Portrait of a Decade: Ten Years, Three Great Changes

By Liam Shearer

The turning of the decade is a momentous occasion, but one people aren’t really accustomed to thinking about all that profoundly. But the truth is, historical perceptions are based almost entirely on the organisation of years into groups of ten. Entire decades are linked and conflated – sometimes arbitrarily – and like it or not, anything of note that has occurred in the last ten years will be inextricably linked with all the other “events of the 2010s.”

But this turn of the decade is profoundly important. Since 2010, the world has shifted and moved into a level of advancement and regression that could never have been imaged ten years ago. As such, it is massively important that we take this opportunity to take stock and review the recent past, to refresh our perceptions of the decade ahead.

3. We know (for sure) how dodgy our governments are now…

Okay, I’ll accept that we for sure knew before 2010 that our governments were dodgy. But since 2010, a number of things have come to light that indicate that not only are they doing dodgy stuff in government, but it has now begun to involve you and I, “ordinary” people. A string of leaks, from Assange to Snowden, have shown us that governments are becoming evermore adept at learning everything about us from our digital activity. More so, the massive boom in technology and social media since 2010 have meant that our live have become intrinsically related to social media, and that too shows no sign of slowing.

You frequently hear people say, “don’t look up anything you wouldn’t want the word to see you look up.” If privacy is not dead, the term at least deserves an asterisk.

2. Global Conflicts, Global Suffering, War and Strife

Okay, I’ll accept again, the world was certainly no stranger to this before 2010. But the world has also faced a lot of profound changes in this regard. Syria, growth of ISIS and resurgence of state-based tension (to name but a very few) have led to a wealth of suffering of which before 2010 we in the west may have not really imagined. The truth is, in the world today there are innumerable counts of violence against innocent people and humanitarian crises, all of which are terrible.

But at this point, especially with the interference of one Lorax-looking-Leader of the Free World, they don’t seem to want to stop anytime soon.

1.    The Climate

Okay, I’ll accept one last time, the climate was in a bit of a state before 2010. But it’s most certainly gotten worse. Since 2010, we’re seen something of a climate revolution. Recycling, preventing water waste, and a move towards educating the masses about where their Hearty Food Co Chicken Nuggets come from have served to cause improvement, but we’ve still got a long way to go. The recent Climate Strikes are inspiring significant change, and if this year’s General Election Manifestos are anything to go by, politicians are noticing. But ultimately, we’re still in a bit of a fix.

And oh yeah. That plastic water bottle you dropped into the ocean in 2010 still has approximately two-hundred-and-ninety years left until it finally decomposes. Don’t worry, I’ll update you again in ten years.

Geez, looks like the world’s not that much different after all. Just a little bit worse.

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