Why so little 1990's nostalgia? (ancient, 1950s, USSR, Russia)

[busch]

Originally Posted by Motion

That's what I was getting at about how not much new came in the 90's in camparison to the previous decades. The 90's seemed to continue things that had been started in th earlier decades. I agree the 50's to 80's were more distinct decades. So many new things came in those decades. Me being born in the early 70's I remember rap and Hip Hop culture when they were new in the 80's and how everybody was going crazy over every new rap song and Hip Hop movie that came out because they had never seen or heard it before.

Wouldn't that mean the 90s was kind of an inferior '80s' in a way?

[kevxu]

[quote=busch;26156828]Why aren't the 90's popular as a nostalgia decade? ...quote]

Because it's blatantly ridiculous.

Nostalgia is not about an era whose beginning was barely twenty years ago.

[Motion]

Something I've noticed no one has brought up was the lack of drama in the 90's.

I think one thing about the 90's that was different was the end of the Cold War that came with the fall of that Berlin Wall and Soviet collapse in the late 80's. Everybody that grew up in America in the 50's to 80's had the Soviets as the "enemy". In the decades before the 90's there was all this anxiety related to the Soviets being our enemy. We were all growing up and living with the possibility of a nuclear war. That changed by the 90's bringing a different more relaxed vibe in the 90's. I think this is one reason the 90's might not stick out as much for some people because by the 90's America had no one big enemy and not much international drama.

[Motion]

Does anyone miss the Cold War days?

[busch]

Originally Posted by Motion

Does anyone miss the Cold War days?

In an odd way I actually do. Though I was only born at the very end of the Cold War (1990), I kind of miss the days when the world wasn't 'flat' and almost completely dominated by the United States. I actually think communism could have evolved into a positive thing had it stayed around longer, I very much worry about the effect on the environment and human rights the victory of American capitalism will have.

[busch]

[quote=kevxu;26199989]

Originally Posted by busch

Why aren't the 90's popular as a nostalgia decade? ...quote]

Because it's blatantly ridiculous.

Nostalgia is not about an era whose beginning was barely twenty years ago.

But ... 20 years is a pretty long time. Not only is an entire generation born in 20 years, but an entire generation dies off. Considering there's typically only about 4 generations alive at any given time, the difference between the population of the early 1990's and now is huge, especially when you consider the whole world which has a median age of 29-30.

I agree though, with the general consensus that the lack of 90's nostalgia is due to the fact that today is still pretty similar to the 90's in a lot of ways. Though in my opinion, since 2010 times have started to change a lot again. Maybe 1990-2009 will be seen as a distinct era?

[Fear&Whiskey]

Originally Posted by juppiter

"Hamlet didn't say that. That Polonius guy did."

Of course he did, but he said it within the Hamlet play of which I was referring to in its entirety but full marks for pointing that out anyway

As for Caprio and Romeo in Baz Luhrmann's production of Romeo & Juliet

On reflection probably not one of the best things that happened in the 90's though the production was quirky enough in its own way I suppose.

[Fear&Whiskey]

Originally Posted by jerseygal4u

As someone born in 1982,I really don't see a difference between the mid 90's and now.
Fashion is similiar,hairdos are similiar,and some of the shows I still see on TV.

Now,I can see a nostalgia for the early 90s. Mainly because it was a carry over from the late 80's.
Hairdos,fashion,even music was very similiar to the late 80's that sometimes those two decades(the late 80's and early 90's) overlap. No one was wearing Mc Hammer pants by 1994,no leotards,and bright neon colors were out by 1994.

Also alot of musical genres that are current today, especially in club based scenes, rap and indie guitar based music still don't sound that much different.

I think it will be a while before we think of Dr.Dre, Eminem (or even Tupac) as retro whereas Public Enemy and Run DMC most definitely are. When I saw Spike Lee's 'Do The Right Thing' the other night I was amazed at how long ago it seemed reallt retro, I mean as much as a 70's film like 'Taxi Driver'.

