For those 45+, how good were the 1990s, actually?

[Anonymous]

Pre-9/11.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Pre-9/11.

+1

[Anonymous]

Not as good as the 80s.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I was born in 1975, graduated from college in 1997. The 90s were great. I would rewind the world to that time and hit pause if I could.

+1 born in 1978 and graduated from college in 2000. High school was fun and traveling was easy and relatively cheap. My life was so much more carefree than my own kids' lives.

Travel. That’s the thing. Travel SUCKS now. Everyone sucks. You can’t see anything or go anywhere, even nature, without stupid idiots mugging for Instagram.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I was born in 1975, graduated from college in 1997. The 90s were great. I would rewind the world to that time and hit pause if I could.

+1 born in 1978 and graduated from college in 2000. High school was fun and traveling was easy and relatively cheap. My life was so much more carefree than my own kids' lives.

Travel. That’s the thing. Travel SUCKS now. Everyone sucks. You can’t see anything or go anywhere, even nature, without stupid idiots mugging for Instagram.

This, but it's also a pain in the ass now even if you didn't have the influencers crawling all over the place. There was a huge shift in corporate culture that a lot of us witnessed. Executives and shareholders are put way ahead of everyone else. Airlines don't care if you're shoehorned into a tiny seat right next to the bathroom and have to pay $237 for a gross in-flight sandwich and lukewarm soda as long as the CEO gets his fat bonus. Same with every other industry.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Asking specifically X-ennials, Gen X, and Boomers, who were wage-earning, taxpaying adults during the 1990s - so no rose-colored childhood glasses. I'm also specifically asking those who grew up in the United States, I wouldn't ask people who grew up in Rwanda or Bosnia or Chechnya this question.

Were the 90s actually better, economically, culturally, technologically (as in we had the right amount of technology - not too much?) Were things actually better then, or is it really only a matter of millennials thinking their childhood was the good old days. Also, a possible counterpoint is that we have progressed since then on LGBTQ and racial issues, for the most part, so the 90s nostalgia might be very concentrated among white, middle class, suburban millennials. What I think I'm really getting at besides the whole "is nostalgia real" question is, was it actually easier back then to work a steady job and afford things, and were we healthier as a society before smartphones and AI.

Bonus points if you are old enough to vouch for the 80s as well.

I was just a teen but I think the queer stuff and the race was pretty good- better than now, the speaker of the house wouldn't have to resign today for praising a segregationist. Government actually functioned and there was hope that society was progressing to solve for the rampant sexism, poverty and racism still plaguing Americans an the rest of the globe's problems didn't seem that severe or as much the USA's problem (stress to run the world was off and we could focus on our own nation for a change) The hopelessness, greed and materialism and cheater mentality that we seen now with people being absolutely ugly on the inside seems like a completely vibes hift from back then.

I'm a Muslim so obviously the racism and bigotry seemed much less or at best the same- people were egregiously ignorant or awful about BIPOC culture but today it really feels like the confederacy has won- even liberal northerners are talking succession, the rise of tradwives instead of solving the parental leave crisis, the only thing that has improved is that insurance can't discriminate against pre-existing conditions- every other metric life is worse for people. the schools and curriculums are SO SO SO bad now- these kids are basically illiterate , uncultured idiots and the teachers want it that way. I kept my religion, am bilingual and plan to split my time between my parents home country and the US and I was more assimilated into feeling American than my 3rd gen kids are b/c of the way that the education system and the culture has fractured. My kids went to public schools through 8th grade and they were never exposed to the pledge or the national anthem. There is no cohesion around American identity- it's been attacked by both the left and right. since I live in a liberal area I can speak more to how the left has undermined American identity but obviously the current attacks on the constitution are coming from the right BUT the hippy teachers calling the founding fathers enlavers, rapists etc. instead of divinely inspired political geniuses who created the best form of government known to man are to blame for instilling that in all their students since the 1970s. these students grew up to have no respect for the constitution both left or right of the political spectrum.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I was born in 1975, graduated from college in 1997. The 90s were great. I would rewind the world to that time and hit pause if I could.

+1 born in 1978 and graduated from college in 2000. High school was fun and traveling was easy and relatively cheap. My life was so much more carefree than my own kids' lives.

Travel. That’s the thing. Travel SUCKS now. Everyone sucks. You can’t see anything or go anywhere, even nature, without stupid idiots mugging for Instagram.

You’ve definitely turned into an old person.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I feel the 1990s were more optimistic overall than now. It started off a bit stressful with the economy, but then it was a relatively calm time for the US and there was prosperity. I didn't worry about finding a job, there was an expectation that going to college meant you were going to be fine.

