Well, I thought that I’d talk briefly about why people say that the modern day is terrible. Whilst part of this is because memories become “rose-tinted” over time (with the bad parts fading away), it’s usually because someone is trying to make a point about something. It’s as much a rhetorical tactic – and one that I’ve almost certainly used here – as anything else.
But, the reality is probably a lot more nuanced. Some things are better in the present day and some things were better in the past. Often, it balances itself out. For example, whilst “AAA” videogames were less greedy and more creative in – for example – 2003, there also wasn’t really the vibrant indie gaming scene (where creativity is plentiful and greed is rare) that there is today. And, yes, I chose 2003 for a very specific reason here – since it was one of the last years when physical media was pretty much the only way to get games (Steam – for better or worse- sold its first digital game in 2004).
Not to mention that, whilst some things are unfortunately lost to history, it’s surprising how much old stuff carries over into the present day. The day before writing this article late last November, I wore an old T-shirt from 2002-3 (Iron Maiden’s “Rock In Rio” T-shirt, if anyone is curious) and played a modern digital re-release of a computer game from 2003 (“Jedi Academy”). You can still buy MP3s and DVDs online – I still do. Older websites – like Youtube and DeviantART – are still here at the time of writing, even if they have changed over time (in both good and bad ways). There are still forums on the internet too.
And, if you actually look at history – rather than nostalgia – the past has just as many, or more, flaws as the present day does. For all of the fuss about how the modern internet has impacted freedom of expression, would you really want to go back to the repressed 1950s – where, in Britain, novels could – until 1959 – still be banned for being even vaguely steamy or rude?
Where, in America, even the mere suggestion that someone was vaguely left-wing was enough to get them called a “communist” and – to use the modern term – “cancelled”? Where significant portions of the population had fewer civil rights than others? Where, due to moral panics – using similar tactics to modern ones – on both sides of the pond, horror comics either got unofficially banned or formally restricted?
And some things really are a constant. Yes, if you read news sites or newspapers these days, they will paint a very bleak, frightening and depressing picture of the world. But, from my memories of early-mid 2000s Britain, they did that back then too. Yes, the “issues” might have been different – but the underlying mood of “These are grim, miserable times… and the future will be worse” was basically the same. What can I say? It sells newspapers. And newspapers are businesses.
Don’t get me wrong, the present day certainly isn’t completely perfect. But I remember the first time I got nostalgic about the 2000s during the 2010s. It really caught me by surprise because I never expected to be nostalgic about that decade. Whilst there were a few good moments, some of it – like today – just seemed “ordinary” at the time. Mostly though, during large portions of the actual 2000s, I thought that it was a rather crappy and miserable time. Yet, thanks to heavily-edited, selective and rose-tinted memories, that decade has received a major upgrade today.
So, yes, the reality is a lot more complicated and nuanced. Still, when people say that the modern day is terrible – then it is usually for the sake of arguing a point or making a case about something. It’s an easy rhetorical tactic to use and – in some cases, there can actually be merit to it – but it’s worth recognising that people often say it for the sake of making an argument about something.
Perhaps Suzanne Vega summed it up best in her 2001 song “Last Year’s Troubles” (warning – brief flickering lights), but – lest anyone say that meaningful popular music is a thing of the past, I recently stumbled across a song from 2021 called “Ancient Dreams In A Modern Land” (warning – flicker) by Marina which has surprisingly deep and thought-provoking lyrics.
The modern day has terrible elements and good elements, just like the past did.
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Anyway, I hope that this was interesting