The gamecock. (Columbia, S.C.) 1908-2006, September 10, 2004, Page 6, Image 6
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By MARIA CHARLES
THE GAMECOCK
It was a decade of technology, scientific
advancement, war, peace and economic
prosperity. And while it is difficult to
create a complete perspective on how
these years shaped the future, certain
events and trends influenced great change
and their impact is still evident today.
During the 1990s, a decrease in
computer costs led to explosive growth of
the Internet and household use of
computers.
“I remember when my family got our
first computer,” second-year education
student Jamie Harrison said. “I had to
hook it up because my parents didn’t know
how.”
People adapted quickly to the new
technology. In the early nineties, there
were 15 million e-mail accounts
worldwide. By the end of the decade, 569
million e-mail accounts existed. E-mail was
quickly adopted as a new form of
communication. Information became
readily available from the over 2.1 billion
Web sites existing by 2000.
The widespread use of computers also
led to an unforgettable public dilemma. The
year 2000 problem, Y2K, created panic.
Since computer programs stored years in
only double digits, it was possible that 2000
would be translated as “00” and would be
interpreted as the year 1900.
People feared computer programs
would misread date comparisons and
produce erroneous results. Systems using
this “date logic” could fail. Some thought
the world would come to an end and
prepared for the worst while others took a
more laid-back approach.
“I thought Y2K was a joke. I thought it
was funny the whole world was going
crazy, but I do remember my dad having to
reprogram a bunch of computers at work,”
second-year music student Casey Smith
said. In the 1990s, the prevalence of
technology provided a new medium for
information and communication, but the
scare of losing it all was a stark warning
that dependence can be dangerous.
Scientific advancement in the ’90s
surpassed expectations. In 1990 the Human
Genome Project announced its goals to
determine the 3 billion base pairs in the
human genome and also to identify all the
genes.
The $3 billion project was estimated to
take 15 years, but by 2000 a preliminary
draft was already finished. Understanding
the genome provides a better picture for
doctors and biotechnicians to find cures for
cancer, Alzheimer’s and other diseases.
Blurring the distinction between
scientific limits and humanity, society was
forced to debate the implications of
cloning when on Feb. 27, 1997 scientists
announced the birth of an ewe named
Dolly, the first mammal to be cloned from
an adult cell. Science fiction became
reality and the effects were hard to
determine.
A doctor was quoted in the Wall Street
Journal saying, “The potential of gene
technology is beyond the comprehension of
most people today.” Society was forced to
handle an innovation many could not wrap
their minds around. Cloning paved the way
for genetic engineering in human children,
especially genetic screening for hereditary
diseases and genetic compatibility for stem
cell transplantation in siblings, according to
en.wikipedia.org.
In the early nineties, politically, the
times seem to parallel today’s concerns.
The United States was at war with Saddam
Hussein for the first time. The Gulf War
began when the Iraqis invaded Kuwait.
Iraq became dangerously close to the
valuable Hama oil fields in Saudi Arabia.
“No Blood For Oil” became a protest
slogan of this war.
The effects of this war remain evident
today. A United Nations Special
Commission on weapons was established
which monitored Iraq’s adherence to
restrictions involving weapons of mass
destruction. There was a “sharp revival in
Islamic extremism” (en.wikipedia.org). The
Gulf War helped set a tone between the
United States and Iraq. Threats to America
could not be tolerated. Tensions continue.
During apartheid in South Africa, non
whites were excluded from national
government and trains, buses and hospitals
were segregated.
Apartheid laws were banned in 1990
and in 1994 Nelson Mandela was sworn in
as president of South Africa and a
commission was established to rewrite, the
constitution. The importance of free
elections and the ability to vote were
revered and brought to light in this conflict.
Genocide in Rwanda killed 937,000
people during this time. Ethnic tensions
increased until President Habyarimana
instituted genocidal pogroms. Tutsis and
moderate Hutus were murdered, many
dismembered by machetes. Largely, the
world ignored this problem. Apathy
toward African strife caused President
Clinton to publicly apologize to Rwanda,
and many celebrities and activists continue
years later to campaign for more aid for
Africans. These killings weighed heavily on
the social conscience. Politically, people
faced the challenge to protect human
rights.
The presidency itself was also under
scrutiny. Bill Clinton’s sex scandal with
intern Monica Lewinsky and the
impeachment trial that ensued left the
American public uneasy and divided. Some
felt private acts did not affect Clinton’s
ability to run the country. Others were
disgusted by his lies. The media exposure
is hard to forget.
“I thought (the scandal) was ridiculous.
It was shoved down your throat,” Smith
said. Morals, deceit and invasion of
privacy were hotly contested? Americans
looked to the Constitution to deal with the
misdeeds of their leader. £
Economically, life was good. Professor ^
of history Gil Troy at McGill University
characterized the ’90s as “the era when
Yuppies reigned and greed was good” and
“an era of great wealth, and even greater
consumption, as the gap between rich and
poor has bulged” (giltroy.com).
The stock market boom led to
economic prosperity. “Irrational
exuberance” was the phrase coined by
Federal Reserve Board Chairman Alan
Greenspan. Some interpreted this as a
warning the market might be overvalued,
particularly the dot-com companies.
Encapsulating a decade in terms of
trends and events provides a small
description of life at that time. Retrospect
provides answers and reflection
encourages revelation. But it remains to be
seen how future generations will interpret
these times.
