Even though it was one of the most cutting-edge times in terms of politics and world events (i.e. the Gulf War, recession, Rodney King, LA Riots, crime rates quite high), don't you think the pop culture seemed really innocent? Especially if you were a kid, it would probably evoke a cozy, sentimental picture of that 1989-1993 time.

I'm thinking of movies like the first two Home Alone's or Dennis the Menace. There were lots of breezy pop songs too. Especially ballads like "How Do You Talk To An Angel", "Rush Rush", "To Be With You" or "Another Day in Paradise" (sadder lyrics I know, but it's got a pleasant sound). Even though my family's personal life at the time wasn't that great, stuff like this helped me get through it. It made the bad events tolerable and the good stuff even more special.

Yes, when I look back on this time...I think mostly happy thoughts (with a few exceptions of my personal life as well). It was somewhat of a mellow time.

^It was probably more innocent for me since I was in my childhood still and you weren't. Seriously 10 compared to 14-15 is huge, especially back then when people kinda struck me as "acting older".

But if there was one time I could go back to and live, that might be it. It's enough like today to not feel like a foreign land, but very VERY old-school. Plus, I was old enough to sorta know the world, so I would know what to expect. In 1985 or something, lots of stuff would still be hazy. I think the fact that I was watching television by then plays a big part.

I think it helped a lot that I had two younger sisters growing up during this time. My one sister was born in 1981, and Beth was born in 1987...so the fact that they were young/children....also kept me "younger" than what I was.

Yeah true. Also, from their perspective to look at it the other way, you probably made them "cooler" or feel older, since I bet they looked up to you. Not counting my parents or babysitters, I always looked up to celebs on movies or from VH1. ;D I do wish I'd had an older sibling like yourself at the time, to have gotten that influence from, though.

Yeah true. Also, from their perspective to look at it the other way, you probably made them "cooler" or feel older, since I bet they looked up to you. Not counting my parents or babysitters, I always looked up to celebs on movies or from VH1. ;D I do wish I'd had an older sibling like yourself at the time, to have gotten that influence from, though.



hahaha..I don't know if I was cooler to them (I was a big dork)....but I know that at least Beth, probably looked up to me. We are like almost 11 years apart...but she is my very best friend. :)

^ Yeah, I mean she's what 19 or 20 now, and you're 30 so that's no biggie anymore. But it might've seemed like a bigger deal when you guys were growing up. Plus, you only seem about early 20ish anyway.

Honestly though, try as I might, I can't imagine you as a "dork" (in your words). Just the opposite. Plus, who says the masses are right? You'd have probably thought I was one - what with my listening to Michael Bolton and Phil Collins or horribly dated 1984ish music in the early '90s. And thinking of Ernest and Gallagher as my heroes, lol. I'm sure we would have gotten along for the most part, though.

^ Yeah, I mean she's what 19 or 20 now, and you're 30 so that's no biggie anymore. But it might've seemed like a bigger deal when you guys were growing up. Plus, you only seem about early 20ish anyway.

Honestly though, try as I might, I can't imagine you as a "dork" (in your words). Just the opposite. Plus, who says the masses are right? You'd have probably thought I was one - what with my listening to Michael Bolton and Phil Collins or horribly dated 1984ish music in the early '90s. And thinking of Ernest and Gallagher as my heroes, lol. I'm sure we would have gotten along for the most part, though.


ya, she'll be 20 in August. You would think that I would be closer with my other sister (who is 26)...but I'm not. I've always been closer to Beth.

Trust me...I was a total dork. I will have to dig through the old pics and post some of the dorkiest ones ever. You'll have a good laugh..even I do! LOL! But hey, us dorks are cool...I still consider myself to be one..and I'm ok with that! :)

^ Why do you consider yourself that way (sorry to change the subject)? 'Cause it ought to be noted that not only do I not, but I can't imagine anyone else thinking that way either.:) You seem to have a Nineties-esque look too, with the glasses and stuff - ala Lisa Loeb.

^ Why do you consider yourself that way (sorry to change the subject)? 'Cause it ought to be noted that not only do I not, but I can't imagine anyone else thinking that way either.:) You seem to have a Nineties-esque look too, with the glasses and stuff - ala Lisa Loeb.


I don't know! LOL! I guess it was a negative thing in the past (during my childhood and teens)...but I just have learned to embrace my awkwardness! LOL! Sometimes it gets annoying, but lately I just don't care anymore. I'm me...and that's all that matters. :D ;) ;D

^Yeah, intelligence/differences seem to be more accepted or acknowledged today. That's one of the few things I prefer about today over the '80s and even '90s. Back then, nerds got pushed around by jocks, and even going onto computers had a "geek" image as late as, like 1998. I'm so glad all that's over.

I LOVE the early '90s. There are so many great things from that time period. I loved the cartoons, I loved the TV show, and I loved the music. I know that not everything that happened then was great(in fact like Marty mentioned, with the Gulf War, and the recession going on there were alot of bad things going on in the world) but when I think about that time period(roughly 1989-1994) I honestly don't think about any of that.

As a 2 year old kid in 1989, and a 7 year old in 1994, I think about watching Nickelodeon, Fox Kids, and getting up at like 7 in the morning and sitting in front of the TV watching cartoons all Saturday. I think about playing the NES, Super Nintendo, and Sega Genesis. I think about starting school, and meeting alot of the people that I'm still friends with today.