There was more synergy with the music and trends of the period. It seemed like it was easier to follow what was going on.

It was great not having smartphones and social media and relationships were more organic.

It was harder to be a minority back then and also LGBTQ. You had to blend in with the main culture to survive.

you really think its easier today to be a minority?? I was one both times and see my kids. you still have to blend in to the main culture- having ramen places and tacos readily available haven't improved our lives - they've improved white lives- we already had tacos and ramen.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:OP needs to keep in mind that in the 1990s the white middle class suburban demographics was the majority, if not by far the biggest single demographic cohort in the country. If you want to take the stance that if you were white and middle class then you only have an biased perspective of life in the 1990s, you're ignoring how the majority actually experienced the 90s, which means you're risking seeking out a minority and biased perspective of the decade. And contrary to what some youngsters like to believe, gays and minorities weren't persecuted, you'd have to go back much earlier.

That aside, there were huge ranges in how people "experienced" the decade as well as variations within the decade itself, from the brief 1991-2 recession to the boom of the end of the decade (which incidentally set up the framework for the great recession in the long run). I remember plenty of uncertainty and fears about everything, which is utterly typical for every decade and every generation. Some things feel better about the 90s, especially the pre social media era. There's been a great deal of cultural changes in larger society, some for the better, some that are neutral, and some that simply means a different kind of future than previously assumed. I actually think Europe actually is having a much harder time with this than the US.

I will say technology improvements, for all its benefits, has sped up the pace of how things are done and lived these days compared to the 1990s, which did move at a fast pace of its own. It seems like the more technology we have, the faster we have to live our lives. The pace is breathtaking nowadays and the ability to step out of it to a slower lifestyle seems impossible, at least without significant economic implications.

Bethesda/ Potomac were already majority minority in the 1990s- it was super diverse in every way except is SEC. there were lesbians killing it living in Bethesda, it was awesome.

[Anonymous]

Born in 1972. 53 yo now. Graduated HS in 1990. Went to army for minimum service period of only 2 years for army college fund. Desert Storm broke out during this time but I didn't have to go to the desert. I got to run around Europe (mostly Germany) a lot, so I had a great time in the army. Graduated from Penn State in 1998...that was an amazing time. Great music. Grunge at it's peak but still some great rock but also the "dance music" was great so clubs and parties were always packed so much energy, so fun. Interned in Inner Harbor summer of 1997. Great time. Moved to Arlington in 1998. Great times. Partied probably TOO hard but I made it! Definitely my decade of decadence...although HS in the late 80s was crazy. So care free. No idea how I survived. : )

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:The 1990s were fantastic. You could expect to go to a good university, for a reasonable amount of money. You could raise kids as a single mom and send them to a good university. You really felt like you could be anything in the world you put your mind to. And it was fun -

https://x.com/i/status/1958543900022542480


Laughs in 1980s.

[Anonymous]

I had a LOT of fun as a college student and new grad in a tech job in the 90s. However, in 2000, the market crashed and I lost my job. That sucked.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Mid 50s here.

Health insurance - people would get caught in loopholes changing jobs. Policy holder would change jobs, new jobs insurance required a physical and blood work, something would be detected, insurance wouldn’t cover it because they considered it a pre existing condition , person would just die from treatable cancer. Happened frequently.

LGBTQ - many, in fact most, in the closet in white collar professional environments. Not legal to marry, adopt, often lost custody of kids in previous heterosexual marriage.

Harassment- if you were attractive you would be frequently hit on by superiors, peers, and clients. Had to dodge them politely, swiftly and with a smile to avoid repercussions. Big Law partners famous for screaming at male or female associates for whatever.

All true.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:60s were great, 70s were very good, 80s were good, 90s is where the downward slide started.

How old are you?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I feel the 1990s were more optimistic overall than now. It started off a bit stressful with the economy, but then it was a relatively calm time for the US and there was prosperity. I didn't worry about finding a job, there was an expectation that going to college meant you were going to be fine.

There was more synergy with the music and trends of the period. It seemed like it was easier to follow what was going on.

It was great not having smartphones and social media and relationships were more organic.

It was harder to be a minority back then and also LGBTQ. You had to blend in with the main culture to survive.

you really think its easier today to be a minority?? I was one both times and see my kids. you still have to blend in to the main culture- having ramen places and tacos readily available haven't improved our lives - they've improved white lives- we already had tacos and ramen.

IDGAF. You aren't special because you're brown or gay. That's what you people will never understand. Deal with it.