Coming back to Erasure you are right the 80's was a great time for music. But it wasn't in the mainstream and maybe that's what really defines our memories. Often our nostagic memories are defined by TV programmes that sometimes overplay how pivotal a moment was because it has become so revered since.

My favourite album is probably 'The Stone Roses' debut but it only reached number 18 in the album charts at the time and it most definitely was not cool to listen to. I tried to bring it out at a school party and everyone was like "indie" and it was really a dirty word back in the 80's. The Stone Roses probably won't mean that much to people in the US but now they have come to epitomise the indie/dance crossover scene of the late 80's/early 90's in combination with Madchester and the rave scene.

It seemed weird to me how 'cool' hipster/alternative culture became in the 00's but in a way I think that's what tarnished the scene and turned it into a more careerist, formulaic form.

One thing I do miss about the 80's to mid-90's was how much less sanitised everything was. You could also shoot these great movies in London and New York in the heart of the city and they still resonated this gritty, authentic aura whereas today you'd have to suspend your disbelief if you saw some of the same 80's films remade in the same gentrified/sanitised neighbourhoods.

One thing I miss is that blue-collar grittiness we had growing up back then. Everyone grew up fighting at school and putting their fists up in the schoolyard and having the odd scrap and it was a rights of passage (or maybe that was just me I don't know).

Nowadays if someone rips your shirt someone calls a lawyer. The Internet has made us more informed but it has also made us much less charismatic. Everyone is so quick to finish off other people's sentences with "Oh I know what you're going to say because I know it all already" when it kind of misses the point in that some people are just generally charming without being a smartarse know it all.

Everyone is so all knowing and aware but everyone has a face like granite and comes across like squeeaing blood out of a stone when it comes to having a sense of humoue or they have to leave their i-pads and actually connect at a social gathering. Everyone is so fey and awkward. I miss the kinds of people who would just burst on in and get the party jumping.

Anyway, you get the gist, or you don't? Either way, rant over.

[busch]

Originally Posted by Fear&Whiskey

One thing I do miss about the 80's to mid-90's was how much less sanitised everything was. You could also shoot these great movies in London and New York in the heart of the city and they still resonated this gritty, authentic aura whereas today you'd have to suspend your disbelief if you saw some of the same 80's films remade in the same gentrified/sanitised neighbourhoods.

Yes! Also I hate all the stupid plastic signage you see for businesses. I know it's a silly complaint but I just find the aesthetic of the early 21st century (and even late 90s to a degree) to look ugly and sterile, almost like how an iPad looks.

You know what's funny too, is Home Alone (1990) seemed like an old movie to me even watching it in 1997. I think that's proof that there was a huge difference between the late 80's/early 90's and the late 90's. In some ways 1997 has more in common with 2012 than it does with 1991!

[Fear&Whiskey]

Originally Posted by busch

Yes! Also I hate all the stupid plastic signage you see for businesses. I know it's a silly complaint but I just find the aesthetic of the early 21st century (and even late 90s to a degree) to look ugly and sterile, almost like how an iPad looks.

You know what's funny too, is Home Alone (1990) seemed like an old movie to me even watching it in 1997. I think that's proof that there was a huge difference between the late 80's/early 90's and the late 90's. In some ways 1997 has more in common with 2012 than it does with 1991!

I feel the same way. I think I saw a 1994 film called 'Fresh' with Tupac Shakhur and it actually does seem pretty dated now.

Whereas some comedies from 1997 onwards and films are difficult to distinguish. Music is even more difficult because movies are visual so subtle differences are more striking visually than aurally. The strange thing was throughout the 00's 'Friends' was repeated so often that it kind of became part of the 00's too for a new generation.

Given that the show is very much based in a coffee shop without too much focus on technology but more on relationships only resonates so much more just how little has changed from then until now. Friends could easily be set in any Starbucks chain style coffee store in any major city and there wouldn't be much difference in the scripts, apart from the fact that they would be unable to do the 80's pastiche episodes.

I know some people whose generation was the 00's who saw the repeats and were shocked that it was actually a 90's comedy. Seinfeld, because it began in the 80's is noticeably more dated by comparison (even if it is a better comedy in my opinion).