The Big Picture: The 90's Didn't Suck
- Thread starter MovieBob
- Start date
Memorable things from the 1990's that aren't specifically retro (pre-90s):
No conflict(?): Desert Shield aka Gulf War 1.
Popularity of more adult/quirky cartoons: The Simpsons, South Park, Beavis and Butthead, Ren and Stimpy, Liquid Television.
Computer Culture: Computer BBS's that transitioned into IRC, FTP, Gopher and then the freakin' World Wide Web. Fighting games (Street Fighter & Mortal Combat). Castle Wolfenstein/Quake/Doom/Half-Life: the birth of the 3D game engine and the first-first person shooters(!)
Windows 95 (aka the modern PC).
Music: Grunge AND Alternative... Remember 120 Minutes?
Economy: The continued success of Reaganomics and Bush 41 policies. If you think you can still blame the current economy on George W., you have to acknowledge the economy Clinton inherited. You can't have it both ways.
Movies that epitomize the decade: 'Singles', 'Fight Club', 'Bodies, Rest and Motion', 'Empire Records' and yes, 'Clerks' (Even in the 90's nobody took Reality Bites seriously.)
Quentin Tarantino mainstreamed the geekiness of loving movies, retro styled or not. Less retro? 'True Romance' and 'Natural Born Killers'.
The growth of comic book based films: The Batman movies (okay the first was '89), The Crow, Blade.
More? Stargate the film and the TV series. X-files. Quantum Leap. Northern Exposure. Crappy Star Wars prequels. Buffy the Vampire Slayer (aka the rise of Joss Whedon).
Seriously I could go one. There was nothing forgettable or lacking in identity about the 90's except Bob's perspective. Maybe too many drugs?
No conflict(?): Desert Shield aka Gulf War 1.
Popularity of more adult/quirky cartoons: The Simpsons, South Park, Beavis and Butthead, Ren and Stimpy, Liquid Television.
Computer Culture: Computer BBS's that transitioned into IRC, FTP, Gopher and then the freakin' World Wide Web. Fighting games (Street Fighter & Mortal Combat). Castle Wolfenstein/Quake/Doom/Half-Life: the birth of the 3D game engine and the first-first person shooters(!)
Windows 95 (aka the modern PC).
Music: Grunge AND Alternative... Remember 120 Minutes?
Economy: The continued success of Reaganomics and Bush 41 policies. If you think you can still blame the current economy on George W., you have to acknowledge the economy Clinton inherited. You can't have it both ways.
Movies that epitomize the decade: 'Singles', 'Fight Club', 'Bodies, Rest and Motion', 'Empire Records' and yes, 'Clerks' (Even in the 90's nobody took Reality Bites seriously.)
Quentin Tarantino mainstreamed the geekiness of loving movies, retro styled or not. Less retro? 'True Romance' and 'Natural Born Killers'.
The growth of comic book based films: The Batman movies (okay the first was '89), The Crow, Blade.
More? Stargate the film and the TV series. X-files. Quantum Leap. Northern Exposure. Crappy Star Wars prequels. Buffy the Vampire Slayer (aka the rise of Joss Whedon).
Seriously I could go one. There was nothing forgettable or lacking in identity about the 90's except Bob's perspective. Maybe too many drugs?
Thanks, DocM. I'm a Gulf War 1 vet myself, and what the heck about "no conflict"? May have seemed that way if you were a kid, I guess.
And the hair. We can never forgive the eighties for the hairstyles. Yes, I am a guy and in my teenage years used a blow dryer on a near daily basis. May God have mercy on my soul. The unwashed with occasional lice styles of the grunge crowd was a welcome relief.
And the hair. We can never forgive the eighties for the hairstyles. Yes, I am a guy and in my teenage years used a blow dryer on a near daily basis. May God have mercy on my soul. The unwashed with occasional lice styles of the grunge crowd was a welcome relief.
Yea the 90's were kinda vapid.
Try this describe a decade in 3 words or less, you can do this for any decade expect for the 90's.
I don't think the 90's sucked. Being a gamer in the 90's was a good time, but there was a big lack of any central theme its like the 90's ran on apathy.
Try this describe a decade in 3 words or less, you can do this for any decade expect for the 90's.
I don't think the 90's sucked. Being a gamer in the 90's was a good time, but there was a big lack of any central theme its like the 90's ran on apathy.
I disagree as there is no general perception of 1900-1910 and 1910s either but the 1860s can be summed up as the Civil War decade. I think it is more that a cultural traits last long enough to be definitive but not much longer then a decade. For instance, "Great Depression" *originally* referred to the period of 1873?1896 but you also had traits called "the Gilded Age" in that period so no one decade stood out.WoahDan said:
Disillusionment and retribution. All of the societies of the world were going through a process of realization brought about by the unforeseen consequences of their actions. Economic downturn created by speculation, terrorist attacks which nobody thought would happen, and at the very end 18 countries or so in the middle east move against their authoritarian governments. Reality crept in.PsychedelicDiamond said:
Uh, yeah and that movie just echoes what he just said:DwRedux said:
"We're the middle children of history, man. No purpose or place. We have no Great War. No Great Depression. Our Great War's a spiritual war... our Great Depression is our lives."
