The 2010's: A Lookback/Retrospective

As we near the end of the 2010's, perhaps we could talk about how felt with our experiences in the decade. Perhaps talking about our favourite music, shows or books. Or, y'know, we could also talk about how shite it was

It actually seemed to start well with films like Inception, Scott Pilgrim, Argo, Dredd, The Raid, Hunger Games.

Some good music came out too that genuinely got me excited, like Chvrches, Macklemore, Lorde, Feist, Purity Ring, London Grammar.

Doctor Who started really great on Series 5.... if only I knew what was to come.

Even as late as 2017 I still remember cinema having the power to blow me away like Silence, Revenge, Blade Runner 2049.

But then The Last Jedi happened, and I have never had a horrible cinema experience like it. And to me that's where the joy of modern cinema died.

Politically it was one of the most horrible decades I've ever lived through. Lethal austerity cuts, rampant homelessness, the Tories still winning every election, ISIS setting up their evil, barbaric state and causing unGodly misery to its population, rampant and bloody terrorist attacks, the Cologne New Year attacks, the Saudi's unending war on Yemen, the left going insane, the street violence of Antifa, the worst possible choice between Hillary or Trump for president.

I don't think I've ever cried this much about the state of the world or lost this much hope in the future. Every year it all seemed to get worse and worse. This really was the decade where everything went horribly wrong, everything unravelled and some of the sickest extremists saw their chance to cause maximum misery and chaos.

From an entertainment stance, I'd say it started out great after the hollowness of the 2000s with some great films, music and NuWho looking like it was on the path to redemption but over time its slowly just degenerated to disinterest and at times disgust about how much it declined.

It's been a very odd decade.There have still been some good films and even a handful of decent TV shows but it does sometimes feel like the good is drowned out by the staggeringly inane, awful and brain-dead.
As for society... I have no words. The freaks have taken over governments and the media and are telling all the normal people that they're the weirdos. There are a few small signs that the 2020s might be an improvement, but I'm not holding my breath.

I don't want to rant on about his topic. Its bad for my mental health dwelling on the bad bits.

One stand out development has to be the recent decision to resurrect the American sitcom Frasier although that could be a poisoned chalice.

But that's more than offset by Chinbutt's NuWho and the shitfest that is BBC tvs "Woke of the Woke-Worlds".

Indrid Mercury wrote:From an entertainment stance, I'd say it started out great after the hollowness of the 2000s with some great films, music and NuWho looking like it was on the path to redemption but over time its slowly just degenerated to disinterest and at times disgust about how much it declined.

Have to disagree there about the hollowness of the entertainment of the 00s.

In terms of music Amy Winehouse is streets ahead of any artist to emerge in the 10s. She's the last truly iconic British singer, and Love is a Losing Game is IMO the most beautiful song of the past 30 years easy.

There were plenty of good singers in the 10s meanwhile. Florence Welch, Lady Gaga, Paloma Faith, and Emeli Sande.

A lot of these singers however began in the 2000s, though granted it was at the tail end of the 00s. I suppose you could say the golden age of eccentric British female singers, though kickstarted by Amy Winehouse in the late 00s really came into its own in the 10s.

Other than that little flourish of female singers however, the 10s has been a bit of a wasteland for entertainment.

There has been no Amy Winehouse, Beatles, Sex Pistols IE someone or something that comes along and kick starts off a new wave in music, and is the instant icon of this decade.

TV meanwhile has been the same. Game of Thrones and the Walking Dead are good, but I don't know if either has really had the impact of previous genre series. With say Buffy you can see the style it pioneered, Classic Who in the 60s you can see the immediate impact it had in making sci fi mainstream in the UK, but the modern shows? Granted it might be too early to tell, but I wouldn't say there was a particular 10s style to tv, like there is for previous decades.

In terms of films meanwhile there have been some inspired films as there is with every decade, but TBH I think the style of 10s films is very formulaic and dull like the MCU blockbusters and the numerous failed attempts at a shared universe they kicked off.

Added to that as many have pointed out the 10s has seen the total destruction of various classic franchises from DW to Star Wars.

