the local video rental stores and arcades.

 

[bigblueinsanity_rivals250340]

Everything was simpler before social media. When future historians look back at the fall of our civilization, they'll point to social media and the algorithms most allow to control their lives and thoughts

 

[Tskware]

Lot of good thoughts here, but sentimentalizing "The Good Old Days" is nothing new. (doesn't Proverbs say "there is nothing new under the sun"?)

Consider the 1950s, Happy Days right? Unless you got sent to Korea, were black in the south or most any other place, were a woman who had few if any career choices, lived in rural America in poverty without running water, sanitation, heat, etc., air travel limited so could not travel easily, chance of contracting polio until the vaccine came along. I could go on and on, but I am sure you get my point.

Even in politics, many Americans HATED FDR at least before the war for all his radical social and economic policies, many Americans HATED Lincoln, now they are considered among our greatest historical figures. Every generation has challenges, wars, depressions, pandemics, there truly is nothing new under the sun.

(I do agree the sheer number of people and social media has shaped our current state of affairs)

 

[Hank Camacho_rivals115797]

Did MoC just try to use the Star Wars prequels as a positive?

:flush:

 

[SDC8888]

90s were peak humanity. We could do essentially everything we can know, just not quite as easily.

I've made that claim for the past decade +, has nothing to do with nostalgia or typical "things were better in my day sonny!."

People hate to hear it, and will argue tooth and nail against it, but it will bear itself out: past, preseent and future. It will only get worse from here in our lifetimes.

 

[WildcatFan1982]

it was easier to see boobs when you wanted.

you still on a flip phone or something?

 

[christophero]

Videogames were certainly better. Damn @J_Dee beat me to it. SNES/Genesis/ps one/N64.

 

[buster3.0]

It was a lot more difficult to surf the net in the 90s. Using a PC with the limited technology was more frustrating.

Being able to view good porn was 1000x more difficult in the 90s.

 

[CondorCat]

1990s... I miss the Turbo button on my PC.

 

[MudererofCrows]

Did MoC just try to use the Star Wars prequels as a positive?

:flush:

Nah Hank. I’m talking about the hype leading up to the release of The Phantom Menace in 99 starting around 97. It was huge and one of the big drivers of the Internet.

 

[MudererofCrows]

you still on a flip phone or something?

I was talking about the perspective of porn on the Internet as opposed to having to sneak your dad’s Playboys or get Susie Rottencroch to show you her tits at the church lock in.

 

[WildcatFan1982]

got ya. I don't miss watching blurred Cinemax or Playboy TV

 

[MudererofCrows]

got ya. I don't miss watching blurred Cinemax or Playboy TV

My grandparents had one of those dial cable boxes and I found if you kind of half turned it and got it to set the Skinemax tits would come in a lot less scrambled lol

 

[FirewithFire]

I was talking about the perspective of porn on the Internet as opposed to having to sneak your dad’s Playboys or get Susie Rottencroch to show you her tits at the church lock in.

Ah, the good old days.

Bee boop durrrr beeeeep doooo. Welcome to AOL, you've got mail. LOL.

If someone dropped a time machine in front of me and told me I could go back to 1994 I would hop into that mofo so fast I wouldn't even disturb the dust around my feet.

 

[MudererofCrows]

Another thing about the 90’s…cartoons in the afternoon after school.

Ducktales, Darkwing Duck, Talespin, Batman TAS!!!

I will die on the hill that Batman TAS was the best cartoon of all time. And the best portrayal of Batman ever.

 

[Ron Mehico]

My parents bought their first house in the US in 1991 at the bargain basement 9.5% interest rate, a couple years after that the gulf war would be in full swing while vanilla ICE was topping the charts. Good times!

 

[MudererofCrows]

My parents bought their first house in the US in 1991 at the bargain basement 9.5% interest rate, a couple years after that the gulf war would be in full swing while vanilla ICE was topping the charts. Good times!

