How will the 1990s be remembered in the 2050s?

[darklordoftech]

How will people living in the 2050s view the 1990s? Positively? Negatively?

[T'Chenka]

They won't forgive us for The Backstreet Boys, I'll tell you that right now.

[junior chįmp]

Nothing was going on in the 90s. The late 90s were abysmal when it comes to creativity in music for example

[Progressive Pessimist]

Nowhere near as nostalgically as they are now. People will remember the 1990's as a decade where a lot of likely ongoing problems started. In spite of that, it will still be a decade that is viewed more favorably than many of those preceding it, even the 1980's.

[Amenhotep Bakari-Sellers]

We clearly have transformed to a nuclear energy nation from the stone age Fossil Fuel era, 1990's was the last decade, where fossil fuel era flourished.

[Cold War Liberal]

Nothing was going on in the 90s. The late 90s were abysmal when it comes to creativity in music for example

No offense but this is an objectively extremely ignorant though inexplicably widespread sentiment. Literally the entire world order changed in the 1990s, and I’d argue it’s one of the most important decades, and perhaps THE MOST important decade of the 20th century. The Cold War ended, the Soviet Union collapsed, America became the sole world superpower, Gingrich and Frank Luntz (and Bill Clinton, I guess) lead to a more divisive and coarse politics. Fox News was founded in 1996. With the WTC bombings, the Unabomber, the Oklahoma City bombing, Waco, and others, terrorism (domestic and foreign) became a bigger focus in the public’s eyes. The effing Internet, quite possibly the most world-changing invention in human history, became a thing most people in the developed world had access to. That’s all just off the top of my head.

Music is obviously more subjective but I guess you don’t like rap between NWA and Eminem (so most good rap, which was made in the 90’s), grunge, or R&B (when I say this I’m thinking TLC and Destiny’s Child, which gave us effing Beyoncé, quite possibly the most famous cultural icon of the 21st century). And while Whitney Houston was the ‘80’s, for the most part, The Bodyguard came out in 1992 and it’s soundtrack is fantastic, IMO.

[Lord Admirale]

Probably similar to the roaring 20s.

[darklordoftech]

Nothing was going on in the 90s. The late 90s were abysmal when it comes to creativity in music for example

No offense but this is an objectively extremely ignorant though inexplicably widespread sentiment. Literally the entire world order changed in the 1990s, and I’d argue it’s one of the most important decades, and perhaps THE MOST important decade of the 20th century. The Cold War ended, the Soviet Union collapsed, America became the sole world superpower, Gingrich and Frank Luntz (and Bill Clinton, I guess) lead to a more divisive and coarse politics. Fox News was founded in 1996. With the WTC bombings, the Unabomber, the Oklahoma City bombing, Waco, and others, terrorism (domestic and foreign) became a bigger focus in the public’s eyes. The effing Internet, quite possibly the most world-changing invention in human history, became a thing most people in the developed world had access to. That’s all just off the top of my head.

Music is obviously more subjective but I guess you don’t like rap between NWA and Eminem (so most good rap, which was made in the 90’s), grunge, or R&B (when I say this I’m thinking TLC and Destiny’s Child, which gave us effing Beyoncé, quite possibly the most famous cultural icon of the 21st century). And while Whitney Houston was the ‘80’s, for the most part, The Bodyguard came out in 1992 and it’s soundtrack is fantastic, IMO.

Don't forget Clarence Thomas and Pat Buchanan (a.k.a. Proto-Trump).

[Beet]

Similar to how the Belle Epoque is remembered today.

[Rules for me, but not for thee]

The peak of American civilization, as the movie The Matrix showed at the time.  1999 was the best year for movies maybe ever.  Music was strong from grunge to metal to alternative, let to the rise of bands like System of a Down and Rage Against The Machine.

[pbrower2a]

Fun but flawed. Not a time of successful reforms. Such economic progress as there was was entirely technological. We solved practically nothing.

Think of Barbara Tuchman's The Proud Tower. Eighty years later. Humanity experienced much the same thing -- because Humanity rarely changes much.

[Fuzzy Bear]

The 1990s had Girl Groups.  Expose.  Roxette. 

[SInNYC]

From a US history book in 2050:

The 1990s saw a validation of the policies of the 1980s (after a brief reversal in the late 1980s) as almost all in America accepted the general economic and civic themes of the 1980s. This led to a laissez-faire approach to governing and a second gilded era of both unprecedented wealth and reduced economic mobility in shocking reversals of the post-WWII era. While there were periods of economic booms, growth was concentrated among the extreme rich at the same time as increased levels of poverty. The new economy was primarily urban, as agribusiness replaced family farms and the resulting rural depopulation was faced with declining rural infrastructure.

