1990s kids vs ama-2000 and what makes ’90s babies elite

1990s kids vs ama-2000 – the hottest inter-generational war right now.

Yes, boomers, flower children and ’80s babies have all had their fair share of making fun of each other’s differences but none of them had the chance to do it on social media.

Perhaps this harmless beef between people born in each era also stems from the fact that those born in the ’90s grew up without social media, witnessed it develop at the height of their adolescence and lived long enough to see those born in the year 2000 onwards take it over.

So, to maintain some semblance of superiority, they bestowed some level of prestige upon the things they feel only they could relate to.

So what exactly makes a ’90s kid:

1. The idea of a phone:

An American dad by the name of Daniel (Tik Tok user @guesswho_718) astonished audiences around the world when he demonstrated the difference between how the older and younger members of his family gesture to imitate using a phone.

Daniel (who was born in the 80s) holds his hand much like a fist with his pinky finger and thumb extended outwards ???????? , as does his wife. However, his kids hold their palms flat against their ears ???????? .

@guesswho_718Even the hand gesture game has changed @kamilo.ny @guesswhos_wifey @itz_daniella12 ##LaughPause ##dadsoftiktok ##momsoftiktok ##over30 ##kids ##fyp♬ original sound – guesswho_718

Although Daniel was born in the ’80s, he technically grew up in the ’90s like most of us who remember what a landline is. We also remember the schlep of having to go through our friend’s (and crush’s) parents just to speak to them on the phone.

2. Remote learning

While today’s kids get to video call their classmates and Whatsapp their teachers during lockdown, the phenomenon of tuning in to the SABC at a set time to watch pre-recorded tutoring sessions was the ’90s equivalent of remote learning.

But one very specific thing seems to ring true for most ’90s kids – no matter how much your teacher went over the material during maths classes, all the work somehow only seemed to make sense when you watched William Smith tackle it on his projector or a white sheet of paper using all those different coloured markers.

3. Simunye – We Are One

Call me biased but the Simunye era of SABC 1 was the golden age of television. From continuity presenters like Claire Mawisa, Vusi Twala and Graeme Smith to shows such as Jam Alley, The Phat Joe Show, YoTV and Disney’s Cartoon Cafe, SABC 1 was it.

Not to mention those fun inserts they used to film that had you wanting to become part of the SABC family when you grew up.

Even the ads were iconic – so iconic that some of them, like this SABC 1 ad below, got banned.

4. The snacks:

The ’90s was home to some of the greatest hits in terms of snacks and while products like Oros orange squash have stayed the course, ’90s babies KNOW it just doesn’t taste the same.

In fact, few things compare to great feelings like being able to buy a weekend’s worth of sweets with R10 tuck shop money, reading about things you never knew about on the inside of Chappies bubblegum wrappers, having to bite into that clear little cellphone juice box just to get the juice and rewarding yourself with a chomp.

Old packaging for chomp chocolate | Image: gotoprint.co.za

5. The fashion

Although few things are ever new in fashion, the fact that the current trends are a retrospective nod to the days of di-Spice Girl (platform sneakers), crop tops, string tops, cargo pants, bucket hats and other ’90s fashion staples proves that ’90s fashion had it going on.

And in essence, you should trust the taste of ’90s babies when it comes to all things fun, fashion, food and music.

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