MovieChat Forums > 10 Things I Hate About You (1999) Discussion > Was life better in the late 90s?

Was life better in the late 90s?

posted 11 years ago by safard
46 replies | jump to latest

I'm a senior in high school class of 2014 and I would give anything to go back to the late 90s. I'm a huge fan 90s teenage pop culture such as movies, TV shows and music like 10 Things I Hate About You, Scream, Can't Hardly Wait, Dawson's Creek, Third Eye Blind, Goo Goo Dolls, etc.

My friends don't understand my extreme nostalgia for the late 90s, but life just seemed so much better then.

People weren't so occupied by their smart phones, or trying to capture every moment on Facebook or Instagram. No one was preoccupied by how many "followers" or "likes" they had on social media, which now just give people a false sense of satisfaction or discomfort. You used to walk down the aisles of a store when you rented a movie or bought a CD, browsing the selection, associated with and getting recommendations from store employees.. Now you just stay home and stream everything, no need to leave the house anymore.

And aside from the culture change, the economy was better, there was no 9/11 or Iraq war...

Okay I'm done ranting now. Maybe I just miss my childhood or something but I swear I would give anything to go back.

[–] laeyisoracle 10 years ago

I was a senior in 1999(graduated in June of that year and started my first year of college that later that Fall). It really wasn't that much better. My friends and I were all into classic rock, Pink Floyd, Led Zeppelin, The Beatles, The Who, Deep Purple and many, MANY others. Personally, for me, I never was into 90s pop culture back then. A lot of it didn't gel with me. Don't get me wrong, I liked some of it, just not all of it. Then again, that's how I am. I really don't subscribe to the whole "trend" thing, as in "I HAVE to like what everybody else does because it's popular". I like what I like, regardless if it's popular or not. Hell, I like stuff that predates myself, and to be quite honest, I like things of the modern, present decade too. I don't really let one decade or era define my taste. And I was lucky enough to have found people who felt the same way about stuff.

If anything, my good nostalgic moments from the 90s aren't tied to pop culture more than they are tied to the memories I had with my younger siblings and all the cool stuff my friends and I would do back then, together. To me, that's worth more than all the pop culture in the world!

And personally speaking, as far as pop culture is concerned, I'm a bit more for the 80s because that's when I was a kid, and most people tend to get mushy over the eras where they spent their childhood years in. Though, even I know it wasn't perfect or immaculate an era. It's also my favorite era of horror movies, and I'm a big horror movie fan. I think the 90s kinda killed horror, then resurrected it in with Scream(which I liked the first one, but didn't care for type of CW-styled teen-horror it spawned, which oddly enough, went strong into the 00s).

That being said, economy WAS better in the 90s, and that WAS a good thing. A good economy is ALWAYS a great thing!

[–] phantomF-12 10 years ago

Yes, but maybe not as good as the early to mid 90s.

The world was full of hope at the end of the 80s and beginning of the 90s with the end of the Cold War, and the Global Economy was quite healthy.

But certain events during the 90s did also ruin that feeling, some examples:

- the Chechen Crisis, while many Ex-Soviet Republics broke away without major difficulties, this little Region, being rich in Natural Resources was kept with force by Russia.

- Iraq invading Kuwait and consequent Gulf War. America and it's allies liberated Kuwait, but then left their Kurdish and Shia allies within Iraq at the mercy of Saddam. Leaving Saddam in power and putting economic sanctions further weakend the country, with many people (mostly children and elderly) dying because of the lack of medications in the country. The problems created here in 1992 would lead to all the further problems to our days. Had the fire been put out back then, instead of set - the region would be a different one today. In the defence of the decisions by George Bush Seniors' Government: America was still traumatized by the Vietnam experience, and didn't want to commit Boots on the Ground.

- Somalia becomes a failed State. Some half-hearted attempts were made by UN, Italy and US to stabilize the country. But after "Black Hawk Down" they all quickly pulled out, again with Vietnam in the back of the minds.

- Allowing the rise of the Taliban. After having "defeated" the USSR in Afghanistan the West lost all interest in the Landlocked Country, but had left behind people trained by the CIA and weapons of both US and Soviet manufacture. We all know what the disinterest in Afghanistan lead to in the early 2000s.