Comments on this story? E-mail
gamecockfeatures@gwm.sc.edu
’90s produced new music styles
By FELICIA SAILEY
THE GAMECOCK
The ’90s — grunge, pop, rap, R&B and
dance; Riot grrls and pretty boys; Latin,
indie and swing; ’8 Os-inspired and totally
new. Just about every genre of popular
music from rock to techno/dance had a
place between 1990 and 2000.
Rock became serious (and angsty) again,
after becoming all about partying and
promiscuous women in the ’80s. Grunge
broke onto the scene in 1991 with bands
such as Nirvana, Pearl Jam and the
Smashing Pumpkins. In 1991, Nirvana
released its top-selling album,
“Nevermind”.
The “Seattle sound”, as such music
became referred to, moved east spawning
the development of alternative rock bands
including the Gin Blossoms, Hootie & the
Blowfish, the Counting Crows, Bush and
Silver Chair. Bush’s debut album,
“Sixteen Stone,” went quadruple
platinum. Bands like Oasis, the Barenaked
Ladies, and Garbage were very much
inspired by if not actually part of this
movement.
Feminism in rock became increasingly
pronounced. The spark of enthusiasm of
the Riot Grrl movement of the early ’90s
dimmed after a few years, but the impact
was felt in mainstream music like Alanis
Morissette’s 1996 Grammy winning*
album “Jagged Little Pill” featuring hits
such as “Ironic” and “You Oughta Know.”
Riot Grrl enthusiasm more heavily
impacted indie rock — the likes of Liz
Phair for example. Phair released her
widely praised “Exile in Guyville” in
1993.
Artists like Lisa Loeb, The Indigo Girls,
Melissa Etheridge, Jewel, Shawn Colvin
and Paula Cole brought a folksier feel to
rock. Jewel received the American Music
Award for Best New Artist for her 1995
debut album, “Pieces of You.” In 1997,
Sarah McLachlan organized the first “Lilith
Fair,” a tour showcasing strictly female
artists.
Metal also became really big in the ’90s
with Metallica releasing its self-titled
album, which held the No. 1 position for
four consecutive weeks. Marilyn Manson’s
“Antichrist Superstar” received critical
acclaim when it came out in 1996. The
fusion of metal, punk and rap helped
create what is known today as nil rock, a
genre including bands such as Korn and
Limp Bizkit, which was especially popular
towards the end of the decade. Rap also
shared the ’90s spotlight. In 1990, M.C.
Hammer released “U Can’t Touch This,”
which gave the lagging dance scene a
boost. 2 Live Crew released the first live
rap album, “Live in Concert” in 1991, and
House of Pain came out with the party hit
“Jump Around” in 1992. Influential
“white-boy” rappers of the early part of
the decade included Vanilla Ice with the
1991 hit, “Ice Ice Baby,” and Markey
Mark and the Funky Bunch with “Good
Vibrations” also released in 1991. Groups
like the Wu-Tang Clan and Salt-n-Pepa,
and artists like Tupac Shakur, Queen
Latifah, Snoop Dogg, Dr. Dre, Lil’ Kim
and Biggie Smalls rose to the top of the
charts.
R&B was also going through some
changes during the decade, creating a
hipper image for itself with artists such as
Boys II Men, All-4-One, En Vogue, R.
Kelly, Babyface and Mariah Carey. Mariah
Carey’s 1991 single, “Emotion,” reached '
No. 1, a record fifth consecutive chart
topper for the celebrated songstress. Toni
Braxton, Brian McKnight and TLC were
also influential in the development of
modern R8cB — TLC sold big with their hit
second album, “CrazySexyCool.”
Teen pop started off with music that
was more or less an outgrowth of the ’80s
— remember New Kids on the Block? 1993
saw synthesized pop arrive from Europe in
the form of Ace of Base. “The Sign” was a
smash hit in Europe and abroad. This
synthesizer-heavy dance music was
embraced by American groups like Real
McCoy (’95), No Mercy (’96) and
LaBouche (’97).
Amid all the techno-pop came many
groups and individual artists who would
later be remembered as bubblegum pop.
The Backstreet Boys came out with their
self-titled debut in 1996, followed by 98
degrees in 1997 and N’sync in 1998. In
1997, the Spice Girls released “Spice”
which contained international chart
toppers “Wannabe” and “Say You’ll be
There.” Britney Spears, Christina Aguilera
and Jessica Simpson all released debut
albums in 1999.
After the movie “Selena” came out,
Latin music became an overnight sensation
pushing such artists as Ricky Martin, Marc
Anthony, Enrique Iglesias and Jennifer
Lopez to the forefront. Christina Aguilera
even started work on a Spanish language
album in 1999.
The renewed interest in “party” music
reached out to the swing and big band
music of the ’30s and ’40s. Revivalist bands
Cherry Poppin’ Daddies, Squirrel Nut
Zippers, Brian Setzer Orchestra and Big
Bad Voodoo Daddy rounded out the
decade with a decidedly retro sound.
The ’90s produced songs that have
evidenced staying power — even if we have
only been out of the decade for four years.
From alt-rock to Latin to R&B, the
modernization of many genres left a mark
on the popular music industry that will
forever be felt.
Comments on this story? E-mail g.
gamecockfeattires@gwm.sc.edu
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