The 2000s: The Decade We Saw It All

DISCLAIMER: VIDEO IS NOT MINE. TAKEN FROM NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC AFRICA ON YOUTUBE.

“The series details these ten tumultuous years with stories from all corners of the globe.” dstv.com.

National Geographic Channel’s Newest Documentary Series dives into the different decades and the significant events of each decade that made the world and society that we know today. The 2000s really was the year where we saw it all. Diversity was the key in the decade’s success. From “Queer Eye for the Straight Guy” to the first Black President of the United states to Celebrity Reality Shows to Apple’s latest technologies.

Every episode of documentary series opens with different events that shaped and defined the past ten years. The past decade definitely helped push the view of society on certain issues to a more positive light. Racial discrimination, gender equality, being too conservative and elitist are just some of the issues that the decade has addressed and opened the minds of the ones growing in the decade. The last ten years embraced diversity with one arm opened. I say one arm opened because we simply cannot avoid and ignore the fact that, though our views have advanced, some are still left behind. Diversity for others is a hard pill to swallow. People who grew up with the social norms of the past are the ones who are most opposed to the changes. That is definitely not the case of majority of the generation that grew up in the decade. 

The documentary has a light tone and it subtely hints on the big changes, both good and bad, that the last ten years have done. It’s something that makes the documentary so interesting. The fact that it can hint those ideas by merely mentioning/recalling what has happened is extremely powerful.

Coming from the generation that grew up in this decade, I can definitely see how open minded my generation is. Majority of us value diversity and think of it as an advantage rather than a hindrance. Unity in Diversity, as they say.  The documentary series really taps into my earliest memories and with it brings in a wave of nostalgia. Even though I barely had my own personal opinons on things, those years were my formative years that really helped make me the woman I am today. The last ten years, with its constant shifts, whether good or bad, really helped me reflect on what I want the next 10 years to look like. We’re halfway there and so far, it’s not that bad.