obviously there’s the confound of having been young. but i’d say no, despite some material improvements, life was broadly better in 1992, it was a calmer, more hopeful, more directly sociable time. (i might weigh things differently if i were eg trans, though.)

what do you think? https://t.co/XVij8YFsSi

— Steve Randy Waldman (@interfluidity) August 17, 2022

Agreed. Life was better in 1992, for most people, even black people. Exceptions are gay and trans people, depending on location.

Reasons:

1) People were more open/sociable generally.
2) Prudishness was far lower; the left had not moved to sex-hating Puritanism.
3) Welfare had not yet been eviscerated.
4) Republicans had not gone full fascist ghoul.
5) Identity politics had not yet destroyed any possibility of factional unification.
6) Riot Grrrls!
7) Surveillance was still extremely minimal.
8) Corporate monopolies didn’t exist to the same extent.
9) Computers still did what you told them to do.
10) It was a time of very high optimimism that pervaded the entire culture; much more pleasant to live that way.

Not that everything was perfect then. But many things were a lot better, and are continuing to worsen even now.