Were the late 90s the best of times?

Star Bingo · 27-07-2018 12:40AM

Titzon Toast wrote: »

I remember the 90's fondly. I was in my teens, pre 911, The Prodigy, Oasis, Nirvana, Smashing Pumpkins. I had a Fiesta XR2.
T'was a good time for me anyway.

Loads going off it was a great time. I did nearly every all of them festivals across the water back in the late ‘90s they were booming back then was always stealing into places n spaces the type of scenarios people pay through the teeth for packages nowadays but I didn’t spend a dime.....

freeloading doesn’t even begin to describe

had a game of basketball with the beastie boys backstage at reading and all sorts. Tim wheeler can’t handle his drink; mani’s an animal for it. Always ended up stealin the train back to base in Kilburn too

Baron Kurtz · 27-07-2018 12:55AM

Donald Trump wrote: »

It was the best of times, it was the worst of times, it was the age of wisdom, it was the age of foolishness, it was the epoch of belief, it was the epoch of incredulity, it was the season of Light, it was the season of Darkness, it was the spring of hope, it was the winter of despair, we had everything before us, we had nothing before us, we were all going direct to Heaven, we were all going direct the other way—in short, the period was so far like the present period, that some of its noisiest authorities insisted on its being received, for good or for evil, in the superlative degree of comparison only.

Glad no one liked this. And there usually is at least one.

gormdubhgorm · 27-07-2018 12:59AM

The late 90s was the best of times, I was an absolute ride back then (I think).

Greyfox · 27-07-2018 01:09AM

They were, Man United were playing such amazing football.. god I miss those days
Using the internet for the first few times was amazing. Also buying a playstation and playing Tombraider, Resident Evil 1-3, MGS and final fantasy 7 remain the most rewarding and enjoyable experiences of my life

DEFTLEFTHAND · 27-07-2018 01:24AM

2000s were good too. It's only really since 2012 or so that the culture turned weird.

sicknotexi · 27-07-2018 01:37AM

They were great because I was a teenager, had my first job, took all the drugs, my team won the treble(technically not my team) and had a new bird in my bed every weekend. I might have made the last bit up.

27-07-2018 02:06AM

DEFTLEFTHAND wrote:

2000s were good too. It's only really since 2012 or so that the culture turned weird.

I agree & disagree here. In the 0s most of the country was so far up their own backside it was horrible. You couldn't go to the pub or dinner party without a conversation on the value of your home & how many holidays you would have. I'm genuinely sorry that people got hurt in the crash but as a nation we needed the kick in the pants that we got

2 Scoops · 27-07-2018 02:10AM

Super Nintendo, Sega Genesis, man when I broke I could never picture this

JupiterKid · 27-07-2018 02:12AM

Yep it was a good time. Good music, good club/dance scene and a good time to be in your early 20s. Finished college and started my first proper job. The gay scene was thriving too.

Some good shows on TV but a touch of pre millenial tension.

Some great music videos - Aphex Twin's Come To Daddy and The Prodigy's Smack My Bitch Up.

Wipeout 2097 on Playstation 1 - fantastic game on the happy baccy.

sicknotexi · 27-07-2018 02:50AM

All the 90's were the ****. Happiest days of my life. The 80's sucked balls(emigration and mass unemployment) and the 00's were basically the 90's come down. The 90's were the the best, end of ****ing story.

shakeitoff · 27-07-2018 04:59AM

As someone said, society in the west starts to become strange around 2012 but we're only really seeing the effects now 6 years later. The 90's/2000's were a much more extroverted time, in an era before social media, In Ireland you could see the seeds of this with Bebo and MSN, slowly but surely young people were retreating indoors and interactions were becoming way less spontaneous. We went too far in embracing the internet, it's peak years were like 98-2006, the smartphone ****ed society up, a truly overrated invention.

27-07-2018 07:22AM

Mongfinder General wrote: »

Literally boxing the head off each other in traffic

Straight to the morgue so.

