Has to be 1969, when Mankind trod on the moon. 
 

In terms of gentle aspirational hope Def 60-85 or so

Mid 90s. ‘End of History’ geopolitics and the seeming triumph of (relatively) liberal democracy. Climate change was still mainly a threat for tomorrow at least in the popular imagination. Good music and good times. 

Life expectancy? Public health (fags, booze)? Much better now. I agree with you broadly fyi. Oh, and social mobility was better until about 20 years ago. People only seem to be beginning to realise just how socially regressive things are now. And that wasn’t true for the boomers. 

Lack of social mobility and its bedfellow inequality in the west are basically what has fvcked the world. 

Brexit, the end of globalisation, populism, the rise of nationalism they all have their roots in a failure to manage the decline of industry in the democratic west and the mess left behind in post communist countries. Too many people have been allowed to feel/realise that the game is stacked against them too much for getting ahead to be practical. That made them afraid for their future and the futures of their children.  In a godless time it's impossible to be comfortable 'knowing your place'. 

At the risk of sounding like Yoda the anger that gave rise to pushed people to some dark places as looked (in the wrong places) for someone to blame. The populism that followed is what basically fvcked us up both on handling international issues and climate. 

Agree with a lot of what Donny’s said. The 90s were a great time. I think we are doing ok now though too - less discrimination (I remember how badly the only open gay lad at school was treated in the 90s), less bullying it seems, people taking better care of themselves (at least the better off), British cuisine becoming decent, tech (has its downsides but I like my phone). 

that’s a long way of saying that selfish, bitter and shortsighted rightwhingers who were bullied at school r the problem, jedi master

Early 2001:

Great wealth in the West

pre 9/11

The wonder of new tech ie the internet without it’s now multiple disasters

Circa 15,000 BC.

Life expectancy was in fact higher pre-agriculture until about.....1920. That's right. You were more likely to make it to 70 if you had to hunt mammoths than if you lived in a Manchester slum.

Plus:

No tax. No government.  no bosses except whilst team hunting. 4 hour work days. No pollution. No car alarms. Fresh air. Megafauna. Weed and shrooms but no police. Risk of violent death actually lower than1914-1918 and 1930-1945 in much of the world, and at least it would be melee combat, which is fun, until you get hurt, but that is, if you think about it, true about most things.

Hotblack, I tend to agree.  I also suspect people of that era were just happier (though of course that's just a hunch).  They had a lot of community engagement, friends, and nothing to make them feel bad about their place in the world.  I very much doubt people sat about being depressed.

for me it was when we got our first tv with a remote, after that, I could finally sit down and watch the show without one of my many siblings shouting at me to get up and change the channel, turn the volume up or down

Absolutely no way was living to 70 desirable in an era before any sort of dentistry! Plus everyone would have really, really stunk. Like so bad that even shrooms wouldn’t make you want to shag someone. 

The fall of the Berlin Wall until  9/11.  There were problems of course  but this was a time when it looked mankind was gradually headed for the sunny uplands 

All those exams though. 

Just before England v Germany kicked off, 1996.

This thread reminds me of another thread. I wonder if I can find it. 

the Industrial Revolution and its consequences ahve been a disaster for the human race

“…but no police”

Sounds like a nightmare.

There is an argument to say the problems started with the Agricultural Revolution Chimp and most people were happier and healthier in hunting and gathering tribes.

Christ

sorry, just quoting the Unabomber

though I think there is a book called "Against the Grain" that espouses the view you describe. never read it, but always appreciated the title

The moldboard changed everything.

i used to see a critique of post-structuralism in the library called Not Saussure

well until the agricultural revolution we lived in accordance with how we evolved over millions of years to live after that things have gone downhill.  Various studies have suggested that almost untouched hunter gatherer tribes that still exist are happier and more satisfied with life than other societies.

Agree with others that the mid-90s were the best. Ever since 9/11 there has been wave after wave of DOOM and it seems to be getting worse.

LOL at the idea that people in the stone age lived to 70 on a regular basis. I'm sure it would have been quite nice (not working for the man, huge mushroom party every few months etc.), but unless they knew about penicillin and vaccines etc., no way. That said, in terms of "quality time" they may have had the edge on us.

1995.  Getting sucked off by my girlfriend at the bottom of our school field after getting our GCSE results.

That was the Zenith of human existence and I shall not be taking questions.

1985 and 2003. 

We get the government we deserve. It looks like our polity wants a bloodletting. The problem with these thugs is they’re philsitines. Can you imagine Workie, fvkcing Suella, The Bad Enoch, have a pee Lee, Hat Mancock, etc listening to great jazz? Ofc not. Our Home Sec should be eviscerated and recycled as sausages. To the extent any use is able to be made of her at all. 

+1 for the 90s, specifically the Clinton administration

but also what YWTF said

Still to come in an era when technology frees everyone from the shackles of working every day.

Interesting no middle aged person ever thinks the zenith of human existence is now 

I do