The defining moment of the 2000s was that guy throwing a shoe at Bush's head.
this post was submitted on 05 May 2026
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"Mission Accomplished"
While it's true, but I claim that citizens united v. FEC had broken America, not 9/11
But CU was in 2012, which I wouldn't have considered part of the "early 2000s" yet. We're still in the beginning of the century here.
And 9/11 brought us the Patriot Act, DHS/ICE, and gave the racist platform of Republican politics a lot of legs
The 2000 Presidential election broke America.
The us was doomed since 1776
Most recognizable is 9/11, but I agree. Citizens United is far more influential.
Because consequences of 9/11 have limited radius
I don't know, starting a war on the other side of the planet is a pretty big radius.
Desert storm and sequels are fairly inconsequential in the grand scheme of things. CU is the end of the "American empire" as it removed the final bastion against oligarchy and ushered in the age of the billionaires.
Two of the five justices that ruled in favour of Citizens United were appointed by George W. Bush in his second term, a term he almost certainly wouldn't have gotten if it wasn't for 9/11.
That was mighty lucky for them!
Maybe it was not a defining moment for the world at large, but it was a defining moment for the US.
It broke the 90s economy. It created a lot of doubt in the US stock market about future terrorist attacks, causing an immediate run to pull out money, and starting a very quick, sudden recession.
As an immediate aftermath, all US airlines had to pause operation. When flights resumed, airlines had to find a way to make lost revenue, kicking off rapid enshitification. Though most airlines did not collapse, they hit hard times, further feeding into the collapsing market.
Prior to the attacks, the US was in a relatively peaceful period. In response to the attacks, the US started yet another war against the Middle East and has been at war with one country or another for almost 25 years.
It also justified the government to create a giant system to monitor people worldwide. The government set up secret courts to try Americans. People outside the country, were simply kidnapped and detained in Guantanamo Bay.
Now, many of these things are simply cyclic progressions or had been brewing long before September 2001, but the event creates a very clear border between before and after.
We had literally JUST finished a war for oil in the Middle East
2001 January 15: Wikipedia is launched.
2001 December 10: The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring released in cinema
2002 January 1: The Euro currency enters circulation.
Commercially available broadband.
Britney indeed changed 2000s, fuck the U.S.
Somebody didn't never forget
2000 economic crisis
Britney is top goat.
9/11 is top scapegoat.
Both did it for the money, but one also added to humanity.
Oops, I did it again