2000-2009 What defined the decade for you?
 

Aside from TFP being part of the decade and me meeting many friends across continents here, the most defining point of the Naughts that affected me greatly is 9/11. It affects me as I travel around the country and overseas. I live in a city that now has a incredible system video cameras that cover most of the areas that I live and work in.

Aside from that, this was the decade of technology. The 90's only laid the foundation, this decade was where it was built upon. This is why we have things like Hulu, YouTube, and iPhone.It is in my opinion that this decade lays the groundwork for what will be incredible computing power for future computing worlds.

I don't think that we've even scratched the surface.

I'm noticing lately that my conception of a thing being "current" versus "old" depends on whether that thing happened before or after September 2001.

I picked up a book a couple months ago--some political terrorism thriller from the late eighties--and had to put it down about fifty pages into it. The big scary thing they were trying to prevent was so trivial compared to 9/11. I just couldn't get worked up about it the way the main characters were. I think I realized at that point just how much the world changed that day.

This was an odd decade. Maybe I'm just getting older and have lost touch with modern pop culture but I can't think of anything that really defines this decade in the sense of culture (fashion, music, ect).

So I would have to agree with the OP to me this decade was really defined by the war on terror and the Bush years. To me it seems that in the last 10 years you couldn't turn around without discussing/seeing something about the war, Bush, 9/11 and the controversy of it all. Not to mention the way its changed so much of the world around us from travel to global politics. Its funny, when 9/11 happened (I was 21) my boss picked up a news paper, shook his head and said "Things are never going to be the same, you'll never now the same freedoms I've had as an adult in America" and walked away. At the time, probably being a little naive I thought America or the world for that matter would never change over something like 9/11, it just didn't seem that huge at the time to me for some reason. What a difference 10 years makes.

Speaking of 10 years I can't believe this decade flew by so quickly. I remember going into work on New Years day (same job as above) picking up a news paper and marveling over the date reading 2000! I just stared at it like I had stepped out of a time machine or something, I think I even saved it for awhile. That seems like it happened just like week I can't beleive that was actually 10 years ago. Wow.

No question, September 11, 2001 set the tone for the rest of the decade as did the invasions of Afghanistan and Iraq.

Personally, this decade is about personal change and growth as I started a new career and moved my family to the other side of the planet.

Personally, college and parenthood defined the decade.

Politically, the Bush administration.

Emotionally, steady growth.

9/11

as a western muslim of arab descent living in the middle east, my life, family and travel have been affected by this tragic event.

i can no longer enjoy the freedoms i wished i had because of my name, ethnicity and religion.

This decade is epitomized in the technology for me. It began with simple MUDs and the first 3d MMORPGs, 56k modems and 'cell phones' that had leather pouches and had to be hard-wired to your car. And it ended with internet-enabled cellphones and twitter and facebook and myspace and TFP and robotic vacuum cleaners and pure electric sports cars.

I really hope this generation goes down in the record books as the 'information age', ala the 'industrial revolution'.

Information Super High way First Tools
 

Its really the instruments or hardware that you need to transport the software which contains the knowledge -transcripts of data; so this past ten years was producing the hard ware that bounds to deliver. At the same time we had Apple based on OS X and Windows Vista competing for Global market

Dot com crash, investors & speculators switched to housing and oil, people ended up not wanting to pay $400k for a house that was 150k at the beginning of the decade, economy crashed in certain areas, Obama gets elected.

For me it was a good decade, I graduated college, got a job, traveled the world, and saved some money.

The decade in general was a good one for me - a steady career climb with the accompanying standard of living boost - but the defining part of it has to be the past 16 months and the recession. It has put me out of work for well over a year, exhausted our savings, eliminated any possibility of comfortable retirement, and puts us just months away from being homeless. Even though my profession is reeling with over 50% unemployment, the few jobs that do come up all go to "recent graduates" to save money for the employers, and give them an excuse for age discrimination ("You're overqualified; we're looking for someone with less experience"). As it stands now, I was much better off in 1995 than I am now, 15 years later.

My life changed for the better in the middle of the decade. SO much happier than I ever was in the beginning. :) Major moves, across and down the US, major career changes (still in the works - in nursing school right now), and with someone I know I'll spend the rest of my life with. :) I don't know how things could get any better, unless I happen to win the lotto and/or HGTV's dream home giveaway. :D

i wouldn't like being in your shoes one bit. i dont know how i would manage if i were you. i get stereotyped enough being a white kid with long hair and tattered clothing. hang in there, man.

now, to the original post. i found a great woman. the only difference we have is that shes a vegan and im a ravenous carnivore. we've had maybe 2 arguments in the past 4 years. i could care less about anything else. (that may not be true if i sit and dwell on the question.)

In 2001 I noticed my health declining. A slow steady decline. I'm quite weak now.
Good news is (for me) I'm on welfare and have good health insurance.

and to think matters couldnt get worse...

whats' happened in the last few weeks has almost certainly affected my immediate travel arrangements ... if you only had any idea. FML

...but thanks for the moral support dude.

Without a doubt it was September 11th and the war on terror. I also think the explosion of social networking on the web and handheld PDA's/mp3 players was a big topic that has vastly changed how people interact these days.

The bubbles defined the decade for me... the bubbles bursting in the media, in politics, in housing, in the internet - all these bubbles - and I am sure we will find more.

Enrons, etc etc. - It's time to change the way we all do business - hopefully some people will learn from the past decade.

Finishing an undergraduate degree and marrying my sweetheart. It has been an incredible decade.

Undoubtedly the decade is summed up by what happened in the world of violence. The attack on the World Trade Center, the resulting curtailing of personal liberty across the world, the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, and the increased level of violence in many other countries (Sudan, Israel/Palestine, Chechenya, Pakistan, and so on).

Increased technology and decreased regulation throughout the western world led to an intense period of apparent financial stability from the late 90's to the mid 00's, and immense growth in personal wealth for an entire tier of the lower middle class, but sadly it was illusory and built on sand.

It's the decade that environmentalism came centre stage in many countries, that the majority of the world accepted global warming, and a minority accepted that it is probably caused by human activity.

I hope that the 00's will be seen as the decade that the world realises that just because you CAN, doesn't mean you SHOULD.

The worst election results of all time.

to me it really doesnt matter all that much. american foreign policy hasnt changed all that much..maybe shifted oh so slightly.

i have hopes, but thats exactly what they are

Dissonance.

9/11
The Internet becoming mainstream
Computers going from being somewhat useful to being a need for most people
Gas prices going apeshit

I think the big one is easily 9/11 though. When I think of history, I quite literally think of it as before 9/11 and after 9/11. That will stay with me for the rest of my life. American history is now split into two sections...before and after.