A Decade from Hell ??

[along-for-the-ride]

The 00's: A Decade from Hell - TIME



What do you think?

Attached files

[chonsigirl]

Oh brother, what about the 1930s?:rolleyes:

[Barman]

Had a pretty good 10 years myself, still breathing.

[along-for-the-ride]

To me...."it was the best of times..........it was the worst of times". As it was written in the classic literature "A Tale of Two Cities" years ago.



Although, there is some truths in this article from Times Magazine, the title is a bit of an exaggeration. We have had terrible tragedies, but there are still triumphs.

We've had times of despair, but we still had times of rejoicing. To condemn a decade of time is just wrong. Let us instead condemn the hatred and ignorance that occurred during this time frame.

[Richard Bell]

along-for-the-ride;1266257 wrote: To me...."it was the best of times..........it was the worst of times". As it was written in the classic literature "War and Peace" years ago.






erm... that would be the first line of "A Tale Of Two Cities", by Charles Dickens.

[koan]

...But very significantly, we still hold many of the world's trump cards. We still have the world's strongest military, which means we can and must lead in maintaining order and crafting peace. We are the leaders in technological innovation. And we are still the nation that most others emulate. If we remember those points and avoid the easy outs of deferral and neglect, then the next decade should be a helluva lot better than the last one.

this ending disturbed me

there were moments of stark honesty that showed strength of character but to finish on that tone just wrecked the whole thing for me.

[K.Snyder]

Barman;1266245 wrote: Had a pretty good 10 years myself, still breathing.


Yeah but can you remember it? :yh_rotfl :yh_wink

By the way I've discovered that a lineage of my seemingly apparent relatives were born and lived in Devon England. Perhaps we could be related? :wah:

Naaaaaaaaaa!!!!!!!!

:wah:

I'm not that ugly!

:wah: :yh_rotfl I KID! I KID!

[gmc]

At the start of the 1800's a world war was going on, at the start of the 1900's one was about to start. Hopefully we won't follow that trend. I usually think if time as a right wing americancentric rag which is why I wouldn't normally read it. Interesting article though-at least it's not self pitying and blaming the rest of the world for America's troubles.

popsted by koan

this ending disturbed me

there were moments of stark honesty that showed strength of character but to finish on that tone just wrecked the whole thing for me.


That's what I mean about right wing americancentric. Only Americans seem to think they have a duty to be the world's policemen everybody else thinks it should be by international agreement. You can't claim the moral high ground and yet refuse to accept the authority of international law unless it happens to suit you.

[mikeinie]

In 1914 the war to end all wars started that engulfed the entire world. But it just did not happen overnight, it started in the early years of the century particularly when Russia lost the Russia Japan war.

The article is a good look back, and is correct, but there is no point looking back unless you will apply it to looking forward. Where you came from is the same path as to where you are heading.

Something needs to change or our futures will only become the past repeating itself again and again.

[gmc]

mikeinie;1266406 wrote: In 1914 the war to end all wars started that engulfed the entire world. But it just did not happen overnight, it started in the early years of the century particularly when Russia lost the Russia Japan war.

The article is a good look back, and is correct, but there is no point looking back unless you will apply it to looking forward. Where you came from is the same path as to where you are heading.

Something needs to change or our futures will only become the past repeating itself again and again.


It was the result of competing empires-competing over prestige and resources. Hopefully history won't repeat itself but USA with a policy of using it's military power in a pre-emptive manner is likely to lead to the likes of china and russia arming themselves-you can see it with Bush and the insistence on placing missiles in Poland to defend against missile attack from Iran and russia's response to it. It was an unnecessary provocation for it's own sake.

The war between japan and america was also basically two growing empires fighting over resources. Hopefully things have changes in that the various people's won't get sucked in to a my country right or wrong mentally that leads to warfare.

[along-for-the-ride]

Richard Bell;1266333 wrote: erm... that would be the first line of "A Tale Of Two Cities", by Charles Dickens.