Overall I'd say it has sadly been the worst decade for entertainment in living memory. Its contributed nothing really big, and destroyed past glories.

In terms of politics meanwhile well in some ways it has been worse. Certainly the tribalism that has infected political discourse is worse than ever before, the re-emergence of the very worst Ayn Rand style politics by cunts like Sargon of Akkad and Yaron Brook, with no proper left to dismantle their arguments, the revival of race realism is all worse than anything in the 00s.

That said however I do still think that George W Bush was the worst President of all time and he got in TWICE in the 00s. Still as Tanman pointed out, when your only options are Trump, a toupee wearing, ignorant, failed business man who whinges about how Sadiq Khan should focus on his own country, whilst wanting to take away our NHS, and Hillary Clinton a blood stained, rape enabling, war mongering psychopath its really not that much better.

Also the fact that the decade ends with a total rejection of socialist olicies and five more years of the fucking Tories is a far more depressing end than the 00s, where at least Gordon Brown and David Cameron where really no different.

I didn't get the first half of the year off to a good start on a personal level. I was in love with Nu Who to such an extent I was incredibly abusive towards other fans who hated it, and it got me chucked off forums like the Anorak Zone (you have to be a class-m prick to get thrown off a forum full of a-class ones)

Then I had my mental breakdown, coping with depressing and endless hospital stints, I wound up on medications I use to this very day.

Comics, a medium I very much enjoyed for a lot of my childhood and twenties, began getting bleaker and bleaker, offering no light-hearted enjoyment. We had ghastly stories like Civil War II, Superior Spider-Man, Original Sin, the post-Morrison New 52 Superman, and anything from the X-Men..and let's say nothing of the all-new/all-different era of Marvel from 2015 to 2017 which brought the company to record creative and fiscal lows as they embraced the radical left and toxic feminism.

Things finally improved, starting with DC's Rebirth in 2016, and Marvel recovering in 2018 and bringing in a golden age for Spider-Man that hadn't been seen since 2005, coupled with the satisfactory endings to Kirkman's Invincible, Walking Dead, and the ASM Newspaper strip.

Television I began watching far less of in favour of getting back to my first loves of reading and writing, I got Netflix but struggle to sit through anything on it. I mostly watched reruns classic who, power rangers, knight rider, MST3K and inspector gadget on 24/7 twitch streams, as well as Trek and Who fanfilms on Youtube, along with Dankula's entertaining Mad Lads series on IRL lolcows.

As someone who champions equality for males and females, it dismayed me to find just how badly modern feminist politics have seemingly sent us back several steps in regards to evolution. A day I'd long been waiting for, the rise to prominence of diversity, resembles little of what younger me had envisioned for the world, there is an arrogance and adolescence to the movement that is just as bad as anything thrown at them by the alt-right, but as much as they think they have all the power, it is the people that will continue to reject their forceful and dictator-like mission statement...this decade has only ignited a spark of resistance, not hope.

I haven't bothered with much music beyond a comeback for Rick Astley and could not tell you what day, month or year it is in that field.

With movies, I watch mostly franchise flicks, and even that I find wanting. Marvel are far too wholesome and largely risk-free to be interesting , DC are getting better with fun outings in Wonder Woman, Aquaman and Shazam, and their success with Joker just shows there is little to fault for their edginess when it's used for the right characters. (hint: don't try to turn Superman into this)

As we close out the decade, I still retain a fondness for Nu Who but am more accepting that it can be shit and more appreciative of people going against it. I condemn modern feminism and pray this whole "OK boomer" movement doesn't create new wave ageism

Zarius wrote:I was incredibly abusive towards other fans who hated it, and it got me chucked off forums like the Anorak Zone (you have to be a class-m prick to get thrown off a forum full of a-class ones)

I do remember you being quite a dick back then, but I don't know if I buy your characterization of the Zone.

The guy who runs the place can be a horrendous bully, and there are a few people besides me who've also fallen out with him (despite being of usually sound temperament) because of his paranoid personality problems, petty-mindedness and love of inflaming and prodding things.

From what I've seen of the Zone itself since, it seems to be the same clique and the same party tricks, and hasn't really grown as a forum.

