The 90s Were Not All That

The contemporary phenomenon of Pokemon Go more than anything reflects the millenial generations nostalgia for the 90s, a time of peace and prosperity, a time of Friends and Nickelodeon and Backstreet Boys and Pokemon and so on. 

But while the 90s may have provided  movies worth watching, books worth reading and music worth listening to, like all decades the 90s had a lot of darkness as well as light. 

If you're gay, the 90s were especially a dark time with The Defense of Marriage Act, which allowed states to pass laws banning same-sex marriage. In 1998 Ellen was canceled after Ellen Degeneres came out, and the idea of an openly gay person hosting a talk show or anchoring an evening news cast was akin to being visited by an extraterrestrial being from The X-Files. Also in 1998, Matthew Shepard was tortured and beaten to death just outside Laramie, Wyoming. It wasn't until 2009 that it became a hate crime to commit harm to someone based on their sexual orientation. And it wasn't until 2000 when Vermont became the first state to allow civil-unions. 

The recent tragedy in Orlando which left 49 people dead was shocking and saddening. But in 1995 168 people were killed in the Oklahoma City Bombing, including 19 children, some of whom were babies. Hundreds more were injured. In 1993 76 people were burned alive during the Branch Davidian raid in Waco, Texas. And of course in 1999 there was the Columbine shooting in which 13 people were gunned down. And this was all during the pre-9/11 era. The crime was also a lot higher than it is now. 

Not only were there no such thing as smartphones, but if you had dial up it was impossible to talk on the phone and go on the internet at the same time, unless you had a cellphone which no kid had back then. Video streaming was slow and could take hours to download. That is why many Star Wars fans paid to see the trailer for The Phantom Menace in theaters rather than watch it online. There's a lot memes going around lamenting for the good old days of the 90s before the advent of technology when children went out and played. Well guess what? There is nothing stopping children from going outside to play! In fact I see children playing outside a lot when I house sit at my dads. There's also nothing stopping children from passing notes in class, roller-bladding, or playing jump rope. 

I believe the 90s renaissance has most to do with my generations nostalgia for their childhood, and there's nothing wrong with that. But I believe there's been so much reflection about how awesome the 90s were that we forget about all the bad stuff happened and neglect all the progress that has been made. Now that I'm finished you can go back to playing Pokemon Go.