Lately, I've started to miss the late '90s more, but I don't think I will ever miss a time period in my life as much as the early '90s.

I love the early 90s, but I never experienced it personally.  Instead of getting exposed to it at the time, I got exposed to it in the mid-90s in the form of reruns (I loved Fresh Prince!), music on the radio, and stuff like that.  One thing I hate is how people seem to assume that if someone wasn't around or was "too young" for an era, people say they can't appreciate it, that they somehow can't like it because they were too young at the time.  These people forget the fact that you can exposed to pop culture after the fact (heck, tons of kids at my high school had nostalgia for early-90s stuff, although it defintely played second fiddle to mid to late 90s nostalgia).  Heck, I know plenty of kids that love the 80s, despite never experiencing it at the time.

BTW, I've always thought of  the early 90s as an era of contradictions.  Not only was there there the innocence you mentioned, but there was also a form of edginess during that time as well.  You had songs like "Baby Got Back" and "End of the Road" coming out alongside "Smells Like Teen Spirit" and "Nuthin' But A G Thang."  The music had a lot of variety, thats for sure.

One of the things I love about the early 90s though is the atmosphere of it.  Looking back on it, a lot of the fashion and shows like Nick Arcade, Legends of the Hidden Temple, and Fresh Prince were all extremely cheesy at times...and thats part of the reason why I like them (that and nostalgia).  Its cheesy, but its cheesiness with a charm.  It doesn't take itself too seriously, unlike say, modern Rap (very cheesy and takes itself very seriously).

I love the early 90s, but I never experienced it personally.  Instead of getting exposed to it at the time, I got exposed to it in the mid-90s in the form of reruns (I loved Fresh Prince!), music on the radio, and stuff like that.  One thing I hate is how people seem to assume that if someone wasn't around or was "too young" for an era, people say they can't appreciate it, that they somehow can't like it because they were too young at the time.  These people forget the fact that you can exposed to pop culture after the fact (heck, tons of kids at my high school had nostalgia for early-90s stuff, although it defintely played second fiddle to mid to late 90s nostalgia).  Heck, I know plenty of kids that love the 80s, despite never experiencing it at the time.

BTW, I've always thought of  the early 90s as an era of contradictions.  Not only was there there the innocence you mentioned, but there was also a form of edginess during that time as well.  You had songs like "Baby Got Back" and "End of the Road" coming out alongside "Smells Like Teen Spirit" and "Nuthin' But A G Thang."  The music had a lot of variety, thats for sure.

One of the things I love about the early 90s though is the atmosphere of it.  Looking back on it, a lot of the fashion and shows like Nick Arcade, Legends of the Hidden Temple, and Fresh Prince were all extremely cheesy at times...and thats part of the reason why I like them (that and nostalgia).  Its cheesy, but its cheesiness with a charm.  It doesn't take itself too seriously, unlike say, modern Rap (very cheesy and takes itself very seriously).



I totally agree. Alot of people do assume that if you were very young during a certain time period that you can't 'experience' it but I also disagree with that. Like I said, I was only 3-7 in 1990-1994, but I would not say that it's necessarily foreign to me. I don't really try to claim that I was listening to music or following pop culture in the early '90s, because I wasn't following it that closely, but that doesn't mean that it's beyond my understanding either. Some people seem to think that you have no knowledge of what going on in the world around you until your like 10 or 11 years old, which I totally disagree with. For example, I watched alot of television in the early '90s, due to that I was aware of quite a few world events at that time.

It's the same way with a kid born in like 1997 or so. They probably didn't necessarily follow music and culture in like 2003, but if they watched any TV or listened to the radio at all, I wouldn't think it would be beyond there grasp.

I love the early 90s, but I never experienced it personally.  Instead of getting exposed to it at the time, I got exposed to it in the mid-90s in the form of reruns (I loved Fresh Prince!), music on the radio, and stuff like that.  One thing I hate is how people seem to assume that if someone wasn't around or was "too young" for an era, people say they can't appreciate it, that they somehow can't like it because they were too young at the time.  These people forget the fact that you can exposed to pop culture after the fact (heck, tons of kids at my high school had nostalgia for early-90s stuff, although it defintely played second fiddle to mid to late 90s nostalgia).  Heck, I know plenty of kids that love the 80s, despite never experiencing it at the time.

BTW, I've always thought of  the early 90s as an era of contradictions.  Not only was there there the innocence you mentioned, but there was also a form of edginess during that time as well.  You had songs like "Baby Got Back" and "End of the Road" coming out alongside "Smells Like Teen Spirit" and "Nuthin' But A G Thang."  The music had a lot of variety, thats for sure.

One of the things I love about the early 90s though is the atmosphere of it.  Looking back on it, a lot of the fashion and shows like Nick Arcade, Legends of the Hidden Temple, and Fresh Prince were all extremely cheesy at times...and thats part of the reason why I like them (that and nostalgia).  Its cheesy, but its cheesiness with a charm.  It doesn't take itself too seriously, unlike say, modern Rap (very cheesy and takes itself very seriously).

