A few weeks ago, just before the end of the school term, I wrote an Essay describing all that the past decade meant to me. My dad found it on the computer one time while checking E-mails, and said it was really quite good, and thought it was an article I had copied and pasted. I've known for a few years now that I have quite an ability for writing, mainly in a non-fiction, article-like fashion, and I think I might be able to turn this in to a career. But before I jump in the deep end, I'd like some of you to comment honestly on the essay.
So, what do you guys think?
The Noughties
The Noughties. That term used to describe the past ten years since the new millennium. Although not as joyous a decade as the eighties, perhaps, but a lot has happened in these years, and for better or worse, has left its mark on all of us, politically, economically or technologically. For me, it was a decade of growth and change, but others had a harder time as turmoil over the waning years of the decade brought the world to a new crisis.
Before the year 2000, computer technology was still in relative infancy. The internet still required a dial-up connection, mobile phones were still too big to fit in your pocket, and the term ?flat screen? was alien to most people. Yet all of a sudden there was an explosion of more and more advanced gadgets and gizmos, from iPods to apple macs, and everybody was getting caught up in it. It continues to amaze me how engineers manage to fit more and more into less and less, with phones the size of toothpicks that can do e-mails, connect to the internet, take your clothes to the dry-cleaners and bring them back, as well as the more menial ?phone stuff?. But the best thing of all is the accessibility of all this new technology, as things like the iPad take simplicity to a new level; all that is required by the user is to touch, and it will be done. This newfound minimalism appeals to everybody, as teachers and students, doctors and lawyers, politicians and businessmen all jump on the bandwagon. Even Barack Obama owns a blackberry.
And thus we come to the next point. It seems that the mess created by the Bush administration is finally being cleared up by the now iconic 44th president of the United States of America, famed not only for his status as the first African American president, but also because of his laid back style and inspiring demeanour. Whether you like Obama or not, there?s no denying that the man can talk, and talk well. Once the euphoria cleared however, and Obama began implementing his new policies, the magic seemed to diminish somewhat. After scandal over his plans for a nationalised health service (Naughty Barack, how dare you give your people free healthcare?), and the BP oil spill damaging British-American relations, the US and the world is beginning to see that he is not a miracle worker. While not perfect, he is certainly more desirable than the now infamous George W. Bush and his ?War on terror?. After the tragic 9/11 attacks, Bush was roused into sending thousands of US military personnel, as well as roping numerous other nations to form a coalition, to ?liberate? the oppressed people of the gulf. Britain was happy to join in this glorious crusade against tyranny and oppression (and for no other, economic reasons, clearly), in what must have seemed an inspiring and decisive move from then-PM Tony Blair. Now, nine years on, we?re still there, but nobody is quite sure why. In what began as Britain defending their allies from terrorism, their priorities have now shifted away from the US, and have now focused upon us. In a stream of bombing attacks in London and Britain, as well as a few close-calls (The infamous punching-a-flaming-man-in-Glasgow fiasco), the romance has gone and we realise just what we?ve gotten ourselves into. For all the efforts in this ?war on terror?, they fail to show any real impact. Young men continue to die, and airport security gets tighter and tighter, showing no sign of stopping soon. However, despite the shock and awe tactics used by terrorists, they have moved to the limelight as an apparently more devastating catastrophe reared its ugly head.
The concept of an economic depression is simple. The value of a currency fluctuates as reflected in the value of shares in companies. It happens all the time, going from an economic boom to a slump, often with very little impact besides on bankers and shareholders. But this time it?s bigger. It?s badder. It?s out for blood. Ladies and gentlemen, I give you:
The economic crisis.
Forgive me for sounding boorish, but what exactly is the deal with the economic depression? Though both of my parents work in the public sector and I myself am only a student, I?m sure it should have affected me in some way. The only difference I see is a slight increase in prices and a lot of empty units at the shopping centre. Yet I feel a sense of the magnitude of the situation when I hear of news reports talking of budget cuts and billion pound deficits, of workers being laid off by the bucket-load. Despite this, the solution remained simple: Keep spending money to stimulate the economy, and all would be fine, yet the last thing anybody in the world wanted to do, what with all the media-fuelled fear mongering, was part with their hard earned and uncertainly valued cash. Even now, with the economy on the mend, we still hear about new ways that the government is trying to deal with the situation. Surely, the depression is depressing.
Depressing enough, to drive one to the bottle? Of course, alcohol plays a prevalent role in society, with all but the most uptight enjoying a drink to calm the nerves. Everything in moderation after all, right? Well, not so much to the current generation. It seems people must be keeping a tally of the number of times they?ve been found spilling out of pubs and on to the cold hard pavement, as the figures for binge drinking have been adding up over the past decade. Men and women in equal measure (no pun intended) have been downing copious amounts of booze in the name of merriment. The harsh image is somewhat more synonymous with women than in men, though there is some simple science to do with alcohol dilution that explains and excuses them. However, this bad influence has spread to the youth as well, who seem to be mimicking this action at house parties with cheap vodka and alcopops. One merely has to glance at the number of facebook updates lauding these children?s accomplishments in destroying their livers to understand that this has become a universal culture. Now, I?m no saint, I have experienced being drunk as well, but the advertised effect was underwhelming, to say the least. I felt as cheap and disgraceful as the alcohol I had consumed, and this leads me to wonder what the fuss really is about. I don?t aim to repeat the experience any time soon, my liver?s only just started talking to me again.
