Recently I heard someone say he was nostalgic for the Nick at Night and TV Land of the mid-90s when those networks ran 1980s shows like "St. Elsewhere" as well as vintage TV commercials from the 1960s and 1970s. This poses an existential nostalgia problem. What, in fact, is he being nostalgic for? The mid-90s when he watched those shows and commercials,  or the era depicted in the shows and commercials he was watching in the mid-90s (i.e. the 60s, 70s and 80s)? Or is there sort of an "overarching general nostalgia" that covers it all? When he was originally watching these shows in the 90s was he nostalgic for the era of the shows? if so, it seems he is now being nostalgic for nostalgia. This gets to be a very slippery slope.

It's possible...happens to me sometimes. This is an interesting topic. I had to show this to some friends.

I'm nostalgic for nostalgia almost all the time.

One example I can think of is the movie "The Sandlot", which was released in 1993. The story of the movie is set in the summer of 1962, and shows a lot of nostalgia for that time period. At the same time there is nostalgia for the time when the movie was released. Btw in 2024, 1993 is now as long ago as 1962 was in 1993.

One example I can think of is the movie "The Sandlot", which was released in 1993. The story of the movie is set in the summer of 1962, and shows a lot of nostalgia for that time period. At the same time there is nostalgia for the time when the movie was released. Btw in 2024, 1993 is now as long ago as 1962 was in 1993.


Just to clarify, because I'm not 100% certain what your post is saying.

To be pertinent to what the original post says, a person would have to say something like "I fondly recall seeing 'The Sandlot' in 1993'". Because that then poses the question asked in the original post. Is the person being nostalgic for 1993 when he saw the movie, or nostalgic for the 1962 era depicted?  Or is there an overarching sort of "nostalgia within nostalgia"?

Just to clarify, because I'm not 100% certain what your post is saying.

To be pertinent to what the original post says, a person would have to say something like "I fondly recall seeing 'The Sandlot' in 1993'". Because that then poses the question asked in the original post. Is the person being nostalgic for 1993 when he saw the movie, or nostalgic for the 1962 era depicted?  Or is there an overarching sort of "nostalgia within nostalgia"?


If I understood your original post correctly I thought it meant to be nostalgic for a memory of watching a particular movie or TV show that themselves were about nostalgia of an earlier time. In my case I actually first watched "The Sandlot" in the summer of 1994 on VHS, and watched it numerous times that summer so I do have fond memories of that time. At the same time the movie itself gives an idea of what life was like in the early 60's and even though it was before my birth, I image someone of an older generation might see it feel nostalgic for that time.