Yeah, I completely agree. This denial of hand me down, or slightly after the fact affection for pop culture is something I've actually faced quite a bit myself, being an '80s lover born in 1981. The late '80s Full House/NES era maybe not so much, but I've had people give me shocked reactions if I say how I grew up listening to, say Hall and Oates. Of course, I always have had to explain that I probably heard alot of early-mid decade songs in, like 1988 when they were still on the radio, playing in public, or from albums my parents listened to. I actually do have a pretty sharp memory too.

I think this stereotype is something (unintentionally) perpetuated by the older generations....Baby Boomers and earlier Xers, mainly. Reason being is that people often look to their own experieces for an example. I get the impression far, far fewer people born before, say the early-mid 1970s got into pop culture from after the fact as those later on did. Or even if they did, they probably thought it was kinda lame compared to the present.

P.S. Yes, the '00s take themselves very seriously, unlike the '80s and '90s. That's where I think the lack of "fun" comes from.

Yeah, I completely agree. This denial of hand me down, or slightly after the fact affection for pop culture is something I've actually faced quite a bit myself, being an '80s lover born in 1981. The late '80s Full House/NES era maybe not so much, but I've had people give me shocked reactions if I say how I grew up listening to, say Hall and Oates. Of course, I always have had to explain that I probably heard alot of early-mid decade songs in, like 1988 when they were still on the radio, playing in public, or from albums my parents listened to. I actually do have a pretty sharp memory too.

I think this stereotype is something (unintentionally) perpetuated by the older generations....Baby Boomers and earlier Xers, mainly. Reason being is that people often look to their own experieces for an example. I get the impression far, far fewer people born before, say the early-mid 1970s got into pop culture from after the fact as those later on did. Or even if they did, they probably thought it was kinda lame compared to the present.

P.S. Yes, the '00s take themselves very seriously, unlike the '80s and '90s. That's where I think the lack of "fun" comes from.
Howdo you think the 00's do you take the 00's seriously as opposed to the 90's or the 80's? I think the 00's have a 80's mentality because  both decades are about spending money and the CEO or a High Class Business person driving his Benz around.

BTW, I've always thought of  the early 90s as an era of contradictions.  Not only was there there the innocence you mentioned, but there was also a form of edginess during that time as well.  You had songs like "Baby Got Back" and "End of the Road" coming out alongside "Smells Like Teen Spirit" and "Nuthin' But A G Thang."  The music had a lot of variety, thats for sure.

Thankyou for saying the 90's had variety musically I mean some people think trhe 90's was just about grunge and thats it musically .

Thankyou for saying the 90's had variety musically I mean some people think trhe 90's was just about grunge and thats it musically .


I wonder why so many people forget all the r&b music that dominited the pop charts.

I wonder why so many people forget all the r&b music that dominited the pop charts.
Artists like Janet Jackson, Mariah Carey, and Whitney Houston were very dominant on the pop charts in the 90's as was Boyz II Men I think.

Howdo you think the 00's do you take the 00's seriously as opposed to the 90's or the 80's? I think the 00's have a 80's mentality because  both decades are about spending money and the CEO or a High Class Business person driving his Benz around.


Yeah, both the '80s and '00s are very materalistic and corporate in lifestyle. Both also seem to be very obsessed with things like technology and getting rich. I do think the pop culture pre-2001 seemed more laid back. Like glam rap and Indie rock takes itself seriously.

I also think the '90s are very overstereotyped for being all about grunge and gangsta rap. I feel that probably just happens, because they stick out in people's minds more, due to their edginess. But there was alot of good '90s pop culture, including the music like you said (pop, R&B, ballads, lighter alternative rock). The good aspects of the '90s are underappreciated because they got less attention than the grittier sides of it.

Artists like Janet Jackson, Mariah Carey, and Whitney Houston were very dominant on the pop charts in the 90's as was Boyz II Men I think.


Oh yeah I remember Boyz II Men being big when I was 8 years old! So yeah they must have been big for me to know them then! lol. All those artists had number 1 hits, and sold albums.

One Sweet Day was number 1 for 16 weeks I believe.

I wonder why so many people forget all the r&b music that dominited the pop charts.


i know!!

i remember r&b being very popular. but anytime someone thinks of the 90's, they think of grunge it seems.

i know!!

i remember r&b being very popular. but anytime someone thinks of the 90's, they think of grunge it seems.


I guess it "sticks" out because it was so different from what was out in the 1980s. That's probably the likely reason. Whereas r&b has just always been around and popular.

i know!!

i remember r&b being very popular. but anytime someone thinks of the 90's, they think of grunge it seems.
Yeah nobody will remember an R&B artist like Tevin Campbell or a girl group like SWV but they'll remember Soundgarden or Alice In Chains. I;m not saying that Soundgarden or Alice In Chains suck(far from them from being bad bands) but I wish the 90's would get more credit than it does for having a diverse music scene rather than saying well the 90's had a dark vibe because of grunge.

Yeah nobody will remember an R&B artist like Tevin Campbell or a girl group like SWV but they'll remember Soundgarden or Alice In Chains. I;m not saying that Soundgarden or Alice In Chains suck(far from them from being bad bands) but I wish the 90's would get more credit than it does for having a diverse music scene rather than saying well the 90's had a dark vibe because of grunge.


