Ramaswamy is wrong: Why ’90s America was the pinnacle of greatness
Vivek Ramaswamy’s critique of 1990s American culture — a swipe at sleepovers, Saturday morning cartoons and kids hanging out at malls — lands like a lecture from someone who never quite understood what made the era magical. Yes, mall culture might seem frivolous to him, but at least when kids gathered there, they were socializing — a lost art in today’s age of isolation and endless scrolling.
His nostalgia for a joyless, hyper-utilitarian upbringing shows how out of touch he is with the essence of what made ’90s America great.
During this golden decade, as Ramaswamy was growing up, America wasn’t just leading the world — it was shaping it. The United States was the cultural capital of the globe, setting the standard not just for innovation but for influence. This was soft power at its peak — effortless, magnetic and aspirational. America wasn’t just a superpower; it was the cool kid everyone wanted to emulate.
The ’90s also celebrated a meritocratic ethos. High school wasn’t just a hierarchy of cheerleaders and jocks; it was a proving ground for everyone. Prom queens weren’t crowned for looks alone — they balanced academics, extracurriculars and social leadership. The star quarterback wasn’t handed glory; he earned it through sweat and skill. Think of “Friday Night Lights,” where characters like Jason Street and Matt Saracen weren’t just athletes; they were complex individuals balancing immense pressure on the field with personal challenges off it.
Ramaswamy’s dismissal of this cultural richness is shortsighted. His call for more math tutoring and fewer sleepovers reveals a fundamental misunderstanding of what it takes to build a well-rounded individual. Hanging out at the mall or watching cartoons weren’t wastes of time; they were essential social experiences that developed empathy, teamwork and creativity.
Consider today’s innovators: Steve Jobs, who famously merged art with engineering, or his buddy, Elon Musk, whose inspiration came as much from science fiction as from science itself. These are the fruits of a culture that valued imagination as much as intellect. The ’90s weren’t just about producing engineers — they were about cultivating dreamers who could revolutionize industries and reshape the world.