Tanmann wrote:

Zarius wrote:I was incredibly abusive towards other fans who hated it, and it got me chucked off forums like the Anorak Zone (you have to be a class-m prick to get thrown off a forum full of a-class ones)

I do remember you being quite a dick back then, but I don't know if I buy your characterization of the Zone

Everyone there has calmed down a lot since then admittedly, that was just my takeaway from the place at the time. I'd even kind of call their behaviour back then pretty tame compared to other corners since then, Youtube in particular.

burrunjor wrote:

Indrid Mercury wrote:From an entertainment stance, I'd say it started out great after the hollowness of the 2000s with some great films, music and NuWho looking like it was on the path to redemption but over time its slowly just degenerated to disinterest and at times disgust about how much it declined.

Have to disagree there about the hollowness of the entertainment of the 00s.

I was actually meant to say television shows and said music by accident.

The 2000's had some great musicians and bands like Amy Winehouse, The Killers, Kaiser Chiefs and Snow Patrol to name a few but none of the others I hold to the same affection as previous decades.

Tanmann wrote:

Zarius wrote:I was incredibly abusive towards other fans who hated it, and it got me chucked off forums like the Anorak Zone (you have to be a class-m prick to get thrown off a forum full of a-class ones)

I do remember you being quite a dick back then, but I don't know if I buy your characterization of the Zone.

The guy who runs the place can be a horrendous bully, and there are a few people besides me who've also fallen out with him (despite being of usually sound temperament) because of his paranoid personality problems, petty-mindedness and love of inflaming and prodding things.

From what I've seen of the Zone itself since, it seems to be the same clique and the same party tricks, and hasn't really grown as a forum.

All it takes to get thrown off the Zone is to not agree with everything he says, and point out when he's being a fucking hypocrite. The butt-hurt gets especially sore if you use the same kind of "humour as attack" in return.

iank wrote:All it takes to get thrown off the Zone is to not agree with everything he says, and point out when he's being a fucking hypocrite. The butt-hurt gets especially sore if you use the same kind of "humour as attack" in return.

Oh absolutely.

He's perfectly happy to dish it out, but the moment anyone gives some back, without presidential authority signed in triplicate, he's suddenly not playing anymore.

He gets like a dog with a bone about the weirdest, pickiest of things too. And he can be a manipulative little twist when he wants to claim a triumph before getting ban-happy.

Not been on AZ for donkeys years, but it's possibly the most sycophantic forum I've ever been on. 'The Rak' is clearly a legend in his own mind and the place is cliquey as the word could ever be.
As for the decade, I'll come back to that later.

Ronnie wrote:Not been on AZ for donkeys years, but it's possibly the most sycophantic forum I've ever been on.  'The Rak' is clearly a legend in his own mind and the place is cliquey as the word could ever be.

It certainly wouldn't surprise me if he turned out to have narcissistic personality disorder.

No doubt anyone who wasn't so sycophantic to him was gradually gotten rid of over the years.

My life has been a bit of disaster since the decade began. I had a fairly good time in the 00s despite the loss of my father and being frequently ostracised by my peers

2010 was the year I started high school which was probably the worst experience of my life. Things began to stable a bit in 2015 when I had a thoroughly enjoyable year at college. I had friends, I was considered one of the best students in the class and I even went on a nice date with a chick I liked. 2016 was a return to form as I became depressed and got a low mark on my Final Major Project which resulted in me being put in Level 2 instead of Level 3 for the following year. I dropped out in December of 2016 and things have been fairly low key since. I recently lost my part time job and I still have a porn problem, but at least I've got my health. The 20s is very important to me as it's a chance for me to completely forget about my past defeats of the previous decade and make a new start. I don't see television or movies improving, but I'm more into books and my own fictional stories now anyway and I would like to start going out more and exploring the countryside rather than watch television. 

The 2000s is a decade I've become very fond of despite it never really hitting the heights of the 80s or the 90s.  The Killers, Franz Ferdinand, Muse and The Noisettes are still some of my favourite bands and I enjoy movies such as Romeo Must Die, Finding Nemo, Rocky Balboa, Monsters, Inc. and The Final Shot as much as some of my older favourites. I really don't have much to say about this decade's entertainment. I find most of what I've seen to be rather alienating. Last Blood was a nice surprise, though.

