Top 10 Best Decades Since 1900 to Live In
What time did you live in, or what time would you want to live in? Which decade sounds like the best?
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1980s
I was born in 1981, and growing up, children played outside and answered questions with "yes ma'am" and "no sir." It took a village during my childhood.
Family was everything, and loyalty was a must-have. There were jobs, and life was simple. Helping one another was the norm, and we didn't believe in bullying. You got your butt whipped if you were caught picking on another child's shortcomings, and the same penalties applied if you allowed someone to pick on you or your siblings.
If there was a problem, we met in the field after school at three, and once it was over, you never heard of it again. Respect was a thing back then as well. Wow, things are so different.
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1990s
I was born in 1992, so I consider my childhood to have been from approximately 1995-2005. I've only had one childhood, so it's hard to compare, but I think there are some good reasons why this was a great, maybe the best, time to grow up. A few that come to mind:
1. Pokemon. It was everywhere - cereal boxes, TV, and of course Gameboy. Every kid was into it. This was the golden age of Pokemon, and as far as I can tell, no other pop culture phenomenon has ever captured kids' imaginations like Pokemon did. It was magical.
2. Enough technology but not too much. I think today most people have unhealthy technology addictions (especially cell phones and video games). I have to battle it myself and force myself not to look at my phone too much, etc. In the 90s and early 2000s, we had phones and video games, but it was hard to get addicted to them. They just weren't as bottomlessly deep as they are now. Phones made phone calls, and video games were fun until you beat the last boss.
3. Winners and losers from an early age. I remember in elementary school, the teacher liked to do a tournament game where she would hold up a card with a math equation and two contestants would try to yell the correct answer first. The loser had to sit down, and the winner had to go up against the next contestant. This Michael kid always won. I usually got second or third. One day, I beat Michael. It felt amazing. Michael even cried. But he got over it. Some may disagree, but I think experiencing genuine victory and defeat from an early age is important for building character. But this kind of exercise is almost unheard of in elementary school now.
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2000s
Decent time. Partly because I grew up then, but also because technology was embraced without taking over like it does today. Music was still music, and before the financial collapse, people were more optimistic and wealthier, despite any setbacks. Of course, the world wasn't fully at peace, but has it ever been or will it ever be?
Generally, this decade and the '90s were largely free of the mass hate, worry, and constant terror threats that plague us today. It was also politically correct enough to stop the discrimination seen in the '80s and earlier decades, without the overly enforced political correctness that now makes comedy and conversation feel pretty stale.
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1970s
Back when movies and video games and other stuff were about to become iconic, it was the decade for Star Wars, Jaws, The Godfather, A Clockwork Orange, and Smokey and the Bandit. They were all pretty good movies, especially when played in Hollywood theaters as well.
Ah, the '70s - what a great decade it was, and what a great time to be alive and young. The music was by far the best, with so many incredible rock bands and solo artists active, and the King, Elvis, was alive until 1977.
It was a simpler, kinder way of life then. We didn't have all the fringe factions staging protests and forcing themselves into the collective conscience. By today's standards, we were innocent. Life was good, and America was a great place to live and grow. We held the promise of tomorrow in our hands, with the prospect of endless days full of fun, love, romance, and adventure. Everything just seemed right with the world.
I miss the '70s and would give anything to return to those warm, sun-filled days and the sweet summer nights of my youth. To me, those truly were the good old days. Now, they are gone forever, with only the misty memories of that halcyon era remaining - forever etched in my mind. I shall never forget them.
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2010s
Culturally speaking, perhaps the 1990s and 2000s were better, but we cannot possibly forget the progress this decade gave us in terms of crime rates, literacy rates, poverty, human rights, health, and much more.
2019 was even described as the best year ever at the time, with fewer people in poverty than ever before, fewer infant deaths, and the highest literacy rates we have ever seen.
This decade is overhated purely because bad news overrides good news. Objectively, we have never had it better. How could you say a decade with tremendous progress in improving our world is one of the worst?
I am proud of being a 2010s kid. I was so lucky to be a kid in this special decade. I wear my badge with honor.
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1960s
The 60s were such happy times for TV, especially since not many people had to go to work too late.
As a matter of fact, Saturday morning cartoons premiered every week when we woke up to those good times.
I was born in 1988, but from an early age, I've been listening to old music through my parents, and I love it. The Beatles are my favorite band. On top of that, arts were driving culture and society. Fashion was amazing, along with toys, movies, and aesthetics. At least in the Western world. I'd have loved to be alive then.
