My take on big picture historical cycles since the 1980. (war, influence, general)

[Tex?Il?]

I've developed some theories and hypotheses about how the world has changed since I was born in 1980. Typically ones earliest memories date back to about 3-5. And that's the case with me. One starts hearing the popular music, movies of the era through radio, TV older siblings, etc. around 5-7 I think, and starts to become aware of world events typically around 8-10 I think again, through TV or school.

I love history, and especially the 20th century since its so relevant to today, obviously, but at 35 I reflect on the history on how the world has changed that I personally was witness to.

Here is my take on some big picture characteristics of the past 35 years, but with a brief description of the 70s for context.

I will break things down into three categories of change.

1. technology

2. global/international relations

3. arts/entertainment/ pop culture.


The 80s

I certainly don't think that any decade is better or worse, however, I do feel, (and I wonder if this is just rose colored glasses, based on the fact that it is the decade of my childhood) that is was more carefree and simpler. (Again, not necessarily better).

I attribute this to, that in the first half of the 70s was the decade that the Vietnam war ended. There was environmental legislation passed. The womens rights and civil rights for Blacks started to bear fruit in terms of expanded opportunities for previously "oppressed" populations. The cold war may have still been going on, but there was a slight warming, as the president visited red China. (all this ironically under Nixon, much maligned).

By the late 70s, people could RELAX as far as politics, etc. Because of this pop culture started to go from "hippie" psychedelic and progressive rock to more glamorous disco and funk, with punk being the underground music originating in London.

This trends continued in the 80s, but even more conservative. Not only did people relax from liberal politics, the economy, which was the second worst post war recession after our recent great recession, got better a couple years after Reagan took office, which made Americans put faith in conservative politics. Although the early 80s, the Cold war intensified a little, by the time I was aware of the world around me, it was twilight time for the Cold War. But the 80s I think was the last decade, that Americans were truly confident, and put faith in our government institutions.

That's why I say simple. The 80s were probably the worst in terms of inner city decay. Popular culture was very much centered on suburban culture, and music was fun and light hearted. You had synth-pop and new wave (sanitized, inoffensive post punk) and glam rock/metal in the late 80s. Hip hop was underground just starting to take off at the end of the decade, and even then was more "pop" (IE: Young MC). There was also nostalgia for the 50s through 50s influenced music (Stray Cats, Billy Joel, La Bamba, Blues Brothers movie).



The 90s

The 90s truly "ended" around around '91 or '92. As that is when the Soviet Union collapsed, and as I recall around '92 is when pop culture changed.

Pop culture and music quickly got cynical, dark, and more offensive. I thought grunge was suicidal, death metal was deicidal and gangsta rap was homicidal, Coming of age during this time, affected me in a negative way, as I felt like I didn't like my generation for the music it was listening to. It wasn't really into the late 90s that I started to like the current music again of my generation (I like jam band stuff, a little of the SoCal ska, and secretly the R&B of the time). During the early to mid 90s, I was mostly listening to 80s and 80s artists that continued into the 90s.


But yet, even though the 90s were superficially different from the 80s, I think they were more similar deep down. Technology was changing at a steady pace, but it wasn't until the 2000s, that we really started to see out technological revolution change the way we lived, worked and played. I found the 90s the decade of complaining, being negative, and looking for something to brood about, even though it was clearly the most peaceful, prosperous time. (There were certainly some horrible wars overseas, Rwanda, Bosnia, etc. but most Americans didn't feel like any of that affected them).

I think the late 90s, with the economic boom, saw reflected in the pop culture a change to glamour. (IE: hip hop became more about glitz and glamour than anything gangsta. Metrosexual trends started to really take hold). This lasted into the mid 2000s and wasn't particularly affected by 9/11 I don't think.

Which takes us to:

the 2000s

I think the 2000s was the most tumultuous and society changing decade since the 50s (technologically) as well as the 60s (socially and internationally) (even though I think the 50s and 60s however still beat out the last couple decades as a whole for change).

The first obvious thing that occurred was 9/11. However, I think people do overestimate the shock waves of 9/11 as a whole. I think that the immediate impact of 9/11 was really only a year. I know you are thinking . . . what!?? No way. What I mean by this, is that I think if the destruction wrought by 9/11 was divided into 10 or 20 separate smaller attacks it would have the same overall impact.

However, on the flip side, a lot of historians make a major comparison between 9/11 and the Kennedy Assassination. Even though the Kennedy Assassination was not 3,000 people killed, it had the same shock wave in American and maybe even the rest of the western world, in that the country became very divided, very political, with a major international war to follow (Vietnam after Kennedy, Iraq and Afghanistan after 9/11). I think the lasting impact is felt indirectly to today, in that people are WAY more politically impassioned than they were in the 90s.

I think 9/11 and its after effects made Americans more global in outlook, and made Americans think that the US wasn't the center of the universe.

I think Americans today are MUCH more interested in what goes on in the rest of the world, more interested in other countries and cultures, and the angst that went into pop culture in the 90s, has gone into political movements in the post 9/11 world, whether global warming, gay rights, or GMOs. (the three Gs as I call them).

Obviously the great recession has had a lasting impact on America. I think people in general are much more cautious. I think millenials in general are more cautious with money than gen-ex due to when they came of age, although I think all Americans are less obsessed with flash, etc. Also, popular culture has become less edgy, a little more inoffensive than in the past because the angst has shifted into political movements.

I think however, in addition to the great recession which has come and gone, I think we are seeing a long term decline in standard of living, that is hard to reverse, because of rising economies that we now compete with (Americans are always blaming someone in the US, but its the other side of the world, that looked at our way of life, and realized that communism wasn't working out). So now, we have no low skill jobs - they've all gone to Asia and Latin America, and investors from Asia are jacking up the price of real estate, putting the whole American Dream into questions. (Please understand I am not being anti-Asia. People and countries have a right to develop their economy and take part in globalization if they want).

Also, I do wonder if the digital revolution of the 2000s, might mark the beginning of the end where technological innovation creates more jobs, than making those elite. I think we can save employment opportunities, but I do think that technology has made so much employment obsolete, that it will take years to adjust to that. In 2000, most people still didn't have cell phones, dial up internet was still the thing, creating a website required a fair amount of technical skill, most of the sites today weren't around, etc.

I would say that today is not necessarily worse, but I would say its more complicated than 30 years ago in the 80s, when people could just relax and enjoy themselves after the 60s and early 70s, knowing that the communist bloc was starting to unravel, and their way of life was envied and proved to be better.

I am optimistic

I think after 10-15 years of major global adjustment when simmer down, as there aren't as many poor countries, throwing of communism and embracing capitalism for the first time, so maybe the US will get to adjust itself in the world. Although there is obviously still a huge islamist threat with ISIS, etc. the world is far more united, than 12 years ago when George W. decided to go it alone, making the US looking like fascists., and who knows maybe technology will get so good with 3D printers that we won't have to earn so much money to buy stuff, renewable energy will get so cost effective, that it will make a much larger dent in fossil fuel dependence. I could go on . . .

I know this was very long, I could write a book. But thoughts??

[MalaMan]

I love the 90's because it was somewhat like the 80's but with early internet (that was more fun than today's internet)

Also there was so much HOPE in the 1990's, something that doesn't exist anymore...