What do you call this decade?

[hc5duke]

You have the eighties, nineties, ......, teens, twenties, and so on. I remember reading in 1999, that the proper term is the "oughts" or "naughts." That just sounds weird and old. It's something people came up with 100 years ago and doesn't reflect today's language. Other suggestions include "naughties", "nils", "zeroes", "ohs"... None of those sound right to me.

Unless someone has a better suggestion, I propose that we start using the term pre-teens to refer to the ten-year period starting on January 1, 2000. It's very literal, and it's what you call kids aged 0-9, just like the rest of the decades.

[Indoor66]

You have the eighties, nineties, ......, teens, twenties, and so on. I remember reading in 1999, that the proper term is the "oughts" or "naughts." That just sounds weird and old. It's something people came up with 100 years ago and doesn't reflect today's language. Other suggestions include "naughties", "nils", "zeroes", "ohs"... None of those sound right to me.

Unless someone has a better suggestion, I propose that we start using the term pre-teens to refer to the ten-year period starting on January 1, 2000. It's very literal, and it's what you call kids aged 0-9, just like the rest of the decades.

Not sure what you want to call them, but the years in this decade run from 1/1/01 - 12/31/2010. The 21st century began on 1/1/2001.

[YmoBeThere]

I always thought pre-teens were 11 to 12 years old.

[hc5duke]

Not sure what you want to call them, but the years in this decade run from 1/1/01 - 12/31/2010. The 21st century began on 1/1/2001.

I disagree. The century and millennium began 2001-01-01, but decades should be done by the second least significant digit (1981, 1994, 2008, etc). There is no logic in including the year 2000 in the "nineties." The current decade began when the calendar year hit "200-", thus 2000-01-01, and will finish right before it hits "201-", thus 2009-12-31.

[bhd28]

I always thought pre-teens were 11 to 12 years old.

um... yeah. I am with you. You try calling someones 6 year old or 3 year old a preteen and you are going to get some strange looks.

[colchar]

What do I call this decade? Well, with the way it has gone (for the most part), I'd call it crap.

[OldPhiKap]

In my house, we call it the "Hanna Montana Epoch."

May it PLEASE end soon.

[godukerocks]

What do I call this decade? Well, with the way it has gone (for the most part), I'd call it crap.

Really? Politically, or has your life, really been crap?

[Lavabe]

In my house, we call it the "Hanna Montana Epoch."

May it PLEASE end soon.

We call it the Jonas Brothers Period.

But agreed, PLEASE may it end soon.

[dukemomLA]

Sorry hc5duke, but I have to agree with an earlier post to call it the Crap Decade. It's revolting and disgusting how little has been accomplished in that past 8 years -- nationally for the country I love, and globally for the world I pray will survive.

[colchar]

Really? Politically, or has your life, really been crap?

Well, for the most part it has sucked politically but I was actually referring to life in general. It just seems like it has been one thing after another.

[YmoBeThere]

and globally for the world I pray will survive.

Sorry for the PPB theme, but have you traveled outside the US lately? If not, I would suggest a trip down to Latin America(Brazil in particular). It has improved significantly compared to when I first started going down there in 1995. And many of the international students I met from business school opted to return home rather than staying in the United States as opportunities that never existed were opening up. There are issues but then there have always been issues.

[unexpected]

I propose we call this decade the "Cheery-O's"

1) It represents the 0's, which is the stated goal

2) It represents the commercialism present in the decade

3) It can be interpreted as dark and sarcastic, given the state of America.

[brevity]

Seventies, Eighties, Nineties... Britnies?

Personally, I like "aughts." Being able to say "back in aught-five" is vintage cool, in a crotchety Abraham Simpson kind of way.

We can't bust heads like we used to. But we have our ways. One trick is to tell stories that don't go anywhere. Like the time I caught the ferry to Shelbyville. I needed a new heel for m'shoe. So I decided to go to Morganville, which is what they called Shelbyville in those days. So I tied an onion to my belt. Which was the style at the time. Now, to take the ferry cost a nickel, and in those days, nickels had pictures of bumblebees on 'em. Gimme five bees for a quarter, you'd say. Now where was I... oh yeah. The important thing was that I had an onion tied to my belt, which was the style at the time. You couldn't get white onions, because of the war. The only thing you could get was those big yellow ones...

[Deslok]

The answer, quite clearly, is The Naughties.

[dukemomLA]

Dear Ymobel, etc.

Yes... I travel outside the US on a regular basis. Europe, Asia, Middle East, Australia, Central America, South America,

I agree that in some (small) circumstances that there a few things that are better, ....but....for the most part, not so. Yahoo to Brazil.

As to another post --- my personal life (except for politics and global wamring and no rain in CA) is not really impacted. BUT my concern for many Americans and others around the world causes my angst.

Sorry for creating another post which might be sanctioned.

[YmoBeThere]

dukemomLA, I'll just have to say that we are seeing very different things(i.e. using different lenses) when we travel abroad.

[TillyGalore]

Let's see, since it's 2008, I suggest calling this decade almost over.

In the spirit of the thread, anybody know that the first 10 years of the 1900's was called?

[pamtar]

I refer to it as the "two thousands." Then again, thats what they referred to my SAT scores as also.

[CameronBornAndBred]

I submit that this decade has not had enough character to be remembered.