The 2000s: The Due-Paying, Ass-Kicking Years
Man, that was a craptacular decade.
Not that it didn’t have its moments. Loved how the election of 2008 turned out and that. Was. About. It.
I spent most of 2000-2009 as a broke vagabond writer surviving heartbreak, divorce and other life-altering altercations as I spun-kicked my way through living in St. Louis, Midland, TX, Bakersfield, Calif., St. Louis again and then, finally Washington, D.C. – my city of dreams. All I had to do was go through hell and not manage to engulf myself in the flames of self-loathing as I worked as an underpaid journalism serf. But it was worth it to now be living the dream. (Thanks, readers. You’re the awesome.)
Apparently though, I’m not the only one who thought this decade of war, terrorism, 9/11, more war, Katrina, economic collapse, Enron, high gas prices, meth lab explosions, inflation, the destruction of the black middle class, generalized disaster and the Bush-Cheney Administration was horrid.
Gawker, quite proudly, reported last week that the double-aughts were doing worse than Dick Cheney when it comes to popularity.
From Gawker:
According to Pew, 50% of Americans polled have a generally negative view of the decade that is currently limping to its miserable end. Dick Cheney left office with only 44% of people viewing him "unfavorably."
42% of Americans thought, in 2008 (in December!), that they were "undecided or hadn't heard enough" about a man who shot his friend in the face and then made him apologize for it, and of whom it can be said that that might not crack the top ten worst things he did in office.
So for me, up until about May this year, the 2000s were and will probably forever be known as the decade of the Giant Suck, aka “My 20s.” Here’s to 2010! Let’s end it on something from the last decade that I thought was the worst decade of my young life: The Money-Making, Everybody Hates Me Because High School Is Another Word for Hell 90s!
How will you remember the double-aughts?
the snob 
Reader Comments (16)
i enjoyed the 2000's strictly for selfish reasons
LOL.
I agree, they were pretty sucktacular, despite one or two highlights. Looking forward to the 20-teens.
The aughts sucked for me. Bring on the teens.
2005 was the pinnacle of awful for me. It was THE worst year EVAR!!! Things gradually got better and this year, for me, was the best of the 2000s, can't wait for the next ten years.
My son was born in 2003, and is seriously the best thing in my life, so I just can't hate on this decade.
(Been reading a couple months. First comment here Hi!)
the aughts were nie on terrible, and 2009 the worst of the bunch -- plague, fire, death, poverty (and that's just my family).
Bring on 2010, I'm ready!
I'm not sure I would recognize the life I was living 10 years ago! I moved to DC just before that decade began & life has been on the come up every since. Hope the area is as fortuitous for you as it has been for me.
Yes, it was a rough going there with single parenthood, workaholism and heartbreakS but it was also filled with my princess sweetums, meaningful employment, and passions. A friend sent me an email fwd of life lessons & one really sums it up for me:
Life isn't fair, but it's still good.
Happy Peaceful Prosperous Blessed Purposeful and Passionate New Year to All Snobs!!!
I couldn't have said it better... Next year has to be better. Good Luck!
I lost people I loved, but I also have the three little people I love more than life now so all in all I guess it's fair.
On the whole, I gotta say this decade was pretty crappy. It had it's good moments, afterall, it was a 10-year period.
2009 was a pretty awful year for me; my health was in decline.
The '00's, overall, were ok; the best thing for me is that I met my life partner and we are still going strong. Another good thing is that I discovered several cool blogs -- this one being one of them -- that I love and usually visit every day.
I have faith that a new year, and decade, will bring BETTER for us all.
Blesings to all for 2010!
The Noughties decade sucked bad but at least some very great fashions and looks came out of it! Thank you Vogue! But No Thanks to Vogue for whitening up all of modelling and magazine images!
At midnight on January 1, 2000, I stood in a field, wrote down my barriers on a piece of paper, and burned it to symbolize my losing those barriers in the new millennium. Although I have progressed in some ways, these 10 years can best be characterized as a very slow walk towards that progress. Based on my unofficial, unscientific research into my family tree, this was the decade I officially became "over the hill". I like to think that gravity will start acting on me now, so that I'm running down the other side, knocking over barriers and achieving goals left and right.
To that end, I'm about to put this quote on my office wall, which is attributed to Hunter S. Thompson: "Life should not be a journey to the grave with the intention of arriving safely in a pretty and well preserved body, but rather to skid in broadside in a cloud of smoke, thoroughly used up, totally worn out, and loudly proclaiming 'Wow! What a ride!’"
The decade for me was pretty mundane. Nothing really jumps out other than working on a Master's and being steadily employed (w/ low pay!) for most of the period. Health, finances, and general sanity in tact along with family were other high points. Now, if I based it on any form of relationships with the opposite sex, it was outright nonexistent as compared to the '90s. We shall see with the '10s...
Worst decade ever. In the 90's I had a job...I was married, I had friends...I had a social life. Then the 2000's came. Got laid off in 2008 due to the Bush economy, I lost too many friends to marriage and eventually they moved to other states.I had to get divorced because my ex-wife had a gambling problem. I was dianosed with Diabetes, and found out my best friend was HIV+. My great aunt passed away in 2002, my father passed away in 2006 and my aunt just passed 2 weeks before this past Christmas. When I say the aughts was the worst decade ever....I mean THE WORST. But it's a new year and a new decade and I'll be damned if I let the events of the past 10 years keep me down.
Totally agree Danielle. This was my Middle School, HS, and College decade--and yes, HS is another term for hell. I've been homeless, friendless, listless, abused, ignored, undervalued, under-appreciated, smacked down, broken-up.....this decade was not good. Not good.