Argo Online

By Sunni Lal

When the 21st century finally starts to appear in history books, it will undoubtedly be known as a turning point in history. From the Internet melting barriers between countries to the election of the first black president, this decade encompasses ingenious creation and societal evolution. Don’t forget the 9/11 attack, which brought terror within the government and unquestionably threw America off of its pedestal of seeming supremacy. And the confusing, purposeless war of Iraq, which brought the country against red-neck Bush, and left our already suffering economy in even greater turmoil. How do we classify this decade, full of remarkable innovation, yet composed of dreadful events?
The invention and rise of social networking sites has truly shaped society. From Facebook to Twitter and the rise of texting, communities have become more unified. Twitter made celebrities’ personal lives accessible by allowing the world to see things such as Miley Cyrus’s constant twitter updates – or preferably, Ashton Kutcher’s. It allowed the world to see Obama’s instantaneous reaction of aversion to Kanye’s infamous interruption of Swifts’ speech at the VMA’s. It is safe to say that Twitter is only popular because everyone can view celebrities’ updates. This would be considered nearly miraculous in Y2K. A decade ago, texting was not nearly as prevalent as it is today. MySpace was just a fad of the typical thirteen-year old before it was subjugated by Facebook, and senior citizens were still confounded by the concept of Wi-Fi. Universal devices such as the iPhone were only dreamt of, not experienced, and touch screen electronics were glanced at with awe. Maybe a decade doesn’t seem like such a long time, but any speculator will admit to the large amount of innovation for a ten-year period.
Rather than the obvious rise of digitalization, the world – especially this country – has politically and socially evolved. Ten years ago was considered a time of auspiciousness and yet doubtfulness because it was the start of a new millennium. With the end of the Cold War and the start of Bush’s presidency, the atmosphere of the political environment was skeptical. No one contemplated that the evil Bin Laden would succeed in destroying the twin towers in 2001, leading to Bush’s war in Iraq (even though Bin Laden was in Afghanistan). The 9/11 attack proved that the clash of cultures and civilizations still prevails, and that America is looked upon with deep revulsion on the other side of the world. Out of all the negatives, the first black president was elected, proving and marking the obliteration of racism in the political world; though there were many that thought black presidents would only exist in a world where pigs fly. Turns out pigs do fly in this world, when the 2008 epidemic swine flu erupted causing the world-wide fear that it may mutate into a version as nasty as SARS or other epidemics of the 00’s.
The 00’s was the equivalent of a roller coaster ride, with the rise in digitalization and the downfall of America’s economy, and many other bumps and pits in the last ten years shaping history. The world can hope for peace and justice amongst other countries, no epidemics, an economy that’s not on the brink of collapsing, but just like the Y2K, we are left with skepticism on the outcome of the next ten years. Hopefully, Obama will be able to straighten out the tangled mess Bush left us in and, maybe, pull the strings of America back together. Out of all the ambiguity, one thing is for certain: Bush’s war in Iraq has caused a lifelong debt, and possibly no retirement insurance.