10 Undisputed Reasons why life in the '90s was better than today

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The ‘90s, the good old days. That was the last era in which Americans got their shit together! There are a lot of things we could solve with minimal effort back then. Today, I will just compare and contrast how life was back then with what is happening now.

Let’s face it; we all loved the ‘90s. Most of us were born and raised in the ’80s and ‘90s, the golden age, it the genesis of a happy life. It is the concept behind GeezeZone.com.

The reason why I become overly nostalgic when it comes to matters the ‘90s is because most of us were teenagers, or just transforming to adults. It was the age of trying all the things that daddy and mommy said were not suitable for children.

Has it ever hit you, when you look back, that the ‘90s were one of the best decades for America? If compared to today’s society in general? Back then, things were just perfect!

Here is my compilation of the 13 things that I think were outstanding in the ‘90s, that has since been eroded by the neo culture of today.

1. ‘90s music was just awesome!
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I bet you agree that the music of the ’80s and ‘90s were just timeless. They have stood the taste of time with various renditions and versions being released today. Many of the beats of the new hits borrow from the best ‘90s hit songs. Am sure you are not strangers to this fact.

The overall music industry of the ‘90s was good at it, irrespective of the genre. All the music form rhythm and blues, rap, soul, jazz, etc. were just outstanding, dropping hit after hit.

Do you remember Tupac and the whole beef things they had with the likes of Notorious BIG? The rap industry had real rappers. If you liked the sound of rocking out Nirvana, Pearl Jam, Soundgarden, Smashing Pumpkins, Blind Melon, Red Hot Chilli Pepper, Oasis, Pennywise, Social distortion, Blink-182, and the Red Hot Chili Pepper, they never disappointed. The music was fantastic.

Women of the ‘90s rocked the charts and lived to the saying that what a man can do, a lady can do better. I was a fan of Gwen Stefani, who showed us that punk rock was not just for guys, and there was no doubt that the girls could rock out with the boys.

Remember Britney Spears, Christina Aguillera, Mariah Carey? Just but to mention a few. The list is endless. These ladies were outdoing guys and owning their records.


2. TV Back then was just the Bomb!
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You can hardly compare the TV Shows back then and what we have now. Back then, the moves and series carried a message. And the actors and producers had a way of taking the point home with less fluff, obscenity, or exaggerated antics.

We had the best shows back then, and nothing compares to them today. All the series had a purpose and a lesson for those who watched. Back then, we were not watching sub-standard videos produced by selfie cameras.

The shows back then had substance and meaning. We watched the unforgettable love story of Rachel and Ross, remember Will Smith as a little boy in Beverly Hills? What about Denzel Washington? Michelle Tanner as she was struggling to grow up without a mother? Did I mention the bold and the beautiful? The stories were just emotional.

Back then, we were not just watching TV for the sake of doing it. We were learning a lot in the process. But nowadays, the TV is full of nonsensical shows of women fighting over men and handbags or some kind of sex scandal.

The cartoon industry was on the top-notch. Since we were mostly kids then, most of us will remember and relate to the cartoons more. Remember the Ed, Edd and Eddy Show, Courage the Cowardly Dog, Tom & Jerry, Power Puff Girls, I would go on and on with this list.

After school, all we were longing to watch was Pokemon, Dragon Ball Z, Beyblade, Digimon, Oswald, Detective Conan, etc. As cliché as the shows were, they were memorable. There was a sense of simplicity in the shows back then, unlike today where they are filled with debauchery and hedonism.

3. The economy was thriving back then

According to reports by the NYT back then, the economy of the USA rose by 10% between the years 1990 and 1999. Sadly, since the 2000s, it dropped by over 9%. People were making more money back then and living better lives compared to now.

More people wanted to join the labor force back in the ‘90s compared to today. The unemployment rate was lower back then. Statistics have it that an average household made over $61,895 if you compare with the value of currency today. Today, household income is about $59,039. Back then, we didn’t have to worry about the US shutting down, a term that has become so scary recently!

4. “Hanging out” was real!
Hanging out as we all used to know it, has now been replaced by gadgets. People prefer “hanging out” indoors nowadays! We spend most of our time on phones, laptops, iPods, Tablets with thousands of friends online.

Back in the ‘90s, we would meet up at one of our apartments. Everybody would come with a bottle of something alcoholic with a chaser like a mango juice, soda, or lemonade. We would drink a lot, and whoever drank the least would be the designated driver to the local drinking joint to drink even more! Or sometimes we would call a taxi because Uber didn’t exist then.

We had two only two objectives for hanging out: to get intoxicated and to meet ladies. We had fun, real fun that was not constricted behind the keyboard. At the bar, we would talk, laugh, make noise, drink, and whole merry night.

After getting our two or there more rounds, we would look around the bar for pretty “hanging” ladies that wouldn’t mind joining us. We would dare each other to make a move. It was mad fun. Oh, how I miss those days! How I wish I could go back in time and re-live these sweet moments.