Social patterns were also changing rapidly as the effects of the civil rights and immigration reforms of the 1960s were beginning to be felt. There was increasing acceptance of minorities among many coupled with resentment by those left out of the new economy, accelerating in the 2000s. Ultimately, the policies led to the emergence of a virulently nationalist movement by the 2010s....

Question at the end of the chapter:
The US changes of the 90s were paralleled by changes in other western countries following the fall of the Berlin wall.  Were these changes influenced more by the US changes or by the end of 20th-century communism? Support your answer with plausible outcomes if one of the two hadn't happened.

[KoopaDaQuick 🇵🇸]

Like mentioned earlier, they will probably be remembered in a similar light as to how people today remember the 1950s, that is a period of somewhat peace where the world starts to come together after the downfall of a major power. (The Axis in the 50s, Soviets in the 90s) However, with this downfall will come the rise of a new threat to the western world (Cold War in the 50s, Middle Eastern Conflicts in the 90s) I'm probably wrong about this, but whatever. Point is, the 1950s, are similar to the 1990s, and the distance from the 50s to the 10s and from the 90s to the 50s is similar in length.

This is all assuming an atomic bomb doesn't kill us all before 2050, of course.

[○∙◄☻¥tπ[╪AV┼cVê└]

Idiots like this from the late 1990s will still be ridiculed.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dow_36,000

[Higgins]

At the rate we're going with Bush Jr and then Trump, possibly as the last sane/respectable period in our nation's history. (Yes, Obama will be remembered as a sane interruption of decline)

But seriously - I think the way the Baby Boomers wax nostalgic for the 50s and 60s, my generation will always hold a deep seated love and soft spot for the late 80s through the end of the 90s.

As it should be. It was the genuine Pax Americana, without either a religious nutjob or power made dictator in the White House; without the shadow of the mushroom cloud; without any major war or crisis effecting this country. It was imperfect. But in some ways it's better than today.

[Blackacre]

fondly. the 90s gave us Super Smash Bros, the Console Wars, and me

[Sumner 1868]

It will mostly be remembered for the rise of Internet. That said, I suspect the the public apathy towards the era's disastorous politics will be viewed quite harshly by historians.

[支持核绿派 (Greens4Nuclear)]

From a US history book in 2050:

The 1990s saw a validation of the policies of the 1980s (after a brief reversal in the late 1980s) as almost all in America accepted the general economic and civic themes of the 1980s. This led to a laissez-faire approach to governing and a second gilded era of both unprecedented wealth and reduced economic mobility in shocking reversals of the post-WWII era. While there were periods of economic booms, growth was concentrated among the extreme rich at the same time as increased levels of poverty. The new economy was primarily urban, as agribusiness replaced family farms and the resulting rural depopulation was faced with declining rural infrastructure.

Social patterns were also changing rapidly as the effects of the civil rights and immigration reforms of the 1960s were beginning to be felt. There was increasing acceptance of minorities among many coupled with resentment by those left out of the new economy, accelerating in the 2000s. Ultimately, the policies led to the emergence of a virulently nationalist movement by the 2010s....

Question at the end of the chapter:
The US changes of the 90s were paralleled by changes in other western countries following the fall of the Berlin wall.  Were these changes influenced more by the US changes or by the end of 20th-century communism? Support your answer with plausible outcomes if one of the two hadn't happened.

This gave me flashbacks to AP US History.

The 90s will be remembered as the decade where climate change started becoming a prominent wedge issue in US politics. Obama's 2014 quote on climate change resonated most strongly with us 90s kids since we largely came of age during his presidency.

"We are the first generation to feel the effect of climate change and the last generation who can do something about it." —President Obama. 10:10 AM - 23 Sep 2014

[Fuzzy Bear]

They will be remembered as something of a Paradise Lost.  The hope of a United World with the demise of Soviet Communism and democratic institutions actually taking root in Russia.  The ushering in of the "Information Age".  Relative prosperity, relative lack of major external military involvements.  It was a time when people with Utopian outlooks were actually encouraged.

Much of this is exaggeration to some degree, and much of this came to an end as 9/11 approached.  No one talks about the "Peace Dividend" anymore.