Which do you think is better pop culturally,musically and etc.

Isn't this decadeology?

Isn't this decadeology?


Actually, it's not. It's just asking for our personal opinions about vague, undefined periods of time, as opposed to pinpointing the start and end points of those eras.

I prefer the late 90s overall. The fashion was better, there wasn't as much homophobia, and in general the music was a bit more colourful. Plus, technology was excellently balanced during the late 90s. The late 80s were still pretty solid in general, and I'd probably say they ere a better time for movies, but the turn of the century just left such a warm, positive impression on me that I still like to look back upon.

Actually, it's not. It's just asking for our personal opinions about vague, undefined periods of time, as opposed to pinpointing the start and end points of those eras.


I don't understand how this is any different. Decadeology threads are about comparing one era to the other, without any real substance to the discussion. The Late '80s and Late '90s are pretty defined time periods, if you ask me. It's not like comparing something from 1983 and another thing from 1997. I mean, even the title of this thread is "Late 80s vs Late 90s". It's like a competition to see how many members prefer one era over the other. It has the exact same purpose as other decadeology threads.

I don't understand how this is any different. Decadeology threads are about comparing one era to the other, without any real substance to the discussion. The Late '80s and Late '90s are pretty defined time periods, if you ask me. It's not like comparing something from 1983 and another thing from 1997. I mean, even the title of this thread is "Late 80s vs Late 90s". It's like a competition to see how many members prefer one era over the other. It has the exact same purpose as other decadeology threads.


Well, the difference here is that on a basic level, it's just asking for people's personal opinions, just like any normal discussion. That's certainly not the same as arbitrarily defining the exact start and end points of the late 90s based on sporadic events or trends. In a case like that, the focus is on mundane definitions rather than personal sentiment. This thread wouldn't truly count as decadeology unless it was worded more like, "1988-1991 vs. 1997-2000?".

I think late 90s is just a bit better. Although late 80s is still good.

Yeah, I don't think this qualifies as decadeology. Everyone has an opinion on what culture they prefer and as such it's not ridiculous to ask them to weigh different time periods in terms of how much they enjoy them. Of course, it's very subjective, and there are no wrong answers, but it's not like some pointless, never-ending debate about how old 1993 felt in 1996 or some crap.

With that said, it's probably about a draw for me. Fashion and music-wise I prefer the late '80s and I probably do prefer the general cultural vibe of that time, but I definitely prefer the cinema and television of the late '90s and really am fascinated by those years when the internet was first becoming huge, which seem pretty revolutionary in retrospect.

Late 80's; I liked glam metal from the late 80's better than the boy/girl pop bands from the late 90's.

I thought music started to go downhill in around 1998-1999.

Isn't this decadeology?


This one seems like decadeology to me also.

Decadeology is nonsense, though a book about quotations on the 1960s I read stated in the preface that the concept of a decade didn't exactly coincided chronologically, and for better or worse, is the roots of what became decadology. But this thread is a "what is your favorite?" while being based on a fixed timeframe (the last three or three 1/3 years of each chronological decade), while comparing the roster of talent and other intangibles that came along with them like politics, disasters and events, and the economy. That said, I'll break it down by category:

Music

Late '80s. New Jack Swing, Glam Metal, freestyle, golden age hip hop, smooth jazz, and the soft rock/adult contemporary sound of that era beats Nu Soul, Nu Metal, trance, glam rap, the "swing revival", and the boy bands of that era. Give me New Kids on the Block, Debbie Gibson, and Tiffany over N*SYNC, Britney Spears, and Christina Aguilera anytime.

TV

Late '80s once again (I've got a HUGE collection of TV from that era, and it shows my love for it). Sure, the early '90s beats the early '80s on the tube, but I feel that the former had more excitement in that many shows that premiered in the early-mid '80s were finally reaching their peak or extending them. You had soap operas that were still soaps and on in primetime, Sesame Street that wasn't all about Elmo yet, classic Disney cartoons, TMNT, Full House, 21 Jump Street, the peak of Cheers and The Cosby Show, A Different World, daytime game shows still going strong along with many more in syndication compared to the trickle in the late '90s, MTV that played music (unlike the late '90s when it was mostly relegated to the overnight/morning hours), but Nash Bridges over Miami Vice? Trashy talk shows over intelligent discussions?

Movies

I'd say a draw, though 1987 was the best year out of all of them, though the late '90s was more consistent with quality content, although that year had a lot of crappy direct to video releases. Yes, the late '90s had more effects in them, but with the exception of The Matrix, the writing and story were still enjoyable, and looking back, the trailers still have a classic feel to them that this century's movies wish they could say. 

Video Games

Late '90s. The peak of the Nintendo 64 and Playstation, and anchored by 1998 as one of the greatest years in gaming, if not all-time. The late '80s was mostly about the NES, and although there are classics, they would bore most younger gamers as being too crude compared to the modern games that they enjoyed. Let's not forget that PC gaming in the late '90s was still huge. The Game Boy Color was also out for longer in the late '90s than the original game boy was in the late '80s, and G1 Pokemon tops Super Mario Land and Tetris.

Technology

Late '90s. The late '80s was actually a relative low point for tech with most of the big introductions for that decade being released between 1976 and 1985, from early cellphones to early PCs to VCRs to stereo TVs to CDs. The late '90s tech was faster to adopt, from DVDs to HDTVs to the general spread of the Internet to the start of Apple's comeback with the iMac to MP3s to PDAs to more user-friendly flip phones.

