Author Topic: I Miss The Pre-911 World  (Read 2616 times)

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Offline Barbarella

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I Miss The Pre-911 World
« on: March 03, 2015, 12:55:41 am »
Sitting here, feeling melancholy. Thinking about how things seemed to change for the worse in some areas. Is it me or does it seem like reactionary & authoritarian types are all over the place with a vengeance on this planet.

Growing up in the 80s & 90s, I knew the world wasn't perfect but somehow, in a way, it seemed simpler & freer. It seemed that America was waking up and learning from the past. All that stuff I learned about in school....The Civil Rights Act, Roe vs. Wade, the Labor Movement, etc. seemed to be "done deals" and irreversible. The Cold War ended, the Iron Curtain fell, the Berlin Wall fell, two Germanies united, Glastnost & Peristroika, the end of Apartheid.....I seemed that the bad stuff was on a smaller scale and that things were changing for the better. We were waking up, we were looking upon events like Vietnam with an attitude of "never again".

Then 911 happened.

People got weirded out and just let the powers that be conjure up restrictive laws, the U.S, military became torture-happy and all these fascist & religious fanatic groups are all over the place.

It's crazy!

Perhaps the insanity was already there and 911 just uncovered it. Perhaps that progress was an illusion.

Am I alone in this?

I know the craziness of far-right politics in my country was 30+ years in the making and that the effects of today's Robber Barons, Koch Kreeps, etc. was going on for years before 911.

But somehow, I feel something was lost after 911.

On the upside, LGBTA rights have been greatly progressing in my country and there is a Progressive movement emerging. People are realizing that something is wrong & speaking out. There's an emerging anti-police brutality movement and a number of mass strikes involving minimum wage workers. The Occupy protests may have been squashed but the movement still exists to some degree in other ways.

Maybe I shouldn't despair. Perhaps people are slowly waking up. Perhaps someday we can turn back to that pre-911 sense of "progress". It'll take some work, though.

The trick is for us to learn not to be so ruled by hate & fear. We need to keep our amygdalas in check.

Offline Random Gal

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Re: I Miss The Pre-911 World
« Reply #1 on: March 03, 2015, 09:40:20 am »
There is one thing to take into account when looking back on the past, and it is the same thing that causes conservative politicians to long for the "simpler times" of the 50s.

We were children then (at least, I assume, most of the users on this forum. I know there are some exceptions). The world seems a happier, simpler time because we didn't have to deal with the more unpleasant stuff. Despite being very nostalgic for the 90s myself, I have to admit I didn't have to deal with the Gulf War or the lack of progress on LGBT rights, to name a few.

Offline Ultimate Paragon

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Re: I Miss The Pre-911 World
« Reply #2 on: March 03, 2015, 09:47:28 am »
There is one thing to take into account when looking back on the past, and it is the same thing that causes conservative politicians to long for the "simpler times" of the 50s.

We were children then (at least, I assume, most of the users on this forum. I know there are some exceptions). The world seems a happier, simpler time because we didn't have to deal with the more unpleasant stuff. Despite being very nostalgic for the 90s myself, I have to admit I didn't have to deal with the Gulf War or the lack of progress on LGBT rights, to name a few.

And speaking as somebody who was a teenager through most of the 90s, let me tell you, there were quite a few unpleasant things back then too.

Offline Canadian Mojo

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Re: I Miss The Pre-911 World
« Reply #3 on: March 03, 2015, 10:00:50 am »
Personally, I'm inclined to say sadly that the song remains the same.
<a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1pkVLqSaahk" target="_blank">http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1pkVLqSaahk</a>
<a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YV4oYkIeGJc" target="_blank">http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YV4oYkIeGJc</a>

Offline WatermelonRat

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Re: I Miss The Pre-911 World
« Reply #4 on: March 03, 2015, 11:23:01 am »
Things weren't that much better pre-9/11. It's just that the internet has increased our awareness of what's going on around the world.

Offline rookie

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Re: I Miss The Pre-911 World
« Reply #5 on: March 03, 2015, 12:44:54 pm »
The internet is part of the problem. But I think a bigger part is 24 hour news. Gotta have something to fill time. So every dying house is beaten till the next horse meanders along. Competition is feirce enough to have to resort to sensationalism. Who can shout the loudest, who can scare the most people?

That said, pre 9/11 some things were easier. Like travel. Like smoking.
The difference between 0 and 1 is infinite. The difference between 1 and a million is a matter of degree. - Zack Johnson

Quote from: davedan board=pg thread=6573 post=218058 time=1286247542
I'll stop eating beef lamb and pork the same day they start letting me eat vegetarians.

Offline Barbarella

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Re: I Miss The Pre-911 World
« Reply #6 on: March 03, 2015, 04:21:50 pm »
There is one thing to take into account when looking back on the past, and it is the same thing that causes conservative politicians to long for the "simpler times" of the 50s.

We were children then (at least, I assume, most of the users on this forum. I know there are some exceptions). The world seems a happier, simpler time because we didn't have to deal with the more unpleasant stuff. Despite being very nostalgic for the 90s myself, I have to admit I didn't have to deal with the Gulf War or the lack of progress on LGBT rights, to name a few.

And speaking as somebody who was a teenager through most of the 90s, let me tell you, there were quite a few unpleasant things back then too.

I was a teen then, too. I know the world had stupidity back then as well but it seems that 911 "took" something. It's like the reactionaries are really coming out of the woodwork all over.


The internet is part of the problem. But I think a bigger part is 24 hour news. Gotta have something to fill time. So every dying house is beaten till the next horse meanders along. Competition is feirce enough to have to resort to sensationalism. Who can shout the loudest, who can scare the most people?

That said, pre 9/11 some things were easier. Like travel. Like smoking.

You're right. Perhaps the stuff was always there. It's just that 911 brought it out.

....and that's actually a good thing, because we can deal with it.

I should just chill.

« Last Edit: March 03, 2015, 04:23:54 pm by Barbarella »

Offline rookie

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Re: I Miss The Pre-911 World
« Reply #7 on: March 04, 2015, 12:42:54 pm »
No, I have to disagree with you that is a good thing. The 24 hour news cycle I view as a bad thing. Now we can't wait for all the facts of a story to come out. The competition is too fierce. Facts lose out to sensationalism. It was true 15 years ago and is true now. That leads to a reactionary view. That's very rarely a good thing. I'm afraid that what you're seeing as a good thing is actually some good coming out of a very bad thing.
The difference between 0 and 1 is infinite. The difference between 1 and a million is a matter of degree. - Zack Johnson

Quote from: davedan board=pg thread=6573 post=218058 time=1286247542
I'll stop eating beef lamb and pork the same day they start letting me eat vegetarians.