So, all in all, an awful lot happened over the Noughties. Some of it good, most of it bad, but all of it made a deep impression upon me. Indeed, it is at this point the decade that consumed most of my life, so it certainly deserves any comment I pass. The only question in my mind is whether or not the next decade can keep up. But what should we call this decade then?
The Noughties. That term used to describe the past ten years since the new millennium. Although not as joyous a decade as the eighties, perhaps, but a lot has happened in these years, and for better or worse, has left its mark on all of us, politically, economically or technologically. For me, it was a decade of growth and change, but others had a harder time as turmoil over the waning years of the decade brought the world to a new crisis.
Before the year 2000, computer technology was still in relative infancy. The internet still required a dial-up connection, mobile phones were still too big to fit in your pocket, and the term ?flat screen? was alien to most people. Yet all of a sudden there was an explosion of more and more advanced gadgets and gizmos, from iPods to apple macs, and everybody was getting caught up in it. It continues to amaze me how engineers manage to fit more and more into less and less, with phones the size of toothpicks that can do e-mails, connect to the internet, take your clothes to the dry-cleaners and bring them back, as well as the more menial ?phone stuff?. But the best thing of all is the accessibility of all this new technology, as things like the iPad take simplicity to a new level; all that is required by the user is to touch, and it will be done. This newfound minimalism appeals to everybody, as teachers and students, doctors and lawyers, politicians and businessmen all jump on the bandwagon. Even Barack Obama owns a blackberry.
And thus we come to the next point. It seems that the mess created by the Bush administration is finally being cleared up by the now iconic 44th president of the United States of America, famed not only for his status as the first African American president, but also because of his laid back style and inspiring demeanour. Whether you like Obama or not, there?s no denying that the man can talk, and talk well. Once the euphoria cleared however, and Obama began implementing his new policies, the magic seemed to diminish somewhat. After scandal over his plans for a nationalised health service (Naughty Barack, how dare you give your people free healthcare?), and the BP oil spill damaging British-American relations, the US and the world is beginning to see that he is not a miracle worker. While not perfect, he is certainly more desirable than the now infamous George W. Bush and his ?War on terror?. After the tragic 9/11 attacks, Bush was roused into sending thousands of US military personnel, as well as roping numerous other nations to form a coalition, to ?liberate? the oppressed people of the gulf. Britain was happy to join in this glorious crusade against tyranny and oppression (and for no other, economic reasons, clearly), in what must have seemed an inspiring and decisive move from then-PM Tony Blair. Now, nine years on, we?re still there, but nobody is quite sure why. In what began as Britain defending their allies from terrorism, their priorities have now shifted away from the US, and have now focused upon us. In a stream of bombing attacks in London and Britain, as well as a few close-calls (The infamous punching-a-flaming-man-in-Glasgow fiasco), the romance has gone and we realise just what we?ve gotten ourselves into. For all the efforts in this ?war on terror?, they fail to show any real impact. Young men continue to die, and airport security gets tighter and tighter, showing no sign of stopping soon. However, despite the shock and awe tactics used by terrorists, they have moved to the limelight as an apparently more devastating catastrophe reared its ugly head.
The concept of an economic depression is simple. The value of a currency fluctuates as reflected in the value of shares in companies. It happens all the time, going from an economic boom to a slump, often with very little impact besides on bankers and shareholders. But this time it?s bigger. It?s badder. It?s out for blood. Ladies and gentlemen, I give you:
The economic crisis.
Forgive me for sounding boorish, but what exactly is the deal with the economic depression? Though both of my parents work in the public sector and I myself am only a student, I?m sure it should have affected me in some way. The only difference I see is a slight increase in prices and a lot of empty units at the shopping centre. Yet I feel a sense of the magnitude of the situation when I hear of news reports talking of budget cuts and billion pound deficits, of workers being laid off by the bucket-load. Despite this, the solution remained simple: Keep spending money to stimulate the economy, and all would be fine, yet the last thing anybody in the world wanted to do, what with all the media-fuelled fear mongering, was part with their hard earned and uncertainly valued cash. Even now, with the economy on the mend, we still hear about new ways that the government is trying to deal with the situation. Surely, the depression is depressing.
Depressing enough, to drive one to the bottle? Of course, alcohol plays a prevalent role in society, with all but the most uptight enjoying a drink to calm the nerves. Everything in moderation after all, right? Well, not so much to the current generation. It seems people must be keeping a tally of the number of times they?ve been found spilling out of pubs and on to the cold hard pavement, as the figures for binge drinking have been adding up over the past decade. Men and women in equal measure (no pun intended) have been downing copious amounts of booze in the name of merriment. The harsh image is somewhat more synonymous with women than in men, though there is some simple science to do with alcohol dilution that explains and excuses them. However, this bad influence has spread to the youth as well, who seem to be mimicking this action at house parties with cheap vodka and alcopops. One merely has to glance at the number of facebook updates lauding these children?s accomplishments in destroying their livers to understand that this has become a universal culture. Now, I?m no saint, I have experienced being drunk as well, but the advertised effect was underwhelming, to say the least. I felt as cheap and disgraceful as the alcohol I had consumed, and this leads me to wonder what the fuss really is about. I don?t aim to repeat the experience any time soon, my liver?s only just started talking to me again.
So, all in all, an awful lot happened over the Noughties. Some of it good, most of it bad, but all of it made a deep impression upon me. Indeed, it is at this point the decade that consumed most of my life, so it certainly deserves any comment I pass. The only question in my mind is whether or not the next decade can keep up. But what should we call this decade then?
So, what do you guys think?