Kind of a serious question for you Ron and I hope it doesn’t derail things to where the whack jobs come flooding back in.

As a person with lived experience do you think it’s easier for immigrant families now as opposed to then?

 

[Tskware]

My parents bought their first house in the US in 1991 at the bargain basement 9.5% interest rate, a couple years after that the gulf war would be in full swing while vanilla ICE was topping the charts. Good times!

In the early 80s, think interest rates were even worse, a guy that was a home builder then told me he once paid 6 points (on top of all other closing costs and realtor fees) to help a buyer obtain a loan so he could unload a house. Ouch!

 

[UnfrozenCatfanLawyer]

What I miss about the 90s is not being exposed to everyone’s opinion on every single conceivable topic. And the internet was actually new and fun instead of a hellspout of gibberish and lunacy.

 

[starchief]

In the early 80s, think interest rates were even worse, a guy that was a home builder then told me he once paid 6 points (on top of all other closing costs and realtor fees) to help a buyer obtain a loan so he could unload a house. Ouch!

I bought a house in 1981 for $50K. The payment was $500 mo (w tax and ins), only because I was able to assume a 10% loan (and I considered myself lucky) Same loan today @ 4% APR = $240 (+ tax and ins).

 

[Ukbrassowtipin]

The 90s were the bomb...good cartoons- i wasnt a teenager until 97. Pete and Pete, snick, snl was funny, good comedies. Rap really came into its own, the chicago bulls, good uk teams, wrasslin

Our politics started to diverge tho, pretty much after Bush Sr. Republicans blocked everything as a strategy and democrats were already well into their politicization of the Supreme court. Fox, cnn, msnbc are basically the same thing now...people can't admit that for some reason. And pretty much all presidents back to Clinton til now have contributed to what Russia is doing

 

[Ron Mehico]

Kind of a serious question for you Ron and I hope it doesn’t derail things to where the whack jobs come flooding back in.

As a person with lived experience do you think it’s easier for immigrant families now as opposed to then?

I’m more than happy to give a long-winded and narcissistic reply to this question and detail my personal thoughts about this country as an immigrant, but I don’t know if that’s really worth anyones time. My short answer would be, and always has been: it depends on the immigrant more so than anything else.

 

[WildcatFan1982]

The 90s were the bomb...good cartoons- i wasnt a teenager until 97. Pete and Pete, snick, snl was funny, good comedies. Rap really came into its own, the chicago bulls, good uk teams, wrasslin

Little younger than me. Some of the stuff on Nickelodeon was ahead of its time. "Pete and Pete" and "Ren and Stimpy" would NEVER get on that channel today.

 

[Tskware]

I bought a house in 1981 for $50K. The payment was $500 mo (w tax and ins), only because I was able to assume a 10% loan (and I considered myself lucky) Same loan today @ 4% APR = $240 (+ tax and ins).

I swear the first money market account I had about that time was drawing double digit interest, I remember the interest each month seemed like a lot to me anyway. Now if you can find 1% interest in a bank account, it is like a unicorn.

 

[starchief]

The 90s were the bomb...good cartoons- i wasnt a teenager until 97. Pete and Pete, snick, snl was funny, good comedies. Rap really came into its own, the chicago bulls, good uk teams, wrasslin

Our politics started to diverge tho, pretty much after Bush Sr. Republicans blocked everything as a strategy and democrats were already well into their politicization of the Supreme court. Fox, cnn, msnbc are basically the same thing now...people can't admit that for some reason. And pretty much all presidents back to Clinton til now have contributed to what Russia is doing

Fox and MSNBC were blatant propaganda arms of the R and D parties. CNN was where you went for fairly unbiased news. But they cast their lot with the DNC when Trump came on the scene and got as bad or worse than MSNBC. PBS did the same thing. I used to watch the PBS News Hour every night for many years (because it was balanced) and watched the transition before my eyes when Trump came on the scene.

 

[J_Dee]

The '80s are my favorite decade for comics but the '90s are second.

Spoiler