What the hell were the last two decades?

[Syt]

90s was Britpop?


I remember Nirvana, Pearl Jam, Soundgarden and Nine Inch Nails.

Those, but also Blur, Pulp, Oasis. In Germany we had grunge, britpop, hard rock/metal and *sigh* techno/dance pop.

The 90s were also the heyday of the boy groups.

On the other hand we didn't have much RnB or hip hop (which was a reason I didn't care much for watching U.S. video charts on MTV at the time - UK was much better).

[Martinus]

I think that if there is one word that defines the nineties, it's "complacency". It was the decade of the "end of history", where all wars have been finished and won, and any military conflicts that were fought (Iraq I, Serbia, Somalia) were pretty much about keeping the stragglers of the New World Order in line, rather than anything that was vitally important for the West. Communism fell in Russia, the world was on the right track, the economy would continue to grow without problems, the progress was happening all over the place. The disco kids of the eighties put on suits, but didn't stop snorting coke - they also thought they won the cultural revolution so there was no point in trying anymore. This kind of carefree attitude of our own belle epoque was, I guess, best exemplified by the Clinton Era and the triumph of the New Labour.

And then we had 911, the Bush era, neoconservatism, the raise of the religious right, and all of it went to hell in a handbasket.

[Eddie Teach]

The Religious Right have been fighting a rearguard action their entire existence(which began in the 70s).

[sbr]

And then we had 911, the Bush era, neoconservatism, the raise of the religious right, and all of it went to hell in a handbasket.

Just to be clear this is a 100% honest question, I am not looking to flame, troll or instigate anything. 

Everything you mention there seems to be very American-centric, yet they are how you will remember the '00's?  Why is that?  I understand that the War on Terror^TM affects most of the world, indirectly, which would include 9/11, Bush and I suppose neo-conservatism but what about the religious right?  Is that completely about gay rights issues?  Again I am not trying to take the piss here, I am just curious why a Polish citizen's memories of the decade seems so American-centric.

[Martinus]

And then we had 911, the Bush era, neoconservatism, the raise of the religious right, and all of it went to hell in a handbasket.

Just to be clear this is a 100% honest question, I am not looking to flame, troll or instigate anything. 

Everything you mention there seems to be very American-centric, yet they are how you will remember the '00's?  Why is that?  I understand that the War on Terror^TM affects most of the world, indirectly, which would include 9/11, Bush and I suppose neo-conservatism but what about the religious right?  Is that completely about gay rights issues?  Again I am not trying to take the piss here, I am just curious why a Polish citizen's memories of the decade seems so American-centric.

Because this board in American-centric. I could come up with a lot of Poland-specific stuff but that wouldn't mean anything to anyone except Sahib.

[sbr]

And then we had 911, the Bush era, neoconservatism, the raise of the religious right, and all of it went to hell in a handbasket.

Just to be clear this is a 100% honest question, I am not looking to flame, troll or instigate anything. 

Everything you mention there seems to be very American-centric, yet they are how you will remember the '00's?  Why is that?  I understand that the War on Terror^TM affects most of the world, indirectly, which would include 9/11, Bush and I suppose neo-conservatism but what about the religious right?  Is that completely about gay rights issues?  Again I am not trying to take the piss here, I am just curious why a Polish citizen's memories of the decade seems so American-centric.

Because this board in American-centric. I could come up with a lot of Poland-specific stuff but that wouldn't mean anything to anyone except Sahib.

That works.  That was going to be another option but I realized I was too drunk to continue and cut my post short.  Off to bed now for me, before Santa shows up.

[The Brain]

American imperialism doesn't exactly let us have our own decades.

[Slargos]

And let's face it, the entire world is looking at you, while you're busy looking at your navel.

The End of Days mood light has certainly defined the oughties with disaster piled on disaster.

Marty makes a good summary, I think. Aside from thinking the resurgence of the religious right is a bad thing.

No, Marty. The resurgence of the religious right is what will shine a light in this tunnel of darkness and will usher us into the next decade with a feeling of HOPE and FAITH.

WE WILL PREVAIL.

You will burn in hell.

This blighted New World Order will be defeated just like we defeated the Injuns and the Jews.

[sbr]

American imperialism doesn't exactly let us have our own decades.

U-S-A, U-S-A

[Eddie Teach]

American imperialism doesn't exactly let us have our own decades.

U-S-A, U-S-A

We need this smily!

[Josquius]

The 90s was the dawn of the internet, and elementary through middle school.

Aha, that gives me a good one for the 00s. The ineternet infiltrating all aspects of life.
In the 90s the internet remained a precious commodity but for a few years now it has just been there and utterly taken for granted, its hard to imagine using my computer without the internet.

The Religious Right have been fighting a rearguard action their entire existence(which began in the 70s).

Such is the job of the right in general really.

Because this board in American-centric. I could come up with a lot of Poland-specific stuff but that wouldn't mean anything to anyone except Sahib.

Would be interesting to read anyway. I'd imagine the 90s are pretty damn memorable and important in eastern Europe.

[Warspite]

If I may offer a dissenting opinion. I think it's impossible to define the 2000s while we're still in them. While 9/11 did shatter a lot of the hopes and dreams, in terms of world politics it didn't "change everything". It provided a propitious moment for a certain strand of US foreign policy but did not itself alter the fundamental balance of power. The rise of China will in my opinion be far more important. In a way, the 1990s and 2000s are the decades when we pretended great power politics did not exist.

It is also worth remembering that a staggering number of people were lifted out of poverty this decade, and that until 2008 it was, economically, good times in the west. Given the response to the global recession the downturn is a lot less worse than feared so I think in a few years it won't dominate opinions of the decade.

It terms of fashion, it did not lend itself to crude characterisation that other decades suffer. But that's probably because the defining film of 2000s culture hasn't been made. For the 1990s though there are plenty.

If I had to bet though, I think the 2000s will be remembered as the decade the Intenet and wireless communications matured. On a day to day basis that affects more of us, whether in London or Mogadishu, than most events hailed as epoch defining.

[Richard Hakluyt]

I shall ignore the 1990s 

This chap has written an article which sums up what I regard as the most important change in Britain in the past decade :

http://www.spiked-online.com/index.php/site/article/7869/

[jimmy olsen]

It is also worth remembering that a staggering number of people were lifted out of poverty this decade, and that until 2008 it was, economically, good times in the west. Given the response to the global recession the downturn is a lot less worse than feared so I think in a few years it won't dominate opinions of the decade.

At least in the US the economy was certainly medicore through 2008. Not what I would call a prosperous decade, especially when I compared with the 90s.

[katmai]

American imperialism doesn't exactly let us have our own decades.