Life before the 00's was pretty incredible. Even with the inequality, if you asked anyone (black, female, white, hispanic) they would say they were very happy. I grew up in the era of "Family Matters", "Full House", "In Living Color" and MC Hammer... Now I know I'm not an "old person" - but I too am watching reruns of a better time.
That being said, we have no idea what's coming. AI (or GenAI) came out of nowhere. I bet another emergent technology that no one was expecting will come soon (perhaps unlimited energy, or anti-gravity) will create the next boom.
90s_dev · 4h ago
> if you asked anyone they would say they were very happy
Nobody I ever knew was ever happy. All of them would say they were,
but their lives clearly showed otherwise. Addictions and fights
and divorces and unemployment and problems of literally every kind.
Yet they still long for those days.
As if in those days they were happier than they are now.
I think it's the opposite.
vouaobrasil · 3h ago
> Yet they still long for those days. As if in those days they were happier than they are now. I think it's the opposite.
Well, I had a pretty peaceful life without all that stuff you mentioned, and I think life was better before the internet. For sure. Now, I'm not saying we haven't improved a few things, but I think somewhere in the middle would be ideal: internet of the older days without so much commercialization and internet speeds around 56K modems.
mixmastamyk · 3h ago
The 24-hour news cycle made everyone afraid, and with that even going outside dropped. Hard to say we’re happier now.
But I believe people look for ways to be unhappy, no matter the situation.
That being said, we have no idea what's coming. AI (or GenAI) came out of nowhere. I bet another emergent technology that no one was expecting will come soon (perhaps unlimited energy, or anti-gravity) will create the next boom.
Nobody I ever knew was ever happy. All of them would say they were, but their lives clearly showed otherwise. Addictions and fights and divorces and unemployment and problems of literally every kind.
Yet they still long for those days. As if in those days they were happier than they are now. I think it's the opposite.
Well, I had a pretty peaceful life without all that stuff you mentioned, and I think life was better before the internet. For sure. Now, I'm not saying we haven't improved a few things, but I think somewhere in the middle would be ideal: internet of the older days without so much commercialization and internet speeds around 56K modems.
But I believe people look for ways to be unhappy, no matter the situation.