What was life like in the 90s? Vol. Old heads chime in

MakeNTGreatAgain

MakeNTGreatAgain

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was life really better in the 90s?

We all have different types of definitions for better.
but quality of life and communication and relationships and culture

for yall who experienced the 90s would you want to relive the 90s? or would you prefer growing up in the 2000s/2010s?

Been watching movies that released in the 90s and it just seems like things were more pure, people genuinely spent time with other people doing stuff rather than just chatting call day via the internet
 
The middle class still existed. Seemed like my parents had way more money then and things were a bit cheaper. Same amount of children then too.

Music was better then; rap and r&b. Action movies were in their golden age.

Don't get it twisted though. Racists were still super racist. It wasn't in your face racism but it was status quo. Black ppl still getting piled in to prison on bs drug charges. Cops still killing black men all crazy.

Thread title made me feel old. Then I realized the 90s was anywhere from 30 to 22 years ago :smh:
 
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Born in 83 so my childhood was in the 90s. Stuff was just simpler. Kids outside playing. Everyone on one accord to discuss a tv show bc we had to watch it at the same time. Being with a group of people and everyone felt present instead of having their attention fragmented.

Delayed gratification was a thing. In school, it was so exciting to get the yearbook. Now there are 30 apps that take the place of a yearbook.

Music was consumed differently. An album was more of an event. Now it's just a throwaway moment. It's crazy bc artists work hard just for us to stream it for a few days and forget about it.

Dating was less complicated. Now people have more access to 10x the options, making commitment more unclear.

It's like we have too much of what we want, instantly.

Me and my boy sometimes joke that the world really did end in 2000.
 
Best way to put it is the 90's was probably the last stage where you....had to wait.

You liked new music? Had to wait to hear it again on the radio. You liked that movie in the theater? Had to wait for it to come out on DVD.
You had to wait to check your phone messages when you got home. You got a girl's phone number? You had to wait to call her at home.
You had to wait to even catch sports scores and stats, usually the next morning in the newspaper.

Aside from the fashion, the kicks, the good times, and the time when Nirvana changed the entire world (everyone wanted to be depressed, music changed, and every girl wore oversized flannels and Docs), I'll always remember that era as really the last time we had to have a little patience and your brain was able to relax a bit.
 
The main thing for me was there was MUCH more social interaction. AOL instant messenger didn't even hit until like 99 for reference. Still had to have actual verbal conversations, apply for jobs in person, call girls you were crushing on and cross your fingers her parent didn't answer. Go to school, birthday parties, house parties, or somewhere around the way to get the latest scoop on things. No immediate transfer of info, gossip. Passing notes was still a thing. No one had cell phones.

I was young, but my neighborhood was still really tight. Block parties in the summer, if you missed the bus you could catch a ride with anyone in the neighborhood, eat dinner at their crib or go over whenever just to hang and play Playstation, watch MTV.

We used to hoop all day. You always knew people would be at the playground no matter what.

No 24/7 clout chasing like you see on social media. No "likes." It was a lot simpler (or so it seemed compared to today). You could have a dope fit or sneakers and that would be it.

You had to actually be in the room to see the cheeks of a female.

Music was definitely better like Master Zik Master Zik said. MC'ing was at it's peak. Still had distinctive sounds from the coasts. I remember getting The Low End Theory for my 4th or 5th birthday and thinking it was the greatest **** ever. There was so much more substance to hip-hop back then.
 
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sooperhooper said:
Born in 83 so my childhood was in the 90s. Stuff was just simpler. Kids outside playing. Everyone on one accord to discuss a tv show bc we had to watch it at the same time. Being with a group of people and everyone felt present instead of having their attention fragmented.

Delayed gratification was a thing. In school, it was so exciting to get the yearbook. Now there are 30 apps that take the place of a yearbook.

Music was consumed differently. An album was more of an event. Now it's just a throwaway moment. It's crazy bc artists work hard just for us to stream it for a few days and forget about it.

Dating was less complicated. Now people have more access to 10x the options, making commitment more unclear.

It's like we have too much of what we want, instantly.

Me and my boy sometimes joke that the world really did end in 2000.
Click to expand...

Son. This is sad as ****

And so true. Man :smh:
 
MakeNTGreatAgain said:
was life really better in the 90s?

We all have different types of definitions for better.
but quality of life and communication and relationships and culture

for yall who experienced the 90s would you want to relive the 90s? or would you prefer growing up in the 2000s/2010s?

Been watching movies that released in the 90s and it just seems like things were more pure, people genuinely spent time with other people doing stuff rather than just chatting call day via the internet
Click to expand...

NYC was a lot more dangerous. There was more open gang activity, however some were very local gangs who sort of protected their area and not necessarily just to sell drugs. At least that’s how the locals gang in my neighborhood was. There were parts of my neighborhood you wouldn’t venture during night time unless you knew certain people or were a local to that area of the neighborhood

the part I miss is the larger diversity of the city as there were more fresh immigrants and thus more authentic home foods you could find. Not this refined high dining variations we have today.

Each neighborhood had its own feel to it and atmosphere depending which ethic group was there.

I mean I was a kid during the 90s but I would play wiffle ball and street 2 hand touch football with some of the old heads along with the local gang members and they would constantly tell me stories since they would hang out on my block. That sense of community is definitely gone which sucks.
 