Mongfinder General · 27-07-2018 07:47AM

Sleeper12 wrote: »

I agree & disagree here. In the 0s most of the country was so far up their own backside it was horrible. You couldn't go to the pub or dinner party without a conversation on the value of your home & how many holidays you would have. I'm genuinely sorry that people got hurt in the crash but as a nation we needed the kick in the pants that we got

I was absolutely delighted when the gloaters got toasted post 08. Sickening having to listen to them pre crash.

Mongfinder General · 27-07-2018 07:48AM

Omackeral wrote: »

Straight to the morgue so.

And I’m sure that happened to some poor sod. I think I rememember RTE doing a documentary on it at the time

facehugger99 · 27-07-2018 09:28AM

It was the best of times, it was the worst of times, it was the age of wisdom, it was the age of foolishness, it was the epoch of chunky runners, it was the season of boot-cut jeans, it was the spring of Britpop, it was the winter of grunge, we had everything before us, we had nothing before us, we were all going direct to Tripod, we were all going direct the other way – in short, the period was so far like the present period, that some of its noisiest authorities insisted on its being received, for good or for evil, in the superlative degree of comparison only.

kunst nugget · 27-07-2018 10:02AM

That period between the Berlin Wall falling and 9/11 seems unnaturally optimistic looking back on it. Positive vibes and good drugs helped paper over a lot the cracks but we were just setting ourselves up for a fall.

In the background, Clinton deregulated the markets which contributed to the global recession of 2007 and the NeoCons were looking for a new enemy to fear after the vacuum created by the collapse of the USSR.

Still, I had a blast and there was plenty of great music.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EfH8qHFvEEY

Blazer · 27-07-2018 10:36AM

facehugger99 wrote: »

It was the best of times, it was the worst of times, it was the age of wisdom, it was the age of foolishness, it was the epoch of chunky runners, it was the season of boot-cut jeans, it was the spring of Britpop, it was the winter of grunge, we had everything before us, we had nothing before us, we were all going direct to Tripod, we were all going direct the other way – in short, the period was so far like the present period, that some of its noisiest authorities insisted on its being received, for good or for evil, in the superlative degree of comparison only.

did you not learn from the first op who posted this rubbish?
It was the age of none of that ****..., that sounds more like the rubbish going around today.

Yer Da sells Avon · 27-07-2018 10:39AM

I always think of the late '90s as the period immediately before everything in the entire world went to shite.

tmabr · 27-07-2018 10:40AM

If you can remember the 90,s
you weren't there

shakeitoff · 27-07-2018 10:47AM

Try to imagine Eminem, Blink 182, WWF and Stone Cold, outrageous goalkeeper jerseys and My Cousin Skeeter in today's society. Remember when there was a bit of mystery about new places and things, now you can get anything in the blink of an eye. I'd opt for the former way because so far I've really noticed nothing absolutely incredible that new wave technology and communication has brought. Its cool you can speak to people who are far away instantaneously but in ordinary circumstances(no deaths or illnesses in a family) it takes away the buzz of travelling.

partyguinness · 27-07-2018 10:58AM

I was born in 1978 so I hit my teens in 1991 and 20s in 1998.

I thought after the Berlin Wall (which I actually watched with my parents) would herald a new peaceful era but then the Balkans and Rwanda kicked off in the early 90s oh and Iraq.

Music wise it was great up to the end of 1995 but with the odd exception 1996- 1999 was total ****. It did pick up 2001-2004 maybe 2005 at a stretch but that's it. Rubbish since or I am just getting old.

I remember '99 being a good bloody year.

The best time I had was from 2002 to 2007. Living in Dublin and living the high life and there was a great buzz about the place and country in general...no shortage of Celtic Tiger money. Of course it helped a lot that I was earning decent wages, had a car, regular sex..oh and Cork were reaching All Ireland hurling finals on a regular basis so there was great Munster hurling games between 2002-2007.

I was at Oxygen in 2004 both days- Google the lineup. Ok it pissed rain and Bowie didn't show up but it was some line up.

Personally I do not regard the 90s as anything special- there was no major cultural movement in music, art, politics etc.Hell ABBA was already being regurgitated by the mid 90s.