I guess it depends on who you talk to and what scene they were into. There are surely plenty of people that were into the '90s r&b/pop scene.

Yeah, both the '80s and '00s are very materalistic and corporate in lifestyle. Both also seem to be very obsessed with things like technology and getting rich. I do think the pop culture pre-2001 seemed more laid back. Like glam rap and Indie rock takes itself seriously.

I also think the '90s are very overstereotyped for being all about grunge and gangsta rap. I feel that probably just happens, because they stick out in people's minds more, due to their edginess. But there was alot of good '90s pop culture, including the music like you said (pop, R&B, ballads, lighter alternative rock). The good aspects of the '90s are underappreciated because they got less attention than the grittier sides of it.



Yeah, I get tired of people saying that '80s music was better than '90s music because it was "fun" and "innocent", and '90s music was dark and edgy. Sure grunge and gangsta reap were pretty edgy at time, but there was plenty of music that came out after 1991 that was just as cheesy as some '80s stuff. Especially some of the late '90s music.

Yeah, I get tired of people saying that '80s music was better than '90s music because it was "fun" and "innocent", and '90s music was dark and edgy. Sure grunge and gangsta reap were pretty edgy at time, but there was plenty of music that came out after 1991 that was just as cheesy as some '80s stuff. Especially some of the late '90s music.

Very true.  Actually, I'd say 1990-1992 is almost as cheesy as the 80s.  MC Hammer, Kriss Kross, "I'm Too Sexy", "Achy Breaky Heart", and other stuff.  The late 90s had their fair share of cheesiness too, although 1997 in particular sticks out in my mind and some of 1998.  Go watch the video for "Everybody (Backstreet's Back)" or "Barbie Girl" and just try to tell me that it isn't cheesy.  Luckily, its the fun kind of cheesy.

Then again, I do think that most people will think of any music they grew up with in their childhood to be "innocent" and anything after that to be "not innocent."  So if you're a child in the 80s, that music will seem innocent, but the 90s won't seem that way.  Same thing if you're a child in the 90s, the 90s will seem innocent, but the 00s won't seem innocent.  I guess we kind of immediately make a sort of unconcious connection between the pop culture of our childhood and the carefree innocence of childhood itself.  Heck, just look at the 70s.  I've seen people like my parents call that an "innocent time" despite the OPEC energy crisis, the not-so-great economy, the rise of punk rock in the late 70s, and a crime rate thats actually higher than today's.  Sure, it may seem innocent at first glance, especially to them, but closer inspection reveals that certain aspects of the decade weren't as innocent as we'd like to think.

Very true.  Actually, I'd say 1990-1992 is almost as cheesy as the 80s.  MC Hammer, Kriss Kross, "I'm Too Sexy", "Achy Breaky Heart", and other stuff.  The late 90s had their fair share of cheesiness too, although 1997 in particular sticks out in my mind and some of 1998.  Go watch the video for "Everybody (Backstreet's Back)" or "Barbie Girl" and just try to tell me that it isn't cheesy.  Luckily, its the fun kind of cheesy.

Then again, I do think that most people will think of any music they grew up with in their childhood to be "innocent" and anything after that to be "not innocent."  So if you're a child in the 80s, that music will seem innocent, but the 90s won't seem that way.  Same thing if you're a child in the 90s, the 90s will seem innocent, but the 00s won't seem innocent.  I guess we kind of immediately make a sort of unconcious connection between the pop culture of our childhood and the carefree innocence of childhood itself.  Heck, just look at the 70s.  I've seen people like my parents call that an "innocent time" despite the OPEC energy crisis, the not-so-great economy, the rise of punk rock in the late 70s, and a crime rate thats actually higher than today's.  Sure, it may seem innocent at first glance, especially to them, but closer inspection reveals that certain aspects of the decade weren't as innocent as we'd like to think.



Great point. Do you think it's possible that these days people always see there childhood as "innocent" times just because of how quickly things have changed in the past 50 or 60 years? Like, for example, back in the 1800's it seems like everybody sort of had the same childhood experience since basically nothing changed from decade to decade, but just look at how much has changed really in just the last 10 years today. None of us '90s kids had cell phones, and most of us didn't even have internet access or a computer until we were older, but today, your average 2nd grader has access to all that stuff.

So in that way it sort of makes the '90s seem like a more innocent time than the '00s, even if it really wasn't.

Great point. Do you think it's possible that these days people always see there childhood as "innocent" times just because of how quickly things have changed in the past 50 or 60 years? Like, for example, back in the 1800's it seems like everybody sort of had the same childhood experience since basically nothing changed from decade to decade, but just look at how much has changed really in just the last 10 years today. None of us '90s kids had cell phones, and most of us didn't even have internet access or a computer until we were older, but today, your average 2nd grader has access to all that stuff.

So in that way it sort of makes the '90s seem like a more innocent time than the '00s, even if it really wasn't.


I do think that definitely has something to do with it.  I do think that the change in technology gives the impression of life being more complicated and that it was, in some way, less complicated than it was before.  That and it seems like there is some sort of quaint charm with old technology, but thats probably nostalgia more than anything.

