The present always sucks, the future is always scary, and the past is always awesome

How nostalgia works

The 2020s aren't even half over, but a contributor to the /r/decadeology subreddit has seen enough and deemed it an historically awful ten-year stretch:

My initial reaction to this post was, “didn't they set A Christmas Story in the thirties? And instead of bread lines and dust bowls and Nazi rallies at Madison Square garden, the film showed the joys of Red Rider BB guns and decoder rings and Chinese food on Christmas after the neighborhood dogs steal the turkey?

Don't get me wrong: there were also sadistic Santa Clauses and soap-related punishments and Ovaltine product placement that made the Skittles in Shazam: Fury of the Gods look subtle. But the movie was clearly made and enjoyed by people who lived through the Great Depression decade and actually look back on it fondly.

It reminded me of something my son said when we were recently stuck inside during a massive snowstorm. He said it reminded him of the months we were stuck in quarantine during the COVID-19 pandemic.

The thing is,…