- The Rwanda Genocide, the West chose to look the other side.

- The Breakup of Yugoslavia, was handled very poorly.

- Israel and Palastinians were the closest ever to achieving peace, but then Rabin was assassinated.

- The Asian Financial Crisis at the end of the 90s gave a major blow to the Far East economies for a while.

- India and Pakistan carry out nuclear weapons tests.

But, life in North America and in most of Western and Central Europe was at it's best.

[–] Misha0809 10 years ago

I was a teen in the late 90ies myself and I totally agree with how you feel!

[–] michaeluk26 10 years ago

As you alluded to, everything really changed on 9-11. I remember sitting there in first period sociology my senior year after the second plane hit my teacher immediately turned to us and said, "your lives have changed more than you can possibly ever know" and he was 100% correct. Pre 9-11 world was a MUCH MUCH different place.

I was a freshman when Columbine happened and that changed a lot of things schools did, ours changed immediately.

Haters gonna hate

[–] neelc21 10 years ago

Your right dude i am 16 but i wish my childhood was back in the 80s life was so much better kids would be outside playing unlike today's generation where kids are just interested in smartphones video games and so... on

[–] Mattfinbell 10 years ago

well I cant understand why you liked it so much!

isabelda
I remember renting this movie twice and watching it with my friends at my house in a saturday afternoon with popcorn and sodas.

I think you are just having nostalgia of childhood memories, for teenagers at the time the 90's sucked (99 was the year of the y2k scare) just like it does to you now this present time. In ten years you will cherish 2014.

yeah but it sucked if you wanted a picture of that one image! then the internet happened WOW!

yeah people will cherish 2014 and say its the must excellent year

remember in the 90 america want into a recession and now american cant afford anything

dsmith147-1
Well, the late '90s were better. So keep the spirit of the time alive within you and you will be better for it.

HOW

almost no cellphones no ipads no computers Nothing

bellamae
Do you know how nice it is to get a letter from a friend and sit down to savor it w/ a cup of tea? Kids aren't even learning to write manuscript anymore.

Blame the schools now everything is going paperless

[quote]One summer, every evening after dinner, all the neighborhood kids would gather in the mowed field behind one yard and we played softball until dark. I don't remember it being discussed it just happened, EVERY evening ALL summer long. Just that one summer. But it was wonderful.

Unless you have a really messed up childhood, whenever you were young was best.

That's my sociology lecture for the day, sorry for the diatribe.

its okay I am sure people will say the 2000-2010 are the best

but think of what we can do now! Where do you live? Australia? your talking to people all over the world now

Versus the 90 which was video tapes but what else was there

dlup63

Now it's a disastrous mess. The movies are CGI infested garbage with bland characters and horrendous dialogue, the music, mostly Hip Hop and Pop, is tragically dreadful (Bieber, Cyrus, Minaj,One Direction, etc.), the economy has been flushed down the toilet, we've got pointless and idiotic apps like Twitter that makes people feel "special" or "Popular", our President and his wife are Attention seeking dimwits who don't have the slightest clue what they are doing, teenagers are disrespectful, foul mouthed punks and the government is now filled with ignorant tools.

The 1990s and 2000 were a time of pure fun, entertainment and safety. Now, it's become a hellhole of douchebags ruining the world.

Well if its good CGI its magical! With a blend of realism and pratical effects.

well the PEndulaum swings one way and now its going back to adults but you have to remember kids in the 40 50 60 would be paddled and all the guys had to swim naked in the swimming pool

Stratman87
We didn't hear about movies coming soon until we saw the trailer at the movie theater, it was more exciting without the internet.

yeah which sucked!

How? Now we can have instant pictures when we are somewhere

Manth_Sigdaw But I understand why you feel this way. I think as a teenager in the early 90s I felt like the early 80s were a more magical time, when in reality I know it wasn't. Life is life, people just love to retcon the past and rose tint everything.

VERY TRUE!

