Summing up the noughties

[Darlica]

The first decade of this century is on it's last leg and it's time to sum it up.

Sooooo, what was the best and the worst, the funniest and the saddest and defining moments?

And what and who will we remember form this century?


I'll add mine in a while.

[Opsa]

For me, the worst parts were 9-11 and the poor decisions made by Pres. W. and his staff in regards to the handling of greedy businesses and the hurricane Katrina disaster, among other things. It's a good thing hair grows back or I'd be bald.

A good thing that happened was the election of our first black president in the USA. I think that was a amazingly healing thing here, even if he seems to be having a difficult time trying to do what he promised, but that seems always to be the case. It looks easier from the outside.

Another good thing was meeting up with you guys. I think there's hope for the world when a bunch of people from all over can find each other and cultivate friendship over the idea of trying to maintain mutual respect and tolerance. None of us are perfect (except YOU of course, but that goes without saying  ) and sometimes we struggle with things, but we're there for and with each other and that means something. It means we are still willing. We haven't given up. That's a tremendously positive thing.

[Griffin NoName]

Grandchildren and cancer. And yes, Obama.

[Aggie]

Was thinking about this for a while, not so much in terms of reflecting on the decade but of reflecting on a decade.  This is the first decade-flip with any real significance for me, having been less than a decade old for the first one and what with the century (important) / millennium (too big to really grasp significance) overshadowing the end of the 90's.

The bit I'm looking forward to is being able to start listening to all the music from the 00's (I'm always a decade behind - helps sort out hype from real staying power) and trying to determine whether the expected surge in rock and roll is underway or not (think 40's/50's, 60's/70's, 80's/90's). 

[Scriblerus the Philosophe]

Same thing as Aggie. I was only eleven in 2000 so a lot of what happened in the first half kind of went over my head. Still, thinking about it.

[Swatopluk]

Difficult to say. If Gore had not been robbed by Dubya's (and his family's) cronies there would likely not have been a 9/11 but, given the other cirumstances, he would've (imo) been a 'weak' president because a strong GOP would have gone at least as 'NO' as they do now and would have milked the 'He stole the election' for all it was worth. Given the imbecility of too many citizens and the 'liberal' bias of the media it would have likely worked perfectly and they would have taken first congress, then the WH in a landslide. Think Chain-Eye 2004 with filibuster proof majorities from the start. There would be no Obama now. Even a successful Gore would not have been followed by the unknown senator from Illinois (but possibly by the guy from Connecticut whoo looks similar to that senator from Star Wars). The Wall Street catastrophe would likely have happened in any case since both parties were involved in killing all checks and balances (with Clinton removing the last and most important one).
I fear the question was only how deep the US would drive (itself) into the digestive final product eventually poth politically and economically.
I guess the US would need a liberal Attila/Vlad III/Genghis Khan/etc. putting heads on spikes to clear the mess (at least temporarily).
I fear the future will be bleak and the last decade just a harbinger of (bad) things to come.
And it was another decade without a carnal relationship

On the positive side: a PhD and (at least at the moment) a decent job.

[Opsa]

Having a decent job is a gateway to carnal relationships. Chin up, Swato. Just get out there and show 'em how nice you are. This may be a better decade than you might expect. There's always crud, but seeing around it is half the battle.

[Sibling Zono (anon1mat0)]

If Gore had not been robbed by Dubya's (and his family's) cronies...

Swato, this isn't the IF, IF Then game.  
---
Personally this is the decade of coming to the States (I arrived in '99), of my son growing up and the opportunity to see a bit more of the world (I'd never been outside Colombia until then). Also the decade of personal growth, that is about 60 lbs... 

This is the decade of Google and Wikipedia, when being connected to the internet became a necessity and telecommuting a reality. This was also a decade of polarization in contrast with the more civil 90s, when being tolerant and moderate became by-words for pansy. 

This is also a decade that throw us back 50 or 100 years back, with torture and the removal of habeas corpus, preemptive strikes and new nuclear states. The decade when global warming is confirmed and at the same time royally ignored. 

Finally the decade when the unthinkable happened: a black man became the president of the US of A. 

[Opsa]

This was also a decade of polarization in contrast with the more civil 90s, when being tolerant and moderate became by-words for pansy. 

This is also a decade that throw us back 50 or 100 years back, with torture and the removal of habeas corpus, preemptive strikes and new nuclear states. The decade when global warming is confirmed and at the same time royally ignored. 

But in reaction against this sort of mindset the Toadfish Monastery and others (like Civility.com) were born. Who ever thought that pleasantness would become a revolutionary concept? 

[Scriblerus the Philosophe]

Difficult to say. If Gore had not been robbed by Dubya's (and his family's) cronies there would likely not have been a 9/11 ....

What tells you that? I'm genuinely curious since like I said, I was very young when all of that happened so a lot of it went over my twelve year self's head.

[Swatopluk]

Clinton took the threat of terrorism very seriously and even warned his successor in no uncertain terms. Dubya for that very reason ignored it (everything Clinton was bad). I consider it very unlikely that Gore would have done the same. Also all the info was there under Bush but was derided as 'ass covering' by him.
There might have been other plots and attacks but not on the same scale. And I think a Gore administration would have captured or killed Bin Laden rather quickly and with about 2 orders of magnitude less expenses.
The future would still be bleak but several million people would at least still have a future (and be at home) however bleak.

[pieces o nine]

The Noughties: it was the best of times; it was the worst of times.

[Sibling Zono (anon1mat0)]

Perhaps those should be called the naughties?

[beagle]

Best:  Human genome sequencing progress.
Worst:  Asian tsunami and sub-Saharan Africa problems.
Defining: 9/11 and the throwback to theocracy, and the Credit Crunch West to East economic power transfer. *
Funniest: The Gordon and Tony and guest star Mandy show.


* and the return of the Time Lords

[Darlica]

Best: People reaching out over borders and language barriers and connecting with other people more or less over the whole world.

Worst: Too many actually, 9/11 and its aftermath, The Asian Tsunami which also paralysed Sweden as there was a lot of Swedish tourists especially in Thailand, The murder of out then Foreign Minister Anna Lindh at the up-scale department store NK in Stockholm 9/11 2003. 

Defining: Communication over Internet

Funniest: Multi levelled Animated movies like Shrek and Ratatouille and Wallace and Groomit of cause.