Fashion

Another draw, but I'm leaning towards the late '80s since it was more fun. Give me acid wash jeans, Nexxus-assisted big hair, and geometric patterns over one-shoulder blouses, short hair, and heavy tattoos. People also seemed to dress up more back then.

Intangibles (Politics/economy)

A draw. The late '80s for the most part had lessening tensions as this time wore on, culminating in the fall of the Berlin Wall signaling the rapid end of communism in Europe, while terrorism was fairly low, although domestic violence was a bit higher, along with the savings and loans crisis. The late '90s had the better overall economy and crime was overall lower, but by the end of 1999 it was clear that a bubble had formed, and in addition to Columbine and growing tensions in the Middle East by the end of this era, not to mention that Clinton had a scandal of his own with Lewinsky just like Reagan had with the Contras.

So when you add things up, it looks like two for the late '80s, two for the late '90s, and three draws, but if you look at what I said under fashion, I'm giving this to the late '80s. It was a slower pace of life too compared to the late '90s and people seemed to have more courtesy then, something that is sadly lacking these days. I also find the late '90s far to left-leaning compared to the more centrist late '80s.

Most people on this board, being primarily 90s-borns, underestimate how big the shift was that occurred ca. 1993 or around the time of Bill Clinton's first inauguration.  It was much better than the 2008-09 shift. The world of 1998 was very, very different from the world of 1988.

Personally I would prefer 1998 by far.  I was never a big fan of '80s culture period and the late decade was about the time that it peaked.

That MMMBop song came out of the late '90s. 8-P

Give me the late 80s any day over the late 90s.

Decadeology is nonsense, though a book about quotations on the 1960s I read stated in the preface that the concept of a decade didn't exactly coincided chronologically, and for better or worse, is the roots of what became decadology. But this thread is a "what is your favorite?" while being based on a fixed timeframe (the last three or three 1/3 years of each chronological decade), while comparing the roster of talent and other intangibles that came along with them like politics, disasters and events, and the economy. That said, I'll break it down by category:

Music

Late '80s. New Jack Swing, Glam Metal, freestyle, golden age hip hop, smooth jazz, and the soft rock/adult contemporary sound of that era beats Nu Soul, Nu Metal, trance, glam rap, the "swing revival", and the boy bands of that era. Give me New Kids on the Block, Debbie Gibson, and Tiffany over N*SYNC, Britney Spears, and Christina Aguilera anytime.

TV

Late '80s once again (I've got a HUGE collection of TV from that era, and it shows my love for it). Sure, the early '90s beats the early '80s on the tube, but I feel that the former had more excitement in that many shows that premiered in the early-mid '80s were finally reaching their peak or extending them. You had soap operas that were still soaps and on in primetime, Sesame Street that wasn't all about Elmo yet, classic Disney cartoons, TMNT, Full House, 21 Jump Street, the peak of Cheers and The Cosby Show, A Different World, daytime game shows still going strong along with many more in syndication compared to the trickle in the late '90s, MTV that played music (unlike the late '90s when it was mostly relegated to the overnight/morning hours), but Nash Bridges over Miami Vice? Trashy talk shows over intelligent discussions?

Movies

I'd say a draw, though 1987 was the best year out of all of them, though the late '90s was more consistent with quality content, although that year had a lot of crappy direct to video releases. Yes, the late '90s had more effects in them, but with the exception of The Matrix, the writing and story were still enjoyable, and looking back, the trailers still have a classic feel to them that this century's movies wish they could say. 

Video Games

Late '90s. The peak of the Nintendo 64 and Playstation, and anchored by 1998 as one of the greatest years in gaming, if not all-time. The late '80s was mostly about the NES, and although there are classics, they would bore most younger gamers as being too crude compared to the modern games that they enjoyed. Let's not forget that PC gaming in the late '90s was still huge. The Game Boy Color was also out for longer in the late '90s than the original game boy was in the late '80s, and G1 Pokemon tops Super Mario Land and Tetris.

Technology

Late '90s. The late '80s was actually a relative low point for tech with most of the big introductions for that decade being released between 1976 and 1985, from early cellphones to early PCs to VCRs to stereo TVs to CDs. The late '90s tech was faster to adopt, from DVDs to HDTVs to the general spread of the Internet to the start of Apple's comeback with the iMac to MP3s to PDAs to more user-friendly flip phones.

Fashion

Another draw, but I'm leaning towards the late '80s since it was more fun. Give me acid wash jeans, Nexxus-assisted big hair, and geometric patterns over one-shoulder blouses, short hair, and heavy tattoos. People also seemed to dress up more back then.

Intangibles (Politics/economy)

A draw. The late '80s for the most part had lessening tensions as this time wore on, culminating in the fall of the Berlin Wall signaling the rapid end of communism in Europe, while terrorism was fairly low, although domestic violence was a bit higher, along with the savings and loans crisis. The late '90s had the better overall economy and crime was overall lower, but by the end of 1999 it was clear that a bubble had formed, and in addition to Columbine and growing tensions in the Middle East by the end of this era, not to mention that Clinton had a scandal of his own with Lewinsky just like Reagan had with the Contras.

So when you add things up, it looks like two for the late '80s, two for the late '90s, and three draws, but if you look at what I said under fashion, I'm giving this to the late '80s. It was a slower pace of life too compared to the late '90s and people seemed to have more courtesy then, something that is sadly lacking these days. I also find the late '90s far to left-leaning compared to the more centrist late '80s.

I agree with you 100%. Nice summary.

Late '80s for the WIN! 8)