Am I the only one who's noticed how similar the two eras actually are?  Now, I know some of you might think I'm crazy, but let me explain why I hold the stance that the two eras are still extremely similar.  We will, in particular, discuss the similarities between the 50's and the 90's, as well the similarities between the 60's and the 00's.  

On the one hand, we have the 50's and the 90's.  Both decades of then unmatched prosperity (in the case of the 90's, still unmatched).  Both were seen, in later times, as being more "innocent" than the following decade (the 60's and the 00's).  Also, both had a seedy underbelly that would eventually lead to the troubles of the following decade.  For the 50's, it was continued discrimination against minorities, the Truman Doctrine of combating communist states, and a general glossing over of the decade as a whole.  For the 90's, this underbelly consisted of the original Gulf War and a sudden increase in terrorism that directly affected the US.

On the other hand, we have the 60's and the 00's.  Both were decades that are seen as less innocent then their predecessors and more of a dark time.  In the case of the 60's, it was the Vietnam War, Kennedy assassination, and the Civil Rights Movement that brought a darker feel to the decade.  For the 00's, it's the War On Terror, an unstable economy, and the spector of Peak Oil (the fact it is now considered a possibility, when it used to be a fringe theory, says a lot).  Both also saw heavy holdovers from the previous decade, especially in the early part of the decade.  Also, both have very similar events.  A case in point:

- There was an extremely close election in both 1960 and 2000.  Both were the closest elections yet.
- There exist in both decades an extremely controversial war.  For the 60's, it's Vietnam.  For the 00's, it's Iraq.
- There exist in both decades a rights movement.  For the 60's, it was the Civil Rights movement for equal treatment of minorities.  Now, it's a homosexual movement that wishes to be able to marry, a basic right.  The recent controversy over immigration may also spawn a rights movement.

Anyone else think their are some pretty good parallels between the 50's and the 90's, as well as the 60's and the 00's?  Or am I just thinking too much?

I don't agree. The 50's were a very conservative decade in which people wanted to return to the way of life of the 20's.In fact, the conflicts that had developed in earlier decades like women's rights, civil rights, imperialism, and war were suppressed and neglected in the 50's. The decade is defined by isolationism , fear of communism...whereas the 90's are defined by openness, end of communism,globalization...it's the opposite.The 60's were shaped by the rise of social revolution, civil rights movements, human rights movement, anti-War movements,  Counterculture movement : i don't think we can compare it to the 00's at all.

On the other hand , I  see many similarities between the 60's and the 90's : The two decades were characterised by great hopes for the future : In the 1960's, many thought that the future would be filled with love and peace.They tougth that another world - a less capitalist one - was possible  In the 1990's many tought that the 21st century and globalization would bring  development, huge economic growth , peace all around the globe and better understanding between people of different culture with the rapid devlopment of modern communication tools like internet. Both the 70's and 00's are decades where these illusions have come to be false...

Yeah, I see the '90s more as a new '60s than a new '50s.  The '60s really set the tone for the entire 1967-1991 period; the '90s have set the current tone which will probably last through the Tens.  I think the '80s of anything mirror the '50s, with their rock and roll, conservatism, leather jackets, etc.  The '00s mirror the '70s, in that they're sort of an inferior copy of their respective previous decade culturally, and tend to be crazier and more distopian.

Yeah, I see the '90s more as a new '60s than a new '50s.  The '60s really set the tone for the entire 1967-1991 period; the '90s have set the current tone which will probably last through the Tens.  I think the '80s of anything mirror the '50s, with their rock and roll, conservatism, leather jackets, etc.  The '00s mirror the '70s, in that they're sort of an inferior copy of their respective previous decade culturally, and tend to be crazier and more distopian.


The '00s is sort of like a more dystopian, disjointed, nutsier '80s (the materialism, paranoia, class structure falling out, underlying tension and bad manufacturing economy, illegal immigration)...it's dystopian and crappy like the '70s, though, and it's all sort of put through a '90s pop culture kaleidoscope.

The '00s is sort of like a more dystopian, disjointed, nutsier '80s (the materialism, paranoia, class structure falling out, underlying tension and bad manufacturing economy, illegal immigration)...it's dystopian and crappy like the '70s, though, and it's all sort of put through a '90s pop culture kaleidoscope.


I'd agree with that.  I'd say the '00s is like taking washed-out 1990s pop culture, 1980s materialism, and 1970s general suckiness and mashing them all together.

I'd agree with that.  I'd say the '00s is like taking washed-out 1990s pop culture, 1980s materialism, and 1970s general suckiness and mashing them all together.


And hence you get a collage of identities rather than one whole, distinct cultural identity.

Meanwhile, the '90s took the pop culture of the late '60s-'70s (with some revisions, of course), and mashed it together with the prosperity and hope of say the '20s or the '50s-early '60s.