Why Everyone Was So Optimistic in the 1990s

If you look at various surveys, Americans feel grim about the state of the economy. But even outside of the economy itself, you see negative readings for faith in various American institutions. Pessimism seems to be in right now, at least on a societal level. But it wasn't always this way. In the 1990s, we were between the Cold War and the War on Terror. The stock market boomed through much of the decade. Optimism was in. So what was that like, and then how did it come to an abrupt end in the early years of the new millennium? On this episode, we speak to Colette Shade, author of the new book Y2K: How the 2000s Became Everything, about this time period in America, what stood out, and what is relevant today. This transcript has been lightly edited for clarity.

Key insights from the pod:
Why write the book — 7:05
The optimism of the 1990s — 10:34
Feelings of wealth in the ‘90s — 12:43
Culture as downstream of big forces — 14:52
The new VW Beetle versus the SUV — 21:00
The McBling aesthetic — 27:22
McMansions and subprime — 30:14
Differences between tech and subprime bubbles — 31:59