Why I miss the 90’s

I think one of the reasons I miss the 90s so much, apart from the amazing music, movies and general vibe at the time, is there was this sense of hope at the time.

Yes there were lots of problems at the time, but we felt that we were on the verge of overcoming those issues. The new millennium was approaching and we were getting ready for the revolution that was going to be televised.

We were going to join hands together, across differences, borders, and cultures to tackle issues affecting us individually and globally.

We were going to overcome political corruption, bring down the mega corporations that were seeking to rule over us. We were going to overcome racism, sexism, police brutality, unequal opportunity and level the playing field.

Those of us of African descent were finding our roots and reconnecting with the mother continent. We were elevating our kings and queens and preparing to take our rightful place on the world stage after so many centuries of subjugation.

There were no major wars for most of the decade, but we were working on tackling world hunger, the ozone hole, pollution and we were certain the cures for AIDS and cancer were right around the corner.

And then the new millennium rolled in and few of the things we hoped for came to pass. Almost everything got worse. We grew up and the rose coloured glasses were removed. We’ve had two decades of a so called war on terror, terrorist bombings in several countries, a global recession, the resurgence of white supremacy, the rise of ultra right wing movements in several nations, the continuation of the disastrous war on drugs and police execution of black people, a global pandemic, global climate change, rising cost of oil that is also killing the planet, massive income inequality, ever-rising cost of living with stagnant wages and limited upward mobility, new wars and conflicts, and constant division and animosity between cultures and ideologies.

But most of all we lost our leaders. Many of our childhood heroes turned out to be monsters. We sadly realised that almost every politician is corrupt, not just a few. Our idols “sold-out” and became part of the attempt to replace the rose coloured glassed with fog filled goggles. The corporations we thought we were going to beat, we found out that we are the product. Our religious leaders turned out to be scam artists and predators.

We found out that more than half of the women and girls we know suffered or still suffers from some type of sexual or physical violence or abuse, or harassment. Family structures have collapsed. Single parent households are increasing astronomically, several of which have toxic mothers and deadbeat dads.

Political discourse between persons of opposing views is non-existent. You can’t even claim to be neutral without being accused by both sides of being a supporter of the opposite side.

We have lost our hope and dwell in the pity of our problems instead of joining hands together to find solutions to our common issues. We thought we’d have flying cars, moon bases, open borders and unlimited clean energy. Instead we got mental health issues, childhood obesity, never-ending wars and COVID-19.

I miss the 90s and its infectious optimism. Maybe we’ll get back to that feeling of togetherness and overcoming our challenges one day.