Agreed, the 90s marked a major improvement (and expansion, thanks to cable) in television compared to prior decades. Children’s television in particular flourished, especially educational programs. I’d consider it a stepping-stone era, however, as like I said things improved substantially again in the following decade.
I want to disagree, but the reality is that most TV shows from the 90s and before have aged pretty poorly (certainly way worse than movies of the same age have). There are a few reasons for this, but I think the big three are: TV used to be lower budget and lower prestige (going from being a movie actor to a TV actor was shameful), TV had to be episodic due to the nature of broadcast (this improved once TiVo entered the scene, but it was streaming that really made multi-episode storytelling possible), TV episodes were extremely exact in their length (had to stick to the broadcast schedule, which sometimes caused major pacing problems).
Sci-fi TV especially seems to have aged terribly. Part of that is it used to be a niche genre that did not get the resources it needed to not come off at least a little campy, but I suspect the biggest issue is that of audience: shows like Star Trek or X-Files tried to have mass appeal in a way that TV nowadays doesn’t need to. I think Firefly’s (eventual) success really helped the genre turn a corner, and subsequent hits like BSG showed that “serious” sci-fi was feasible on the TV model. These two series also really ratcheted up viewer expectations for what “good” sci-fi TV should be.
I appreciate the classics like TNG for keeping certain franchises alive and the genre as a whole stumbling along until it could really hit its stride in the '00s, and I do think the shows have some watch value even today, but honestly most of it is rooted in nostalgia and historic importance.
Sixth grade. We had to write a research essay on an assigned history topic. Because many of the students had never written a long research paper before the teacher had us just submit the intro paragraph for review before writing the rest of the essay (which in retrospect is a terrible way to teach kids how to write a paper). I went to the library, did a ton of reading, and wrote an intro paragraph that was entirely my own words but stylistically heavily inspired by the various reference books on the topic.
After submitting the intro paragraph the teacher called me into a separate room to privately review it. She kindly but cautiously said that this introduction was very well written, but did I actually write it myself or did I copy it from a book I read? I smiled big and, butsting with pride, exclaimed, “I wrote it entirely by myself!” Because what better compliment in sixth grade than having the teacher consider your work so good that it was suspected of being plagiarized from something an adult wrote and published? Apparently my response was so obviously proud and glowing, without a hint of shame or guilt, that all suspicions were instantly dropped.
I feel like Apple is easier for people who aren’t tech-literate, but actually way harder than Windows/Android for those that are.
I’m one of those millennials who grew up with computers and feels pretty comfortable with technology. I had a near breakdown one night in college when I was in the computer lab trying to edit a video for a project that was due the next day (language class, not tech-related). The file wasn’t exporting correctly and the help staff had gone home for the day so I had to troubleshoot the issue on my own. I was using an Apple computer despite being way more familiar with Windows because it was the only computer with the video editing software I needed installed. I thought perhaps the problem was there wasn’t enough space on the hard drive for the file to export (this was back when all but the most souped-up hard drives had pathetic capacity). It was late at night so there were no help staff available, and I’m about to lose my shit because after twenty minutes of searching I cannot for the life of me figure out how to look up the remaining space available on the hard drive (or any useful info on the hard drive for that matter). Somehow even my typically sharp Google-fu was completely failing me. I don’t even know how many times I instinctually tried right-clicking on that stupid Apple mouse just to be like, oh right, Apple doesn’t even trust their users to have both a left AND right-click button. A few years later I got an iPhone because Android wasn’t a thing yet in the country where I was living (or my provider didn’t support it, I don’t quite remember). It felt like the same situation: what I had access to was easy, but trying to break past the dummy-proofing to do any advanced customization was basically impossible. Frustratingly the thing also started crapping out on me after less than three years, so I replaced it with an android and never looked back.
As someone who watched Haruhi back when it was originally broadcast, it’s amazing that people are still discussing the series seventeen years later. In an era when an anime’s impact seems to only last a single season before the fandom moves on, this is especially impressive. Haruhi deserves to stick around, if for no other reason than its historic value; it’s difficult to describe to younger fans just what an impact the anime made on the scene when it dropped.
I don’t personally know many people who are Gen Z (I’m a Millennial, and most people I know are Millennials, Xers, or Boomers). So most of what I “know” of Zoomers comes from things I’ve read, either social media conversations like this one or news articles/thought pieces. The impression I’ve gleaned from those is that Zoomers are not frugal: they’re Apple customers, chronic online shoppers (often for products like fast fashion that are individually cheap but quickly add up), and are spending big on experiences like travel and concerts. For example, another comment in the thread asserts that “[Zoomers] needlessly spend more money than their older generation counterparts [on technology because they replace rather than repair].”