Hell the 2000s are already being retconned as being more simpler and better times. Plus you have to understand your sense of time is warped, since you are only like 17 or 18. 10-15 years ago to you must feel like an eternity ago, while to those of us over 25, it feels like what perhaps 5-7 years ago feels like to you. 1999 really was not that long ago, it just feels like it to you since you're still a kid. I mean, how old is the earth, like 4.5 billion years old? In the grand scheme of the cosmos, nothing in the 20th century is all that old. Sobering reality I know.

yeah like the victorian era everyone thought that was good but it was just like how you say people lived people died people gave birth people signed in laws laws were changed

the_phoenix_has_risen
If I was to pinpoint exactly what it is I'd probably have to say it was 9/11. Something just seemed to change in the overall feel of life at that point because it was like all the innocence we had in America was lost (and this really had a global impact to be honest), and the general morale of the country was just so much better up until that point.

America thought it was invicible and yeah that was a very big change

Now today, there just seems to be this looming black cloud over the world.
And as far as teenagers today vs when I was a teenager...a WORLD of difference. As the OP said...today it's all about stupid ass social media status and cell/smart phones for these kids. I could seriously go on and on about this generation (the millenials) because I am a high school teacher and I deal with them on a daily basis, but it's honestly not even worth the time and effort anymore. But the OP gives me some hope that at least he/she is self-aware of this. I just wish the rest of his/her fellow teenagers of today would follow suit and realize how screwed up they have become and try to fix it.

the only constant is CHANGE.

Why do you say its not worth the time and effort?

why do you say there screwed up?

baidoasomalia
In ten or fifteen years people will be expressing nostalgia for the good old 2010s.
Kids in the late eighties longed for the Woodstock era, even though that happened before they were born. We all idealize the past, when we're not mocking it. In a few years the way we currently handle social media will be considered quaint and the current generation of iphones and tablets will be considered practically prehistoric

exactly hell I think in a couple of years we will have glassess we wear to communicate

saxasalt
In a few years the way we currently handle social media will be considered quaint and the current generation of iphones and tablets will be considered practically prehistoric.

And technology will become even more advanced and take over our lives even more? I don't look forward to that future.

Oh why?

it will only control us of we allow it

rnmboon
The 80's are my favorite decade but the 90's where great too. I would say that life was better then: the pre-9/11 world wasn't as crazy as it is right now and technology wasn't as dominant. The music was better too and especially in the late 90's the movies where great! When I look at my ratings at IMDB there seems to be an upward spike in the late 90's and early 2000's. TV was worse though: tv drama is a lot better now.

How the heck is TV drama better its worse now! Everything is a damn remake!

you had orginality

michaeluk26

I was a freshman when Columbine happened and that changed a lot of things schools did, ours changed immediately

Did they? Nothing really has changed since they still dont have counselors to really talk too they have police in schools

neelc21
Your right dude i am 16 but i wish my childhood was back in the 80s life was so much better kids would be outside playing unlike today's generation where kids are just interested in smartphones video games and so... on

Thats not a bad thing

CCRider01
It is not a question of idealization or nostalgia, it is merely recognizing a simple fact. The world has changed drastically since the late 90's, more so than perhaps any other similar time frame. Another case in point, today not only will many companies not hire someone who does not have a Facebook account, but many Facebook users do not seem to have much of a problem with that concept. The idea that there was a time when a persons private life and thoughts were none of their employers business, is completely foreign to many of today's 20-30 year old's, having only lived in a world of increased intrusion and constant sharing.

Well not really everybody is saying the 90 was excellent

Yeah EVEN COMPANIES!

How long was it before a company told people about there tainted meats or food now its all over the net you couldnt share your experience with someone on the net in the 90

[–] ManFromSanFernando 10 years ago

Yes, things were much, much better then. So much of what happened after Bush Jr's election in 2000 was traumatic.

[–] foxy123elm 10 years ago

It's funny because I just had this conversation with a guy I worked with. I turned 18 in 2000 and I have to say I loved being a teen in the 90's. The clothes, the music(Pop, alternative, and R&B was fantastic), the movies, and the TV shows(FRIENDS & The X Files: my 2 favorite shows of all time.)

There was just something about the 90's that were amazing. My coworker and
I agreed we would so go back to the 90's if we could.

Mulder: Nobody likes a math geek, Scully.