Whether or not it was the 'best of times' is purely personal.

TBH it's been pretty crap since 2009.

Graces7 · 27-07-2018 02:20PM

Actually late 40s and early 50s were the best of times. England recovering from the war, rebuilding, right priorities and valuing what we had which was little enough.. Great days

super_furry · 27-07-2018 02:53PM

The ten years between your 16th birthday at 26th are the 'best of times'. Nostalgia wise.

SharpshooterTom · 27-07-2018 03:14PM

2008-2016 were probably the golden years.

Many people regard Obama as the greatest president ever, certainly the greatest politician in the past 50 to 100 years. So presumably his era would have to be the most fondly remembered. Many academics and historians were saying we'll never experience a president to the grace the Earth like him ever again. So for millennial's they were the golden years, definitely not the next 20 or 30 years since they'll never have a president of his quality again, millennial's peaked in those years IMO.

SharpshooterTom · 27-07-2018 03:23PM

Also before 2000 most western societies lack diversity, certainly a lot less than it is now.

Many white American liberals would look back at life prior to 2000 and frown American society because it was a lot more white then, arguably too white and think diverse wise America is better now.

griffin100 · 27-07-2018 03:38PM

Went to Trinity in the early 1990's....great time. Afternoons in the Buttery drinking £1.48 pints and having the odd spliff. No social media ****e and no mobile phones. No one was contactable, if you wanted to talk to someone you went looking for them in the usual places. It wasn't till people were at home in the evening that you could actually call them. Remember calling shared payphones in student flats and asking to speak to the lad in Flat No. 6 when someone answered? Life seemed slower with less pressure. Music was great, Nirvana and grunge was on the rise. Four of us going to Feile on the train with a couple of slabs and a two man tent. Catholic guilt and influence beginning to wane - you could even buy condoms in the Virgin mega-store on the quays. Not sure but there seemed to be less junkies on the streets, certainly I was happy to walk to Fibbers up O'Connell street at any time of day or night which I wouldn't do now. Probably due to the stage of my life but the early to mid 90's for me was the best of times (apart from meeting the wife and having kids just in case she's reading this).

DEFTLEFTHAND · 27-07-2018 03:45PM

ThomasFlynn wrote: »

2008-2016 were probably the golden years.

Many people regard Obama as the greatest president ever, certainly the greatest politician in the past 50 to 100 years. So presumably his era would have to be the most fondly remembered. Many academics and historians were saying we'll never experience a president to the grace the Earth like him ever again. So for millennial's they were the golden years, definitely not the next 20 or 30 years since they'll never have a president of his quality again, millennial's peaked in those years IMO.

The Democratic Party would strongly disagree with your assertion.

chopperbyrne · 27-07-2018 03:45PM

As someone else said, the ten years from 16 to 26 are generally your best, in terms of fun.

For me, that was 1999 to 2009.

Getting paid €150 to €250 daily rate for an IT contract job in your early twenties, with no debt, plenty of free time, and young enough to not get bad hangovers.

Cienciano · 27-07-2018 03:49PM

Computers in everyones house was starting. I remember getting a cd writer. Going from copying music from a double cassette deck with high speed dubbing to making mix cd's on your computer was amazing. I also had a zip drive on mine cos I thought it'd be the future. Innocent times.

partyguinness · 27-07-2018 03:51PM

ThomasFlynn wrote: »

2008-2016 were probably the golden years.

Many people regard Obama as the greatest president ever, certainly the greatest politician in the past 50 to 100 years. So presumably his era would have to be the most fondly remembered. Many academics and historians were saying we'll never experience a president to the grace the Earth like him ever again. So for millennial's they were the golden years, definitely not the next 20 or 30 years since they'll never have a president of his quality again, millennial's peaked in those years IMO.

'Wow' is all I can say to that...I actually read that few times to make sure I was not hallucinating.

2008-2016 were terrible (nothing to do with Obama) and still not over it. It was one step forward after Bush but now 10 steps back with Trump.

Were the late 90s the best of times?

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