Overall, I do think the 90s were more innocent than the 00s, if only for the fact that the US wasn't mired in two wars (Iraq and the seemingly forgotten Afghanistan) and possibly gearing up for a third (Iran).  The 90s was sort of the "break" between the Cold War and the current era.  However, while I think the 90s are more innocent than the 00s, we should never forget that were not-so-innocent aspects of it.  The first truly violent video games (Mortal Kombat), Gangsta Rap, the LA Riots, and the ever increasing terrorist attacks (like Okalahoma City bombing and the 1993 WTC bombing).  While in the end I do think it was more innocent than today, we must not forget that no decade is ever completely innocent.

I also think that being a child, you think its innocent because you don't hear too much about the bad things.  Or if you do hear about them, you don't completely understand them.  You're basically in your own little world.  As you grow older, you start hearing more about the world and some of the terrible things that happen in it, thus resulting in you perceiving that there is some loss of innocence.  Look at how many people insist that the 60s was the end of the "innocent" 50s, despite the 50s being the time of segregation, nuclear bomb drills (hide under the desk!), and stuff like that.  The reason they think the 60s is the end of that innocence is simpy because the stuff that was glossed over or never heard of in the 50s finally came to the surface.

Then again, I'd take Kosovo and the Monica Lewinsky scandal over the Iraq war any day.  But thats just me.

Regarding the 80s comparisons:
The 2000s may actually be ironic as were the 90s, perhaps more discreetly so however. For example, I think the 2000s CEO corperate mentality is ironic, given this decade's economic troubles (the economy has been mostly up and down, unlike the 80s and 90s which were prosperous) So its far from as uniformly corperate as say, the 80s were. MTV and vh1 (with its stupid "The Fabulous Life" and celeb reality series) I think are the primary culprits in perpetuating the 2000s as another greed decade, and their portraying a very skewed picture of what 2000s culture is really about. Their painting a caricature of the 2000s as they'd like them to be. I also think there are some of the laid back 90s influences that have extended themselves in this decade, despite some of the more turbulent times at least foreignly, Iraq war, terrorism..etc. In reality the 2000s are a relatively varied decade. Politically I wouldn't consider them as uniformly conservative as the 80s either, I'd say more along the lines of moderate conservative with liberal undertones.

In many ways the 2000s is the opposite "ME" decade, because on the surface everything looks fine and dandy, but if you take a look underneath you see thats its neither as prosperous, in light of the stock market problems, nor as peaceful (though still relatively) as the 1980s were. And to me thats the epitome of irony.

Very true.  Actually, I'd say 1990-1992 is almost as cheesy as the 80s.  MC Hammer, Kriss Kross, "I'm Too Sexy", "Achy Breaky Heart", and other stuff.  The late 90s had their fair share of cheesiness too, although 1997 in particular sticks out in my mind and some of 1998.  Go watch the video for "Everybody (Backstreet's Back)" or "Barbie Girl" and just try to tell me that it isn't cheesy.  Luckily, its the fun kind of cheesy.


Oh please don;t forget about 1999 being cheesey I mean 1999 because of teen-pop blowing up that year and everybody;s attitude was so carefree at the time with the great economy of that time and as a matter fact a guy like Rush Limbaugh called the economy in 1999 I think "The new Economy" because of how healthy the ecomomy was at that time.

Yeah I agree with you 1990-1992 had some cheesey but I might be in the minority here but MC Hammer's is fun to listen too now I mean he never took himself seriously(except for his hit "Pray") even though he got backlashed heavily in 1992 with the "gangsta rap invasion" if you will.

Regarding the 80s comparisons:
The 2000s may actually be ironic as were the 90s, perhaps more discreetly so however. For example, I think the 2000s CEO corperate mentality is ironic, given this decade's economic troubles (the economy has been mostly up and down, unlike the 80s and 90s which were prosperous) So its far from as uniformly corperate as say, the 80s were. MTV and vh1 (with its stupid "The Fabulous Life" and celeb reality series) I think are the primary culprits in perpetuating the 2000s as another greed decade, and their portraying a very skewed picture of what 2000s culture is really about. Their painting a caricature of the 2000s as they'd like them to be. I also think there are some of the laid back 90s influences that have extended themselves in this decade, despite some of the more turbulent times at least foreignly, Iraq war, terrorism..etc. In reality the 2000s are a relatively varied decade. Politically I wouldn't consider them as uniformly conservative as the 80s either, I'd say more along the lines of moderate conservative with liberal undertones.

In many ways the 2000s is the opposite "ME" decade, because on the surface everything looks fine and dandy, but if you take a look underneath you see thats its neither as prosperous, in light of the stock market problems, nor as peaceful (though still relatively) as the 1980s were. And to me thats the epitome of irony.
As far as the economy goes in the 90's not all the 90's ecomomic wise was prosperuous I mean the early 90's did have a recesion economicly. Yeah I agree VH1 wants us to think the 00's are about following the latest news on celebs lives but I think people are tiring of that with Paris Hilton's going to jail and Lindsay Lohan's antics of late. I mean the late 1982-1990 born do seem to be into following the latest gossip but I don;t think the 1991+ born into following celeb gossip as much as the 1982-1990 born people are. Also, the glam rap has alot to do with the 00's being a decade that has a corperate mentality because the rappers always talk about bling and money in their songs.