Just gonna say this...as a 90's kid (born 1991) it was the best time for video games!
SOOOOO many good games that stand the test of time. I still play 90's N64 games on a regular basis. None of this DRM, on-disc DLC, DLC as a whole, hacking, Micro-transactions etc. bullshit.
In My Opinion...
Banjo-Tooie is still the greatest 3D platformer ever made.
Zelda: Ocarina of Time is still the greatest game ever made and probably will be the most innovative and most influential game (at least until virtual reality is an actual reality).
Goldeneye defined FPS games for consoles as well as set the standard for local multiplayer in FPS games.
The transition to 3D in the mid-90's spawned the most creative generation of video games...nowadays new IP's are scrutinized and only ever made if they strongly believe it will turn a large profit. Back in the 90's it was 'make everything in 3D' because nobody knew for sure if it would make a profit or not until someone tried it.
SOOOOO many good games that stand the test of time. I still play 90's N64 games on a regular basis. None of this DRM, on-disc DLC, DLC as a whole, hacking, Micro-transactions etc. bullshit.
In My Opinion...
Banjo-Tooie is still the greatest 3D platformer ever made.
Zelda: Ocarina of Time is still the greatest game ever made and probably will be the most innovative and most influential game (at least until virtual reality is an actual reality).
Goldeneye defined FPS games for consoles as well as set the standard for local multiplayer in FPS games.
The transition to 3D in the mid-90's spawned the most creative generation of video games...nowadays new IP's are scrutinized and only ever made if they strongly believe it will turn a large profit. Back in the 90's it was 'make everything in 3D' because nobody knew for sure if it would make a profit or not until someone tried it.
What the heck, Bob? No conflict? The Gulf War, that set up the whole quagmire we have today? Somalia? Bosnia? The Rwandan genocide? Did they not make enough films about those for you to remember they happened or something?
Nirvana and the grunge scene? Manson, NIN, and the goth industrial scene?
Video games moving from a nerdy hobby or something to do to kill time in an arcade to the most successful entertainment industry on the plant and all of the characters introduced therein? Some of the greatest games ever released, some of which even a shameless Nintendo stan like yourself must agree on: Super Metroid, Ocarina of Time, Chrono Trigger, Final Fantasy 6-7.
The Simpsons? Friends? Seinfeld?
The Dot Coms, Microsoft versus Apple, and the realization of the computer on every desk era? The true dawn of the internet age?
Did you sleep through the whole decade?
Honestly, this is what it seems like to me: too much nostalgia for the overrated 80s because that's when you were a kid, and started to mature into discerning tastes in the 90s, so everything seemed like it started to "suck", when really, the common denominator was you. As someone slightly younger whose childhood straddles the late 80s-early 90s, I see this from a broader perspective. Things didn't just magically start to suck on January 1st 1990; they changed, and in many ways for the better.
For me, the 90s were a brief bright spot of positivity after the cynical materialism of the 80s and the start of the endless War Without Borders of the 00s. We cloned Dolly, sequenced the human genome, and became globally connected. For a short while it seemed like humanity might finally get its shit together.
Nirvana and the grunge scene? Manson, NIN, and the goth industrial scene?
Video games moving from a nerdy hobby or something to do to kill time in an arcade to the most successful entertainment industry on the plant and all of the characters introduced therein? Some of the greatest games ever released, some of which even a shameless Nintendo stan like yourself must agree on: Super Metroid, Ocarina of Time, Chrono Trigger, Final Fantasy 6-7.
The Simpsons? Friends? Seinfeld?
The Dot Coms, Microsoft versus Apple, and the realization of the computer on every desk era? The true dawn of the internet age?
Did you sleep through the whole decade?
Honestly, this is what it seems like to me: too much nostalgia for the overrated 80s because that's when you were a kid, and started to mature into discerning tastes in the 90s, so everything seemed like it started to "suck", when really, the common denominator was you. As someone slightly younger whose childhood straddles the late 80s-early 90s, I see this from a broader perspective. Things didn't just magically start to suck on January 1st 1990; they changed, and in many ways for the better.
For me, the 90s were a brief bright spot of positivity after the cynical materialism of the 80s and the start of the endless War Without Borders of the 00s. We cloned Dolly, sequenced the human genome, and became globally connected. For a short while it seemed like humanity might finally get its shit together.
I was surprised by this, too.Magmarock said:
No love for Super Smash Bros? Earthworm Jim? Legend of Zelda? Metal Gear Solid? Super Mario World?
At the end of the day, all Bob is doing is expressing his opinion, but it does seem as though he's missed out on quite a lot.
Whoa there Bob, really interesting video. I loved it. Really made me think.
For me, the "Naughties" as they are called will probably be considered the Nineties of my lifetime. Maybe this goes for my whole generation, I dunno, but the, er... tens? look like they'll be pretty awesome (and a golden age of superhero movies too so there's that) whereas all that nasty crap in between childhood nostalgia and young adult euphoria happened in the naughties for me. Judging it entirely by cartoons, I remember the nineties fondly.