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1950s
The 1950s were so good too. In fact, the war was over and people in the United States were all safe. The cars were the best, such as the Cadillac, Chevrolet, Ford Coupe, and many others.
I loved watching Saturday morning cartoons like Looney Tunes, Tom & Jerry, Popeye, Casper, Mr. Magoo, and Hanna-Barbera. What fun and good times they were!
1956-1965. Although not a "decade," it is a ten-year span that created a lot of good stuff. Morals were still high, the economy boosted post-WWII, and cars were getting faster and sleeker before the crazy fins of the late '60s.
Civil rights and equality were gaining a lot of ground (a long way to go, to be sure, but it was finally acknowledged and something was being done about it). A fistfight usually solved a dispute without someone pulling a knife or gun, and without going to jail.
Music and entertainment exploded. Technology made life better but didn't rule our lives (you could get away from the job without being tethered with a pager or cell phone). Education boomed, but a student still had to do actual research.
A lot of norms were questioned with honest intent to enhance society, rather than just to stick it to the man. I think this was the best time period since the 1900s.
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1920s
The reason why the "Roaring 20s" were so good is that World War I was over and Americans were successful at the time.
WOW! The 1920s. Such a wonderful time to live in for dancing, partying, drinking, smoking, and the invention of TV! What a fun decade it really was!
Personally, everyone says it was worse back then, but let's be honest: with society today, this country has lost the foundation and truth it was founded on. I'm majorly disappointed about it. I say that any decade before 2010 is a good decade.
The Roaring 20s! Men were men and women were women. It would be nice if the world got back to wearing suits and ties and skirts and heels. Romance and chivalry weren't dead.
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1900s
1900 - 1913, to me, kind of looks like the Late 1800s, much like how 2000 - Early 2007 kind of looks like the Late 1900s. For the start of an up and down century until the '40s, the 1900s actually looked like a pretty okay start for the century (outside of McKinley's assassination in 1901, of course). Far from the best, but this decade looked better than the horror that was the 1930s or World War I throughout the 1910s (1910-1913 and 1919 looked okay, though).
The very beginning, hardly anything to pass time on.
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1940s
Those times were TOO TOUGH. Here's why.
The worst of them all was the Holocaust. Many European Jews were being murdered by Hitler and the Nazis. The Battle of Stalingrad and the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor were among the worst events in 1941. It was probably the worst time ever to live in as a German, Jewish, Polish, Soviet (Russian), Chinese, Indonesian, Japanese, and British person.
Even during the horror of war, this decade was calmer, slower-paced. The people stuck together. Helped each other. The music reflected life during this era: softer, gentler, selfless people.
I was born at the start of the Punk age when everything changed. I'd gladly be elderly in this age if it meant I could have experienced life during the '40s, '50s, and '60s. I've always felt a little out of place, wishing I could crawl back to a time I have never and will never experience.
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2020s
This decade is so far troubled by the COVID-19 pandemic, its economic fallout, the decline of the West, major rising geopolitical tensions, and a culture war that is tearing societies of developed countries apart. However, this is ignoring some very amazing developments.
Scientific and technological progress is booming, a new privacy-oriented and user-focused age of the internet (Web3) is rising, people are becoming much more conscious of the environment in both their personal lives and in business/investing. Green energy is on the rise, there is a push for equality in society, and we're becoming more ethical as a species. There is also a rise in better understanding mental health and how we can better navigate the downsides of technologies like social media. Even the space industry is picking up, and there will likely be another space race where things will advance really fast.
I think the pandemic will slowly fade away, and these next few years will be a time of tough but largely uneventful times, as we recover from the pandemic, economically struggle (sadly, perhaps with a big market crash at some point), try to heal societies, and prepare for the future. There may be some hard times, but this will then be followed by a major economic and technological boom - one of the biggest that humanity has ever experienced.
The 2020s will probably be a transitional time between the old world and the future. They will be very important years in history. For many people, these years will be either make or break. Work hard, make smart decisions, and build yourself.
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1910s
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1930s
Although to be honest, it was the worst decade ever because Adolf Hitler came to power in Germany in 1933, the Great Depression had started in 1929, and World War II broke out in 1939.
But I think that the cinema was pretty good in that decade. We had The Wizard of Oz, Mickey Mouse, Frankenstein, Dracula, King Kong, and Charlie Chaplin.
Good decade. The time of Hollywood's golden age.
I like Art Deco, jazz, and fashion.