Great point. Do you think it's possible that these days people always see there childhood as "innocent" times just because of how quickly things have changed in the past 50 or 60 years? Like, for example, back in the 1800's it seems like everybody sort of had the same childhood experience since basically nothing changed from decade to decade, but just look at how much has changed really in just the last 10 years today. None of us '90s kids had cell phones, and most of us didn't even have internet access or a computer until we were older, but today, your average 2nd grader has access to all that stuff.

So in that way it sort of makes the '90s seem like a more innocent time than the '00s, even if it really wasn't.


Great points all around. :)

Yeah, I've thought about this too. It's amazing to think about the general way of life being relatively unchanged for hundreds of years before the 20th Century. Other than people getting older. I don't believe is was even distinct enough for historians to classify decades yet, until the mid-late 19th Century. The only changes would've been with things like Wars or, for the US, more states being colonized, etc. Of course, there were notable events, like slavery being abolished, but it really took until 1890-1920 for things like electricity, indoor plumbing, cars and airplanes to really change how we lived day to day.


Yes, I wholeheartedly agree that if you've gotten used to a time before certain things were necesarry or commonplace, you'll almost see it as needless clutter and wonder what the big deal is. Especially if you adapted to something in your first 12-15 years of life. This is how I feel when I see most of the population with cellphones and Ipods. Even though I love the Internet, part of me even feels like it's an unnecesarry distraction. That doesn't mean I dislike them in general or that I'd want them to go away, but seems simpler without them. Now, I do miss things like old-school malls or the abundance of record stores and arcades. That's probably why we resent these changes, because it simultaneously tends to kick out things we liked when we were younger.

As far as our childhood/early adolscence time being "more innocent" compared to our older teen or adult years...this is something I've wondered about too. Most people are going to be at least slightly biased to their own time, but there's probably some truth to everyone's perspective. I think the political climate of 1991-2000 was generally innocent and uneventful. Things like the Oklahoma City Bombing were isolated tragedies, which I recalled thinking even as they happened. Yes, there was violent music and video games, but it really did feel more like the minority than the norm. There were also far more choices in the mainstream, so it felt less "dominated" by those things than it does now. If you hated rap, it was easily avoidable.

In fact, I think in some ways that makes what was controversial in the '80s and '90s stand out above the '00s. There was less of it, so it was more noticeable. For instance, you don't hear nearly as much now about parents who are freaked out about the music their kids are listening to...and I remember things like that were actually common topics on talk shows or news programs during the '90s (most of that stuff seems so innocent and unthreatening now, lol).

In the '00s there's so much vulgarity that it doesn't stick out like it used to.

One further reason I think everything seems "innocent" later is because we know the outcome and we know it didn't ruin lives or turn kids into criminals, so we can look back on it as easygoing and no big deal. Whereas you had some people who were nervous when it was happening, since they didn't yet know how it would turn out. I think there's a certain fear in uncertainties. That's kinda how it is today with not knowing if there'll be a World War III or another terrorist attack, etc.

Oh please don;t forget about 1999 being cheesey I mean 1999 because of teen-pop blowing up that year and everybody;s attitude was so carefree at the time with the great economy of that time and as a matter fact a guy like Rush Limbaugh called the economy in 1999 I think "The new Economy" because of how healthy the ecomomy was at that time.

Yeah I agree with you 1990-1992 had some cheesey but I might be in the minority here but MC Hammer's is fun to listen too now I mean he never took himself seriously(except for his hit "Pray") even though he got backlashed heavily in 1992 with the "gangsta rap invasion" if you will.


Yeah, 1999 was very cheesy.  I simply put 1997 and 1998 because that was the time of the Spice Girls, start of the boy bands, and 1997 was home to that "Europop" trend (like "I Get Knocked Down' by Chumbawumba and "Barbie Girl" by Aqua)that lasted about a year.  1999 was very cheesy looking back on it.  I'd say that 1997 and 1999 are the cheesiest of the late 90s.  1998 definitely had some residual cheesiness from 1997 like the Spice Girls, but it seemed to be a sort of mellow year compared to 1997 and 1999. 

Speaking of which, is it just me or is the decade always at its cheesiest near the end?  Seriously, late 70s = disco.  Late 80s = Hair bands at their peak, Milli Vanilli, and Old School Rap (which is cheesy, but better than today's rap).  Late 90s = boy bands and pop divas (Britney, Christina, etc.).  Heck, one could argue the 00s is following the same trend (it IS technically the start of the late 00s now) with the current state of rap and Emo becoming more of a joke.  Not to mention the new dance trend (like Timbaland) which will probably sound cheesy in ten years like 90% of dance music does.

Seriously, it seems like the latest part of the decade is almost always the cheesiest part of the decade.

EDIT: BTW, cheesy doesn't always mean bad.  It just has to be the right kind of cheesy, if you know what I mean.

i think the clothing in the late 90's was cheesy too.

Great points all around. :)

Yeah, I've thought about this too. It's amazing to think about the general way of life being relatively unchanged for hundreds of years before the 20th Century. Other than people getting older. I don't believe is was even distinct enough for historians to classify decades yet, until the mid-late 19th Century. The only changes would've been with things like Wars or, for the US, more states being colonized, etc. Of course, there were notable events, like slavery being abolished, but it really took until 1890-1920 for things like electricity, indoor plumbing, cars and airplanes to really change how we lived day to day.