But I guess at best you can call the Nineties an interim decade of introspection and calm and at worst you can call it an apathetic age of stagnancy.
Oh and on Reality Bites,I'll just leave this here.
Oops, forgot that was the worst sentence on the internet. I'll just.. place this video... in this area.
http://blip.tv/nostalgia-chick/nostalgia-chick-reality-bites-6385005
For me, the "Naughties" as they are called will probably be considered the Nineties of my lifetime. Maybe this goes for my whole generation, I dunno, but the, er... tens? look like they'll be pretty awesome (and a golden age of superhero movies too so there's that) whereas all that nasty crap in between childhood nostalgia and young adult euphoria happened in the naughties for me. Judging it entirely by cartoons, I remember the nineties fondly.
But I guess at best you can call the Nineties an interim decade of introspection and calm and at worst you can call it an apathetic age of stagnancy.
Oh and on Reality Bites,
Oops, forgot that was the worst sentence on the internet. I'll just.. place this video... in this area.
http://blip.tv/nostalgia-chick/nostalgia-chick-reality-bites-6385005
"Relatively few massive lon-term military engagements!"
The Balkan Wars were the kind that involved plenty of genocide and took rather a long time to end.
Yes, I am an asshole.
The Balkan Wars were the kind that involved plenty of genocide and took rather a long time to end.
Yes, I am an asshole.
It's not the 90's anymore? To be honest, most days I can't tell the difference aside from computers being faster and cars looking more bubbly.
People didn't like the 90s because THE PARTY WAS OVER. All the crazy, cocaine, drug-fueled binges of the past went away. Not just because it was the right thing to do, but because BABY BOOMERS WERE STARING DOWN MIDDLE AGE AND THEY DIDNT LIKE IT.
The entire rise of the crime rate in the US during 1970, and drop in the 1990s, has to do with nothing more than baby boomers as they entered their peak age for incidence of crime, and then got old.
Baby Boomers pushing into their 40s, burned out, party is over, not happy, taking up causes, trying to save young people everywhere from the embarrassment of living as care-free and stupid a life as they did. How noble.
They actually had another woodstock in the 90s if you need anymore proof it was a decade ruined by middle age fucking boomers with misguided ideas about what they should do now that the party was over.
People didn't like the 90s because THE PARTY WAS OVER. All the crazy, cocaine, drug-fueled binges of the past went away. Not just because it was the right thing to do, but because BABY BOOMERS WERE STARING DOWN MIDDLE AGE AND THEY DIDNT LIKE IT.
The entire rise of the crime rate in the US during 1970, and drop in the 1990s, has to do with nothing more than baby boomers as they entered their peak age for incidence of crime, and then got old.
Baby Boomers pushing into their 40s, burned out, party is over, not happy, taking up causes, trying to save young people everywhere from the embarrassment of living as care-free and stupid a life as they did. How noble.
They actually had another woodstock in the 90s if you need anymore proof it was a decade ruined by middle age fucking boomers with misguided ideas about what they should do now that the party was over.
For me (and I suspect a lot of people in Europe) the defining "big thing" of the 90s was the Yugoslav Wars. For pretty much the entire decade, a small corner of Europe that previously no one had cared about was tearing itself to shreds in front of news reporters. While I was at secondary school in the 00s, we had a lesson in history titled "Whatever happened to Yugoslavia?", which was the first time that someone actually explain to me what all those horrible images in the news during the 90s had been about.Zombie Sodomy said:
Other things I learnt in that lesson: the meaning of the phrases "genocide" and "ethnic cleansing".
Yeah, the 90s sucked.
Your nostalgia clouds you from realizing how better cartoons were in the 90s. It is referred as the cartoon renaissance for a reason.
They weren't the blatant cash grabs of the 80s (Lets kill Optimus Prime so we can introduce a new line of toys!)
A lot of original programming were in the air from late era Hanna Barbara to the resurgence of prime time animation.
Then you had cartoons like BTAS and STAS as well as others based on existing properties.
This is of course not mentioning the superior story structure and animation these shows had. Have you forgotten how rigid the animation was during the 80s?
I agree with you on many points. But while the 80s cartoons were memorable they are technically inferior on multiple levels in comparison to many of the cartoons from the 90s. I'm disappointed that you let your childhood nostalgia and bias get in the way.
They weren't the blatant cash grabs of the 80s (Lets kill Optimus Prime so we can introduce a new line of toys!)
A lot of original programming were in the air from late era Hanna Barbara to the resurgence of prime time animation.
Then you had cartoons like BTAS and STAS as well as others based on existing properties.
This is of course not mentioning the superior story structure and animation these shows had. Have you forgotten how rigid the animation was during the 80s?
I agree with you on many points. But while the 80s cartoons were memorable they are technically inferior on multiple levels in comparison to many of the cartoons from the 90s. I'm disappointed that you let your childhood nostalgia and bias get in the way.
Thank you. That was long overdue - humanity never remembers the peaceful times as fondly as the struggle. I find that..sad I guess