Predictably I suppose this decade (my late twenties, early thirties) has been dominated by weddings, births following weddings, births followed by weddings and a few births with categoric refusals to enter into marriage! All pretty conventional stuff really...but no less inspiring & joyous!
Otherwise, and more generally, my memories are less positive - the decade seems to be dominated by war & a growing distrust of our government. I guess my real disappointment began when so many people voiced their concerns and disapproval for the war in Afghanistan (and later in Iraq) and yet this seemed to have little or no impact on the policies made by government (who are after all - supposed to be representing us). The Stop the War march stands out in my mind.
http://www.stopwar.org.uk/
Tony Blair's will be bound up in people's memories of this decade I think. Many will have shared my feelings of optimism when he first came into power, only to be increasingly horrified by his spin. And our growing dependence upon the US...
Climate change also features heavily but I almost don't know where to begin & end in writing about that - suffice it to say that it is probably the single biggest issue for most of us these days.
As far as our economy goes, I guess the decade has probably seen the most extraordinary growth & collapse ever - the so-called boom & bust. Whilst I would never claim to have predicted the current economical failing, I do think many people had a sense that the growth (particularly in the banking sector & the housing market) was unsustainable. It's hard to get away from the consumerism typified in the so-called developed world, but I hope we might try!
Technological developments & brands? Apple probably stand out in my mind - the ipod (all those poor CDs relegated to the cupboards!), the almost uncontrollable explosion of the internet, both in terms of availability/ubiquity & its capability, just the increasingly 'technologically dominated' environment that we live in.
Trends? Does X-Factor count? We've just got rid of our TV to stop me watching it...
http://xfactor.itv.com/2009/
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