Yes, I wholeheartedly agree that if you've gotten used to a time before certain things were necesarry or commonplace, you'll almost see it as needless clutter and wonder what the big deal is. Especially if you adapted to something in your first 12-15 years of life. This is how I feel when I see most of the population with cellphones and Ipods. Even though I love the Internet, part of me even feels like it's an unnecesarry distraction. That doesn't mean I dislike them in general or that I'd want them to go away, but seems simpler without them. Now, I do miss things like old-school malls or the abundance of record stores and arcades. That's probably why we resent these changes, because it simultaneously tends to kick out things we liked when we were younger.

As far as our childhood/early adolscence time being "more innocent" compared to our older teen or adult years...this is something I've wondered about too. Most people are going to be at least slightly biased to their own time, but there's probably some truth to everyone's perspective. I think the political climate of 1991-2000 was generally innocent and uneventful. Things like the Oklahoma City Bombing were isolated tragedies, which I recalled thinking even as they happened. Yes, there was violent music and video games, but it really did feel more like the minority than the norm. There were also far more choices in the mainstream, so it felt less "dominated" by those things than it does now. If you hated rap, it was easily avoidable.

In fact, I think in some ways that makes what was controversial in the '80s and '90s stand out above the '00s. There was less of it, so it was more noticeable. For instance, you don't hear nearly as much now about parents who are freaked out about the music their kids are listening to...and I remember things like that were actually common topics on talk shows or news programs during the '90s (most of that stuff seems so innocent and unthreatening now, lol).

In the '00s there's so much vulgarity that it doesn't stick out like it used to.

One further reason I think everything seems "innocent" later is because we know the outcome and we know it didn't ruin lives or turn kids into criminals, so we can look back on it as easygoing and no big deal. Whereas you had some people who were nervous when it was happening, since they didn't yet know how it would turn out. I think there's a certain fear in uncertainties. That's kinda how it is today with not knowing if there'll be a World War III or another terrorist attack, etc.



I totally agree. To your first point, about todays technology, I feel exactly the same way. Most young adults around my age often get stereotyped as having to have the latest iPod, or cell phone, or being on the internet 24/7, but really most of us don't. All of us had to adapt, to the internet, and the cell phone and ipod explosion. It sort of seems like todays kids under 16 that cant live without that stuff, since all of us can clearly remember a time when almost nobody had internet access, and all cell phones cost like $500. I didn't get the internet until I was 13, and didn't get a cell phone or Mp3 player until I was 19, so that's probably why the '90s seem like such an innocent time compared to today.

And also, I agree that, from a national and international standpoint, the '90s were actually more peaceful than the '00s. There were a couple of terrorist attacks, but they all seemed like random incidents, so it didn't really cause most people to worry about there safety at that time. There wasn't a major conflict like the war in Iraq, and President Clinton was generally respected by Americans(despite impeachment trails, his approval ratings remained at or above 65%).

I totally agree. To your first point, about todays technology, I feel exactly the same way. Most young adults around my age often get stereotyped as having to have the latest iPod, or cell phone, or being on the internet 24/7, but really most of us don't. All of us had to adapt, to the internet, and the cell phone and ipod explosion. It sort of seems like todays kids under 16 that cant live without that stuff, since all of us can clearly remember a time when almost nobody had internet access, and all cell phones cost like $500. I didn't get the internet until I was 13, and didn't get a cell phone or Mp3 player until I was 19, so that's probably why the '90s seem like such an innocent time compared to today.

And also, I agree that, from a national and international standpoint, the '90s were actually more peaceful than the '00s. There were a couple of terrorist attacks, but they all seemed like random incidents, so it didn't really cause most people to worry about there safety at that time. There wasn't a major conflict like the war in Iraq, and President Clinton was generally respected by Americans(despite impeachment trails, his approval ratings remained at or above 65%).

Yeah, I think if you can clearly remember a time before something existed, it'll always be somewhat newish to you, even if you know it isn't. We're at the point now where the Internet and even cellphones (probably soon Ipods and Myspace too) aren't even a hot new thing anymore, but standards. For instance, that's why the '80s being older and dated in the '90s...while still feeling weird and I didn't always like it...wasn't a total shell shock to me. Whereas the '90s getting there too (even 1991) makes me feel like I'm in the Twilight Zone.

As pessimistic as this sounds, I kinda think nostalgists like us who would frequent a place like this are more old-school than alot of people are - although to be fair, I'm sure there's lots of both out there. So we would think more "in the past". Like I'm pretty sure you've said how you like and appreciate stuff from the '80s having been born in 1987 (even if you don't remember almost anything from it firsthand). Well, I've talked to people born in '85 who pretend they're "too young" to know anything about it or to want to even remotely claim it as being their time. Same with even the '90s in many respects. I guess it all depends what "hits" you first. A 5 year old who gets into the times will probably be more old-school when he grows up than someone who doesn't get deep into things until they're 15.