Yes, on a personal level, I'd say the 2010s were actually not bad for me (ironic given how bad everything else is). The 2000s were bloody awful on a personal level, but the 2010s have been relatively peaceful, I've been able to make a (meagre) living from home all decade long, moved interstate and generally it's been fairly pleasant. The 90s, aside from the first couple of years, were pretty shit and the 2000s were even worse so on that level the 2010s have actually been a big improvement.
Shame everything else sucks!

The 00s were much better for me because I hadn't heard anything by Olivia Newton John.

I have to say all things considered I think we can count Lady Gaga as the best singer of the 2010's and the musical icon of that decade.

Whilst she may have started at the very tail end of the 00s, it was really the 2010s she came into her own. Also whilst she might have initially grown out of the Amy Winehouse wave of female singers, I think she has definitely grown beyond that.

Gaga is fit to stand among the all time greats. She has her own unique style, she has had a definite influence on other musicians (and will most likely continue too.) A lot of her best stuff holds up ten years on, and in terms of talent she is a great song writer, vocalist, and has a tremendous range.

It annoys me when tits like Paul Joseph Watson make out that she is just a third rate pop singer.

Sh can do pop, jazz, soul, country and western, power ballads, fun, sexy songs, sad, heartbreaking songs, and she has done duets with people as diverse as Tony Bennett and Beyonce!

See here.









All of this is before we get into the fact that she is a great actress too, having given stellar performances in American Horror Story and A Star Is Born. Gaga is really the big icon of this decade and will continue to be seen as such in decades to come.  Of course I hope the big nosed goddess continues to do more great work in the decades to come, but certainly I think we can say she was the best thing musically of the 10s.

She is pretty good.

I forgot about the Cobra Kai series. That is the greatest thing to come out of the 10s by an absolute fucking mile. As good as any show could possibly be. Still, if it wasn't for a successful 80s movie series it wouldn't even exist. The 80s is essentially the mastermind behind the greatest piece of entertainment of the 10s

An interesting mix of personal and cultural accounts on this thread, along with the occasional infomercial about people's favourite artists.

I honestly can't tell you where most of this decade has gone, or whether I really even care. Going back in time - and up until the mid 10s - I was probably the most prolific poster on the forum. Not that I gave a shit, but it was good for letting out my anger and frustrations about the world, as well as being a bit of fun in the process.

But the forum changed and so did I. A lot of the big characters moved on with their lives, and most of the super-trolls had been so thoroughly rinsed that later incarnations of this place became incredibly circular in their content. I became tired of seeing the same old recycled crap and the same polls popping up. To compound this feeling of disconnection, I found myself ground down by the seemingly endless mediocrity of the new show. I felt I'd seen it all, and that what I had seen and treasured was being sullied and smeared in some kind of televisual dirty protest.

I felt disengaged with something I used to truly love. The rise of streaming services and some of the finer content being produced convinced me that NuWho was actually some kind of sick joke; a pastiche of the old show produced by people who felt a sense of shame about the original to the point they wanted trash it by sending up its trappings, and by despoiling it with levels of melodrama, politicking and slapstick that would ultimately transform it into Sci-Farce.

The forum seems to have perked up for the good, there are a lot of prolific posters here now producing mountainous posts, replete with tidy opinions and no shortage of complete bullshit. But I guess one man's bullshit is another man's cue for lavish approbation.

Truth is, I'm exhausted. I can still start a fire but don't have the energy to fan the flames or blast everybody to smithereens any more. It's driven by a toxic cocktail of depression, nihilism and sheer indifference to everything. I used to want to engage with the world, its culture, people, politics and beauty, but I'm close to being done with everything.

That's what the last 10 years has meant to me. Existential meaninglessness.

Boofer wrote:An interesting mix of personal and cultural accounts on this thread, along with the occasional infomercial about people's favourite artists.