Yeah kind of similar to what others have said the times were just much more genuine. We seemed to be much more present as a whole.

You had to have real confidence and there seemed to be more consequences for you actions. Which made you more thoughtful. We had to wait for things and because of it were less scatterbrained.

I have been trying to get back to the simple life but it is hard. Cell phones and the Paradox of Choice have really remapped our minds.
 
RyGuy45 said:
Best way to put it is the 90's was probably the last stage where you....had to wait.

You liked new music? Had to wait to hear it again on the radio. You liked that movie in the theater? Had to wait for it to come out on DVD.
You had to wait to check your phone messages when you got home. You got a girl's phone number? You had to wait to call her at home.
You had to wait to even catch sports scores and stats, usually the next morning in the newspaper.

Aside from the fashion, the kicks, the good times, and the time when Nirvana changed the entire world (everyone wanted to be depressed, music changed, and every girl wore oversized flannels and Docs), I'll always remember that era as really the last time we had to have a little patience and your brain was able to relax a bit.
Click to expand...
Great post. So true. I remember in 10th grade (98 ) I saw a crazy highlight dunk on sportscenter and couldn't wait to tell my boy about it at school. I tried describing it and even tried to draw it lol. Kids these days can send 6 different angles without lifting a finger.
 
sooperhooper said:
Great post. So true. I remember in 10th grade (98 ) I saw a crazy highlight dunk on sportscenter and couldn't wait to tell my boy about it at school. I tried describing it and even tried to draw it lol. Kids these days can send 6 different angles without lifting a finger.
Click to expand...

Yeah stuff had such an impact on you because we weren't consuming it 24/7. I remember my friend explaining Vince Carter's 360 windmill in the dunk contest and was like "yo man he did a 360 windmill but he went the opposite way!!"

I was like what :wow:. I couldn't even imagine it. Fast forward some months later where I just happened to catch a clip of it on TV and before I could process it it was over :lol:. There were a lot of things like that that were mysterious. It was cool and I am not sure if it exists anymore.
 
RyGuy45 said:
Best way to put it is the 90's was probably the last stage where you....had to wait.
Click to expand...
Great point.

As a result, appointment viewing/television(radio) controlled many of our plans.

There was no, "SOmebody will upload it so I can miss it."
No, you had 2 choices
A. Watch it Live
B. Record it with your VCR

Content had more meaning and wasn't AS disposable as it is in the modern era.

This is what I miss the most about the 90s is the importance of each piece of content we were given.
 
RyGuy45 said:
Best way to put it is the 90's was probably the last stage where you....had to wait.

You liked new music? Had to wait to hear it again on the radio. You liked that movie in the theater? Had to wait for it to come out on DVD.
You had to wait to check your phone messages when you got home. You got a girl's phone number? You had to wait to call her at home.
You had to wait to even catch sports scores and stats, usually the next morning in the newspaper.

Aside from the fashion, the kicks, the good times, and the time when Nirvana changed the entire world (everyone wanted to be depressed, music changed, and every girl wore oversized flannels and Docs), I'll always remember that era as really the last time we had to have a little patience and your brain was able to relax a bit.
Click to expand...

Going to the record store on Tuesdays for the new releases :nthat:

Something about having the actual LP or CD in hand. Same reason why I still read the hard copy of books.
 
Another thing that I miss about the 90s would be Regional Differences in EVERYTHING.

The internet made the world smaller. It exposed different pockets of the world to the rest of the world.
Back then, DC Dudes dressed differently than dudes from HOU.
Dudes from MEM rapped differently than dudes from OAK.
Ball players from NY played differently than dudes from CHI.
Wrestlers from Japan wrestled differently than Canadians.

Now, EVERYTHING is one big Hybrid. Fashion, Music, Athletics, Accents.

Regional differences are not what they used to be. I won't say they are completely dead but the world is definitely smaller now.

Things had more "mystic" back then. I miss that
 
Hip hop/rap was the best it was and ever will be.


Always something on tv.

You had to have face to face conversations with people.

Gaming was :pimp:

It was ridiculously easy to purchase anh kicks you wanted. I remember jordans still at stores even weeks after release.
 
Great. A Lot More Engaging And Maybe Fulfilling/Rewarding Depending On How You View The Instant/Oversimplification Of Things These Days.
 
The difference in relationship dynamics between now and then could be a thread of it's own. People breaking up over somebody liking someone's post :lol: it sounds SO ridiculous bc now "liking" something is tangible instead of mysterious. I've legit heard the following convo:
Guy: I posted a picture of my newborn niece.
Lady: yeah I saw it on Facebook
Guy: oh... You didn't like it.
Lady: yes I did. I loved it. *shows phone*
Stuff is just so weird nowadays.
 
Even though it would mean losing Niketalk, I'd go back to the 90s style of living in a heartbeat.

It kinda reminds me of the notion of rich people not being happy. We have so much of what we want at our fingertips, yet we miss the times of having to wait.

I've noticed that adults born in the late 90s (that feels so weird to type) have little impulse control eg have to check a text regardless of the situation: driving, at work, mid convo.
 
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things were simpler
no social media
not much staring into a screen
people actually enjoyed face to face interaction

going to the record store and listening to cds. browsing the different sections. would spend so much time and enjoying it.
now you are just a click away
 
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