The 90s Weren't That Great
Extremely excited about my guest post!
Well folks, it happened: I got a guest post on Slow Boring. I wrote about the overhyped nostalgia of the 90s, specifically the idea that quality of life was overall better for everyone (I’m not touching on the whole music side of things, because I actually do think music was better.) You can catch me on
’ and my article is HERE! Also, for free subscribers, more good news: it’s free. But you should consider upgrading your subscription if you want my upcoming Aspiring MILF/DILF’s Guide to Fitness, coming next week!Also, while you’re here, feel free to fill out my latest survey! This one is for parents who have used daycare before (or still use it.) I’m writing an article about daycare- it’s not intended to be explicitly negative or positive, mostly because I wanted to hear from actual parents who have used it! So please fill out the survey HERE
Oh man those snack well devil food cakes were SOO GOOOD.
Yes the 90s were less safe, and cities were still struggling from the massive white flight and drug epidemics from the 70s/80s. Divorce was also more common, as was teen pregnancy. Popular music in the late 90s also largely sucked (my hot take is the first half of the decade was an underrated golden age)
But I think you brush aside the negative impact of social media/tech . .being a kid (at least a kid who was LMC and above) was more fun because those in-person social connections are SO crucial for our mental well-being (adults were happier too). Yes it's nice not having land-lines, being able to check in with folks at the drop of a hat, and not go to a World Book to obtain some random information.
But if I had a choice, would I rather raise my kids in the 90s then today? Yes.
Not to mention the domestic political landscape was not nearly as anxiety-inducing.
I was all ready to be cranky about your piece, but you got to the social connection stuff at the end, so well done. I would say the internet and phones, technology in general, have been a bargin we didn’t fully understand when we accepted them. Good job capturing that. I find its so much harder to lead a balanced life today. Balanced in terms of how you spend your time, how you eat, how you parent. The 90s were the last time the defaults in life helped you succeed, now they need to be managed so you don’t fail. My parents didn’t have to manage my media time, I could watch cartoons, then they were over, I could either go out and play or watch the 700 club. Easy choice. Subcultures could exist but couldn’t get too out wack from reading a monthly zine. Life wasn’t recorded. It was harder to fuck up too epically. If you took naked pictures they’d need to be developed and shown to randos, so you didn’t do that. Also with crime it was getting constantly better after 91. So yes it was way worse, but it felt good to see it improve, now we see the opposite and feels bad. But its a slope of the line problem, not the level of the line. Also we were very unified politically in the 90s, that started coming apart (I blame Newt and Rush), but only for people who were political junkies, for everyone else it felt much more like adults were incharge and had the nations best interest at heart.