I honestly can't tell you where most of this decade has gone, or whether I really even care. Going back in time - and up until the mid 10s - I was probably the most prolific poster on the forum. Not that I gave a shit, but it was good for letting out my anger and frustrations about the world, as well as being  a bit of fun in the process.

But the forum changed and so did I. A lot of the big characters moved on with their lives, and most of the super-trolls had been so thoroughly rinsed that later incarnations of this place became incredibly circular in their content. I became tired of seeing the same old recycled crap and the same polls popping up. To compound this feeling of disconnection, I found myself ground down by the seemingly endless mediocrity of the new show. I felt I'd seen it all, and that what I had seen and treasured was being sullied and smeared in some kind of televisual dirty protest.

I felt disengaged with something I used to truly love. The rise of streaming services and some of the finer content being produced convinced me that NuWho was actually some kind of sick joke; a pastiche of the old show produced by people who felt a sense of shame about the original to the point they wanted trash it by sending up its trappings, and by despoiling it with levels of melodrama, politicking and slapstick that would ultimately transform it into Sci-Farce.

The forum seems to have perked up for the good, there are a lot of prolific posters here now producing mountainous posts, replete with tidy opinions and no shortage of complete bullshit. But I guess one man's bullshit is another man's cue for lavish approbation.

Truth is, I'm exhausted. I can still start a fire but don't have the energy to fan the flames or blast everybody to smithereens any more. It's driven by a toxic cocktail of depression, nihilism and sheer indifference to everything. I used to want to engage with the world, its culture, people, politics and beauty, but I'm close to being done with everything.  

That's what the last 10 years has meant to me. Existential meaninglessness.

That's what I feel. All the time. And doesn't it drive you mad? Come here, I think you need a Doctor.

Boofer wrote:An interesting mix of personal and cultural accounts on this thread, along with the occasional infomercial about people's favourite artists.

I honestly can't tell you where most of this decade has gone, or whether I really even care. Going back in time - and up until the mid 10s - I was probably the most prolific poster on the forum. Not that I gave a shit, but it was good for letting out my anger and frustrations about the world, as well as being  a bit of fun in the process.

But the forum changed and so did I. A lot of the big characters moved on with their lives, and most of the super-trolls had been so thoroughly rinsed that later incarnations of this place became incredibly circular in their content. I became tired of seeing the same old recycled crap and the same polls popping up. To compound this feeling of disconnection, I found myself ground down by the seemingly endless mediocrity of the new show. I felt I'd seen it all, and that what I had seen and treasured was being sullied and smeared in some kind of televisual dirty protest.

I felt disengaged with something I used to truly love. The rise of streaming services and some of the finer content being produced convinced me that NuWho was actually some kind of sick joke; a pastiche of the old show produced by people who felt a sense of shame about the original to the point they wanted trash it by sending up its trappings, and by despoiling it with levels of melodrama, politicking and slapstick that would ultimately transform it into Sci-Farce.

The forum seems to have perked up for the good, there are a lot of prolific posters here now producing mountainous posts, replete with tidy opinions and no shortage of complete bullshit. But I guess one man's bullshit is another man's cue for lavish approbation.

Truth is, I'm exhausted. I can still start a fire but don't have the energy to fan the flames or blast everybody to smithereens any more. It's driven by a toxic cocktail of depression, nihilism and sheer indifference to everything. I used to want to engage with the world, its culture, people, politics and beauty, but I'm close to being done with everything.  

That's what the last 10 years has meant to me. Existential meaninglessness.

In all seriousness, I'm already done with everything and I'm only 20. I'm constantly pining for a period I never experienced and looking for a way out without going to the extreme lengths of killing myself. I fuel my porn addiction so I become trapped in a trance-like state where nothing outside my little bubble matters. This is particularly dangerous when everything in real life starts to mount up and I have to eventually face it. I fear living and I fear dying. I'm really sorry you feel the way you do, Boofer. The belief that my life is being heavily scrutinised by an unseen entity and that if I persist on making the same mistakes I will be punished severely in the afterlife has turned me into a bit of a nervous wreck. The line between what's right and what's wrong has become blurred to me. This forum has helped me through a lot and if it disappeared tomorrow forever I would be absolutely devastated.