Duh for me...................Thanks Richard..............I fixed that error.

[Clodhopper]

Interesting article. Thanks. Pretty fair summary, I thought.

The only place I really come apart from gmc is that the USA shutting up and going home is called "isolationism" and is reckoned to be a considerable factor in the rise of Hitler and WW2. If they do the same again they increase the risk of WW3 in my opinion.

[along-for-the-ride]

I found the following article today:

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The bright side of the 'Decade from Hell'

WASHINGTON — In a few short days, this terrible, horrible, no-good, very bad decade will start its countdown. Good riddance.

By: Ann McFeatters, The Dickinson Press



WASHINGTON — In a few short days, this terrible, horrible, no-good, very bad decade will start its countdown. Good riddance.

Although this decade technically began on Jan. 1, 2001, and ends Dec. 31, 2010, for millions the imminent arrival of 2010 starts a new decade and a new era. Basically, we’re sick and tired of the “Decade When Evil Things Happened.”

This past decade started with 9/11 and climaxed with a financial catastrophe that still has us reeling. Hurricane Katrina struck with such ferocity the nation has not yet recovered. Many lost jobs and haven’t found new ones. Many lost their homes. Thousands lost their lives or limbs or hope in Iraq and Afghanistan. Our political leaders disappointed us and let us down. Enough already.

This is the season for peace and good will and for finding contentment in friends and family and the everyday things of life. So let’s look on the bright side for a few moments.

There has been a rebirth of volunteerism in America, of neighbors helping neighbors.

Stung by recession and lost paychecks, Americans are finding new satisfaction in doing without, making do, recycling and reevaluating what is important to us.

Despite unemployment and fear about the economy, there is a new appreciation for the environment and zeal for saving it.

Old prejudices are disappearing although they are not yet gone. We have an African American president, and a woman fought a credible battle for the presidency.

The greed that has been the hallmark of Wall Street has not gone away but some of its worst practitioners, such as Bernie Madoff, have been brought to their knees. We haven’t achieved good financial regulatory reform yet, but at least we’re working on it. Technological breakthroughs continue to astound us, particularly in the medical and digital and robotics fields. To scientists, this was the decade of the human genome, just the beginning of huge breakthroughs in biology.

Yes, our beloved newspapers are struggling and dying, but new ways of spreading information are evolving. Look at our grandparents’ astonishment at the iPod and the Internet!

Despite setbacks, with evidence this was the hottest decade on record, there is an even chance the world may figure out how to curtail carbon dioxide emissions before the catastrophic effects of global warming occur.

The myth that Americans don’t like work has been exploded. Americans love to work and, for the most part, like their jobs, especially the camaraderie.

The divorce rate in the United States has fallen to its lowest level since 1970. This may be a result of people living together and not marrying or staying together because of the economy, but a lower divorce rate is good news for children.

At the beginning of the decade, we waited with great apprehension for the computer world to crash as clocks rolled over, but the long-feared Y2K meltdown never happened. And therein lies a good lesson. Much of what we most fear never comes to pass, often because we can take steps to prevent it.

And perhaps that is the most important lesson of this past decade. We humans are awesome creatures, with the power to do great good and great evil. We got ourselves into a lot of bad stuff in recent years, but we also started figuring out solutions to some of our most vexing problems.

Many think that Americans lost their sense of can-do optimism in this “Decade from Hell,” as Time magazine dubbed it. Right now, it’s hard to find much good news in Washington, whether it’s the moribund agencies, the demoralized, angry halls of Congress or the desperate floundering in the White House.

But I am convinced that better days are coming. Christmas tree sales are up, reports The Wall Street Journal! Holiday light sales are booming! Despite all the grim news, Americans know that while we must be realistic, there is no point in dwelling on all the bad news all the time.

Those who can find joy in small things every day are the lucky ones.

[bongbong]

i think they say this about every decade