Generation Watch: 1990s vs. 2000s

This table compares the 1990s with the 2000s in politics and culture, in an effort to find a turning point between an Unraveling era and a Crisis era. What is seen is mostly linear trends, with notable exceptions in war and election politics as a result of the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001. But many phenomena that suggest a brewing Crisis mentality - such as fear of terrorism, anti-immigrant sentiment, backlash against free trade agreements, and decency restrictions in media - are actually extensions of trends that began in the previous decade.

Factor	Roaring '90s	Raging 2000s	Difference
*Presidential elections*	Voter apathy, Third party showing	Voter hysteria, Record turnout, Election fraud charges	Shift from uncaring to intensely caring electorate
*Dominant political factions*	Conservative Republicans and moderate Democrats	Conservative Republicans and moderate Republicans	Where’d you go, Democrats?
*Budget*	Surplus	Deficits	Era of big government is back
*Economy*	Tech bubble	Housing bubble	Follow the money
*Tax cuts for the rich*	You bet!	You bet!	-->
*Military intervention*	Iraq, Balkans, Somalia	Afghanistan, Iraq	Ground troops, total commitment, willingness to sustain casualties
*Culture wars*	Take over politics	Reach boiling point	-->
*Anti-terrorism legislation*	1996 Antiterrorism Act	PATRIOT Act, Department of Homeland Security	-->
*Anti-immigrant backlash*	1996 Illegal Immigration Reform and Immigrant Responsibility Act	Minuteman Project, Home Depot stakeouts, troops on border (HR 1986)	-->
*Trade policy*	NAFTA, backlash against NAFTA	CAFTA, backlash against CAFTA	-->
*Communications policy*	Telecommunications Act of 1996, Communications Decency Act of 1996 (struck down by Supreme Court)	Preserving Innovation in Telecom Act of 2005, Broadcast Decency Enforcement Act of 2005	-->
*Social Security reform*	Nope	Not really	-->
*Healthcare reform*	Clinton boondoggle fails	More desperate than ever	-->
*Environmentalism*	Assaulted by right as anti-freedom	Joining with right (embraced by Evangelicals, moderate Republicans)	Coming of age as movement
*Labor unrest*	UPS, Hotel worker, Boeing strikes	SoCal grocery chain strike	-->
*Pop culture*	Corporatized packaged rebellion	The silliness continues	-->
*Internet*	Web sites, Free Republic, lots of porn	Blogs, Democratic Underground, porn gets a domain	-->