Melting face on Nostr: I was in my mid-20's during this time period. Politically, things were perceived as ...

I was in my mid-20's during this time period. Politically, things were perceived as bad situationally, but not as amped-up as they are now. Bill Clinton was despised and impeached at that time, Bush v Gore was a big deal, the Bush hatred was never-ending and exhausting, the national debt and mass migration were very much issues at the time, etc.

I think the difference people remember is, there were ways to completely and frequently unplug from all that. Not everything was as harshly political in every way like it is now. (That reached critical mass about 2008 with the Obama campaign.) It was easier to go outside and see friends and neighbors and politics would never enter your mind. Things were freer in that sense, the civilizational rot wasn't at the surface yet.