5. Fashion was on point
In the ‘90s, fashion was hip, hipper than what I see people wearing today. And did you notice that the fashion of the ‘90s is making a slow comeback? Look at the latest music videos; you will notice that they dress and act like the ‘80s and ‘90s to make an impression. I know the kids of today may miss the point, but if you enjoyed your childhood in the ‘90s, you would get the nostalgic feeling that it brings along.

Nowadays, most fashionistas are trying to borrow from the past decade's fashion. That implies that the ‘90s fashion had some originality component that cannot be ignored.

High-waisted jeans with combat boots, oversize shirts with crop tops, and a choker were some of the things that rocked the ‘90s. The best part of the ’90s fashion is that they were not only looking good and classy, but they were also comfortable.

6. In the ‘90s, technology was a tool, not a god!
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Back then, we used technology to accomplish tasks. Currently, we worship technology. The pieces of technology surrounding us have since evolved that we are worshipping them like gods. They are taking much of our time, energy, and concentration.

Yes, in the ‘90s, technology was just evolving, but again utilization was highly moderated. Maybe because the gadgets were damn expensive then? I guess. The technology wasn’t manipulating us back then as is the case right now. It marked the beginning of the technological era. From the mid-'90s to the mid- 2000s, the growth of technology was so fast that most of us missed out on some gadgets.

By then, Steve Jobs had just gone back to Apple to revolutionize the mp3 player and put an “I” on it and a price that we couldn’t resist. Long live the iPod! As it led to the exit of the Walkman! Yet we were still free even with that piece of technology.

Back then, we did not text each other to hang out; we didn’t have Facebook feuds emanating from rogue posts or messages that lack emotions but full of emoticons. We didn’t filter photos before sharing it with our friends. We enjoyed the moment, to live in the moment and not worrying about sharing it on some platform.

7. Life was just simple and easy
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In the ‘90s, life was just smooth, easy, and simple. We cherished the bare necessities of life. We were freer then than we are now. After 2000, several things have happened that have heightened paranoia in people. Currently, we are struggling to fight the Coronavirus pandemic. Such harsh occurrences were unheard of back in the days.

Am not saying the ‘90s didn’t have its fair share of unfortunate occurrences. But compared to what is happening now, the ‘90s were better. Back then, we were not scared of planes, terrorists of planes vanishing in thin air (literally).

Back then, we used to play outside instead of staying inside immersed in techie gadgets. We would happily play games like Lotta tag, cops, and robbers, hide and seek, hopscotch, super soaker fights, and the likes. Neighbors would say hello every morning as they pick their newspaper or mow their lawn.

House parties, birthdays, class parties were the thing. We all looked forward to the fun summer days to grab our skip-lts.

Life was pretty simple, with less stress. It was the typical childhood innocence. All we would worry about was our homework, and how to keep “the dog from eating our homework”


8. We were naturally decluttered
Unlike now, when you get over 100 pop us form email, chats, home phone, office phone, personal phone, etc. We used to have less to handle in our heads at any time. The dial-up internet was slow as hell; there was no streaming of movies or shows. No Wifi, no data plans, phones were not yet able to connect to the internet. This meant that we were much more productive doing offline things and interacting with people more. Unlike now, with supersonic internet speeds, we are enslaved with social media and streaming sites like YouTube, Twitch, Tik Tok, etc.

If you were lucky to have a gadget or a gaming console, it would be monochromatic and slow as hell—the likes of Donkey Kong Country, Golden ety Starfox 64, Mario, etc.

9. There was a sense of wonder in the ‘90s
Up until the ’90s, we were looking forward to life and still dreaming of progress. It was like we were just getting to know how it would be to have sophisticated technology. In the 2000s, our sense of wonder began to fade. It was the era that most people went online. Gathering knowledge and connecting intellectually with others, socially, politically, culturally, and emotionally. That is when the world became a global village as we know it today. Then came the mid-2000 when the sense of wonder died completely. No one is curious anymore. It is the information age, an age of paranoia.

We were optimistic in the ‘90s, that is why we are happy to fondly remember that decade – the last decade of people who had dreams.


10. Friendships were real
Back in the days, you would not hit a button and request friendship and hit another one to like a person. Trust and friendship were real and were built on solid, physical, and personal interaction with each other. Unlike today, since the rise of social media, people have thousands of friends who really don’t care or even know their likes, hobbies, dislikes, etc. Social media platforms like Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and instant message apps like WhatsApp and Telegram have eroded friendship as we knew it.

People took relationships seriously back then. Dating or being in a relationship was often followed by a wedding. That is how serious people were with relationships.

Time has changed so much. There is a great difference between how the ‘90s society was compared to society as we know it today. In my opinion, life in the ‘90s was much better than it is today.

What do you think?
 
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Oh god yeah. Kids today will probably never understand how different things really were back then. I wonder if a kid from the 2010s was sent back to the 90s how they would respond...?
 
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