Now I take these types of demographic assumptions with a grain of salt, especially having witnessed all the nonsense articles and conclusions made about my generation. However there is some logic behind the explanations I’ve heard for why Zoomers are spenders rather than savers. Such as, perhaps Zoomers are more focused on living (and spending) in the moment given their experience being deprived during their formative years that happened to fall during covid lockdowns. Perhaps Zoomers spend more frivolously because why bother save for a bleak future (“go ahead and splurge a little: it’s not like you’ll ever afford a house either way!” or “In the 21st century you can do everything ‘right’ and still easily end up failing, so why bother following the ‘right’ path?”) Perhaps it’s because we’ve created a world (at least in the US) where people are lonelier than ever and everything costs money: you can’t even hang out at the mall for free anymore because the mall was torn down last year, so you either spend money at another “3rd space” like a coffee shop, or you try to fill an emotional hole by purchasing things to make being stuck at home all the time more bearable (especially if you’re still living with your parents because you can’t afford to move out). Perhaps it’s because there’s more addictive stuff to spend money on that’s targeted at youth, like online streamers and pay-to-play games. Again I don’t know if any of this is true, but IMO it at least passes the sniff test.
However your comment asserts the opposite of what I’ve heard, so I was curious where you got your info from, especially since it’s presumably based in some kind of research if it was part of a work report. Did you survey Zoomers asking about their spending habits? Did you analyze credit card data? Etc.
I can’t speak to its reception with film critics, but the word of mouth opinions I heard were very positive. It was also nominated for a number of Oscars.
Agreed, the novelty of anime was a huge draw for me as well (especially since at the time there weren’t any anime-influenced Western cartoons). There are of course still standouts in anime that were revolutionary at the time and have since aged well (such as NGE and Cowboy Bebop, both of which are now over two decades old). There are also a few series that maybe weren’t masterpieces but still feel unique, as well as a handful that are cultural behemoths in and of themselves (like Gundam). But as with all media, the more you consume the more patterns emerge until the whole medium starts to feel tired.
There’s a fan recut that takes all the time skip scenes and puts them in chronological order that’s much more straightforward. Personally I can’t imagine watching it that way, but I also refuse to acknowledge The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya except in broadcast order. There’s definitely a large contingent that prefer both these media in chronological order though, so you’re not alone.
I definitely struggled suspending disbelief when they wasted all that time on the time-slowed tsunami planet when it was really obvious before they even landed that it was not going to work out. Definitely felt like they decided to check on the planet in person solely because the script writer thought it would be a cool astrophysics concept to show off. And like, it was definitely a neat planet, but it also definitely felt like smart people being inexplicably stupid.
[Gen Z] have a strong focus on saving and responsible spending and are quite frugal.
I feel like the general stereotype is the opposite, that they’re big spenders without much regard for saving (or at least they’re spending what they can given their broke-youngster financial situation). I’m curious why you say the opposite is true?
Find an activity you can do outside every (or nearly every) day, or for an extended time on weekends. The cold and/or snow (and/or rain depending on your climate) will make you want to shun the outdoors but that’s the trap. An activity that gets you moving is best IMO because it will help you keep warm, but proper clothes are really the key.
I personally like force-myself-outside activities that are easily replicable, like a run or walk of a set distance at a set time so it’s just part of my everyday schedule, making it harder to welch. If you can do it first thing in the morning all the better: there’s research indicating that early morning sunlight exposure–even through cloud cover–is important in winter. Whatever the activity it doesn’t have to be long; ten minutes outside daily is better than zero minutes, but I’d recommend 15-30 minutes if you can swing it. Even sitting outside on a porch or front stoop with warm clothes and a warm drink while you read the news or do your morning social media check-in or whatever helps.
Conversely if everyday activities don’t work for you or your situation, pick up a new hobby that’s winter-oriented like ice fishing or snow shoeing or cross-country skiing (a lot of the equipment for this type of thing can be rented so you can try out a variety). I’m more of a hiking person myself, which is truly the best year-round activity and requires minimal gear (although in winter proper clothing really makes a difference, especially base layers). The key is making sure to do that activity for several hours at least once a week, and finding something that you enjoy and doesn’t feel like a chore.
However don’t underestimate the power of moving. I don’t mean full snow-birding it down to Arizona or Florida: even places with a proper four seasons can differ dramatically from each other, and finding one that fits you (and facilitates getting outdoors more) can make a world of difference. I’m in the Pacific Northwest, and a lot of people would hate the long, dark, rainy winters, but it’s a lot easier to go on daily walks and runs on wet pavement than icy pavement so it works for me (plus it’s green here all year and you can garden year-round to a small degree). I really struggled living places where the air hurt my face, so cold but dry also works for getting me outside more. I know moving for the weather sounds petty, but why live somewhere that you hate for half the year?