Yeah, I think if you can clearly remember a time before something existed, it'll always be somewhat newish to you, even if you know it isn't. We're at the point now where the Internet and even cellphones (probably soon Ipods and Myspace too) aren't even a hot new thing anymore, but standards. For instance, that's why the '80s being older and dated in the '90s...while still feeling weird and I didn't always like it...wasn't a total shell shock to me. Whereas the '90s getting there too (even 1991) makes me feel like I'm in the Twilight Zone.

As pessimistic as this sounds, I kinda think nostalgists like us who would frequent a place like this are more old-school than alot of people are - although to be fair, I'm sure there's lots of both out there. So we would think more "in the past". Like I'm pretty sure you've said how you like and appreciate stuff from the '80s having been born in 1987 (even if you don't remember almost anything from it firsthand). Well, I've talked to people born in '85 who pretend they're "too young" to know anything about it or to want to even remotely claim it as being their time. Same with even the '90s in many respects. I guess it all depends what "hits" you first. A 5 year old who gets into the times will probably be more old-school when he grows up than someone who doesn't get deep into things until they're 15.



That's true too. I don't really remember anything from the '80s(except maybe a flash of 1989), but I still have a huge appreciation and like for the decade. Part of that is probably due to the fact that my parents are about as "eighties" as it gets, so I kinda grew up around '80s music. The other part is because, when I was about 5 or 6 and first started watching alot of television, there were still plenty of show and cartoons from the '80s that still aired on television. So in that way it still feels like part of my "era".

And btw, I'm not comfortable with the '90s becoming old either, but what really bothers me is that in less than 2 1/2 years 2000 will be 10 years ago, and the early '00s become "old school" :o

Great points all around. :)







There was less of it, so it was more noticeable. For instance, you don't hear nearly as much now about parents who are freaked out about the music their kids are listening to...and I remember things like that were actually common topics on talk shows or news programs during the '90s (most of that stuff seems so innocent and unthreatening now, lol).

In the '00s there's so much vulgarity that it doesn't stick out like it used to.
I disagree witrh you on 00's music being innocent I mean the rap artists calling women the B and the H word in their songs and the rappers throwing around money in their video's. I'll agree with you that in the 90's kids of parents were scared of Kurt Cobain, Marylin Manson, Tupac or rapper Ice-T's song "Cop Killer" but kids of parents are scared of the rap music thats currently around too nowadays.

I disagree witrh you on 00's music being innocent I mean the rap artists calling women the B and the H word in their songs and the rappers throwing around money in their video's. I'll agree with you that in the 90's kids of parents were scared of Kurt Cobain, Marylin Manson, Tupac or rapper Ice-T's song "Cop Killer" but kids of parents are scared of the rap music thats currently around too nowadays.

Yeah, that's definitely true. I remember how big of a deal shock rock was, even before Columbine. Same with gangsta rap and to a lesser extent, grunge. In fact, even today "Cop Killer" is commonly brought up when people talk about the violence in rap music. Maybe because Quayle quoted the lyrics on TV, lots of people still remember it.

I think where the difference lies is just that the majority of '00s music is vulgar (especially glam rap) that it's less shocking to people in general. Whereas not all '90s music was like that, so it stood out more.

Yeah, that's definitely true. I remember how big of a deal shock rock was, even before Columbine. Same with gangsta rap and to a lesser extent, grunge. In fact, even today "Cop Killer" is commonly brought up when people talk about the violence in rap music. Maybe because Quayle quoted the lyrics on TV, lots of people still remember it.

I think where the difference lies is just that the majority of '00s music is vulgar (especially glam rap) that it's less shocking to people in general. Whereas not all '90s music was like that, so it stood out more.



Yeah, I agree. When gangsta rap first started popping up in the early/mid '90s, alot of people were shocked by the violent, and overly sexual lyrics in the songs. I mean, songs like "Cop Killer" and songs by groups like Public Enemy or N.W.A shocked alot of people in like 1990 or 1991, when the top rap songs were "Ice Ice Baby" and "Cant Touch This". Today songs like that are commonplace.

Lately I've been real nostalgic about the early 90's, even more than with the 80's now. Is anyone else nostalgic of that time? A lot of good music came out back then, especially from 1991 and 1992 that bring back good memories from artists like TLC, En Vogue, The Cover Girls, Color Me Badd, The KLF, Arrested Development, and many others.

Lately I've been real nostalgic about the early 90's, even more than with the 80's now. Is anyone else nostalgic of that time? A lot of good music came out back then, especially from 1991 and 1992 that bring back good memories from artists like TLC, En Vogue, The Cover Girls, Color Me Badd, The KLF, Arrested Development, and many others.



I miss the early '90s alot, but not so much for the culture(even though I love early '90s music), as much as my own life around that time. I was very young then, 3 in 1990 and 7 in 1994, so I have alot of great memories, from around that time.

I disagree witrh you on 00's music being innocent I mean the rap artists calling women the B and the H word in their songs and the rappers throwing around money in their video's. I'll agree with you that in the 90's kids of parents were scared of Kurt Cobain, Marylin Manson, Tupac or rapper Ice-T's song "Cop Killer" but kids of parents are scared of the rap music thats currently around too nowadays.



i think rap songs are mostly about how rich & famous the rapper is now.

i think rap songs are mostly about how rich & famous the rapper is now.
Yeah thats what most raps songs are aboit nowadays and on;t forget the rappers rap about how many girls they are with too.