I've been quite surprised at the reaction to 2009, the end of the decade that I still really don't know what to call. I've seen much criticism of the year for its down turn and thus the entire decade along with it. It is almost like everyone in popular culture who speaks of this decade is caught in a depression. People in depression tend to project their depression on everything, because they feel bad at the moment then everything bad and nothing has ever been good. Otherwise how could you see an actually quite prosperous decade one of the worst since WWII (I believe that was from TIME). And it seems everything in popular culture is a parrot of each other. Are there ever such things as deferring points of view anymore? If nothing else, that definitely seems to be something that helps depict 2009 which I hope doesn't carry over to the next decade. I don't know what it is about popular culture today (I would say Americans, but I think it carries throughout most of western civilization) but there seems to be lack of historical knowledge or lack of basic skills of critical thinking. Maybe I'm being harsh, but it is quite disappointing when there are major occurrence throughout the world and enough in our country and everything is about Tiger Woods or now Charlie Sheen. Everything appears to be a "consensus" that is not one, and there is only review of one side of the story. But I am getting off base...
The last year was not the best for the nation I believe. There was hope for our president that I say has been quite disappointing. I can tell you that I had a job that was cut earlier in the year directly related to the president's choices (yes, and its easy to make the correlation). I know many others have felt the pains and there has been little action to make things better from the government through the year. It is a shame that there was a bad year ending such a decade, but it all relates. We were on top of the world in the decade. Think of the real estate boom. It was something everyone could make money off of. All you have to do is hold a house for a short time and boom it was twice its worth. You look and everyone in middle class has to have the right counter tops and wood floors. And in the areas in which it was strongest there was a belief that it would never end. There was also the boom of technology and social networking. Was there even a myspace in 2000? I actually don't know. I believe I still had a dial up at home and a separate CD burner. With this boom the CD has practically become obsolete for music and music stores have almost died along with it. Not to mention the changes with everything after 9/11.
The end of the decade to me seemed to be just showing that everything good inevitably will not last. The US believed they could ride a bubble forever and it had to burst. But truthfully the bad feelings shown in popular culture really shows just how good of a decade we've had! People aren't starving. We don't have lines of people at soup kitchens or any of the poverty that you see elsewhere in the country. The complaints are that some people need assistance from family more as there are multiple generations under one roof. There are complaints of people who took a gamble on their house happened to loose. Some started letting their house go into foreclosure just because they didn't feel like paying over the house's worth.... Not because they can't afford to pay it. But in the end, how is it really that bad? I saw complaints about losses in the wars. The thing is other than military families there was no draft or direct effect on most of the population, just the ones that are directly involved with the military. So I have to ask, where is the horrible?
For myself, I finally got my wish. I'm having a baby. The best way to start a new decade. Last decade I met my husband and we've started our lives together in Florida. We end the decade quite well and we start the new one incredibly hopeful. All in all, what I meant to get through is that we have it pretty good. It is bad to waste these times in depression of what goes wrong. I even saying that completely believing that politically our country has horrible leadership, but I do believe things will get better.
Happy New Year everyone!
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