With the end of the Cold War and the spread of the internet, the 1990s is often remembered as a time of peace and prosperity. However, the decade was not without violence and tragedy, including the Rodney King beating and subsequent L.A. Riots, and the bombing of the World Trade Center.
So to get a more accurate view of this iconic era, Reddit user IndieSyndicate made a post on the subreddit 'Gen X,' asking it's members to share the common misconceptions about it. Born between 1965 and 1980, the cohort stepped up to the task and shared their diverse perspectives and experiences, shedding light on the often oversimplified mainstream narratives.
Image credits: IndieSyndicate
#21
I think one idea that's misrepresented is that we were already online, all the time.
I mean, I was STOKED when I got into the dorm with LAN connections in 1993, but I was an outlier. Lots of kids at my college barely understood using computers, much less anything internet-related beyond maybe an AOL/AIM. Obviously this was an evolution of ten very fast moving years.
45points
#22
That life was GREAT before the internet and cell phones made us all into anxious, isolated zombies.
44points
#23
A lot of people mention grunge and gangsta rap, but country was very hot too. Country line dancing became a big thing, Branson, Missouri became a big tourist destination with its theaters, and artists like Garth Brooks and Shania Twain made tons of money. My grandfather always had the country station on. Alan Jackson and George Strait were his favorites. The country influence made its way into homes, with cow, geese, and rooster decor.
42points
#25
Cellphones were considered tacky and unnecessary unless you were a doctor.
37points
#26
Please don’t bring 90’s fashion back. It died on the vine for a reason, it sucked. Run if you start seeing turtlenecks, multi color sweaters, buckle shoes and mullets.
35points
#27
Us older Gen Xers we're full fledged, college educated working adults with careers in the 90s. Some of us even had kids and houses.
The advantage was that we had plenty of money for concert tix and Doc Martins.
32points
#28
The ‘80s never really went away. There were a lot of people who hated the new directions in music, fashion, TV and movies the ‘90s brought and held onto their butt rock, Aquanet and mullets with a righteous fervour.
31points
#29
“H****n chic” comes to mind.
28points
#30
I think one of the most interesting transitions from the 90’s into the 00’s can be observed through The Sopranos. It starts with phone booths and pagers and ends with iPhones (Sopranos ran until 2007*, there was definitely overlap. It’s featured prominently in the final season, used by Anthony Jr.) so the cell phone evolution represented there is just one aspect of tech and culture changes at the turn of the century that can be seen in the series. The inclusion of the iPhone in the final season was some prime product placement marketing for the new product. If you think of the 80’s as “grey” you may have missed the the obsession with “neon” (uv) colors that began in the 80’s and proliferated in the 90’s. The 80’s were hyper saturated with a wholly different palette from the 70’s, and laid a foundation for 90’s design.
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28points
