What's with all the rap on the 2000s? We have iPods, iPads and DVD players! OK, there might be the housing crisis, budget deficit and I might not receive any money for Social Security when I'm old, but I have cool gadgets to play with as my life falls apart. Obesity may be rapidly increasing as Facebook becomes more prevalent and outdoor games decline, but at least as I check into the hospital with clogged arteries I can check my Facebook notifications.

I am shocked and appalled by the number of people who are overcome with nostalgia when pondering the '90s. When juxtaposing the two decades, it’s clear the 2000’s are the superior years to be alive.
All the '90s had to offer were wicked awesome Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles trying to save the world from inevitable destruction. The 2000s have clearly surpassed the '90s in cleverness with the ever-ingenious talking sponge. No, SpongeBob SquarePants doesn’t save the world from impending doom, but he makes a mean... krabby patty? Even the Rugrats gained sophistication in this awe-inspiring new millennium when they grew up with the series "All Grown Up." Instead of being enlightened by the possibility of babies being able to communicate and ingeniously escape from their pens with keys hidden in their diapers, we now get to watch the Rugrats survive teenage angst. Lucky us.
Another decided benefit of the 2000s is the slew of incredible innovations. We are consistently finding new ways to stay in our homes and isolate ourselves from human contact, while giving us more free time to satisfy our ever-growing stomachs. We have Facebook chat, IM and webcams—if we feel a strange urge to imitate an actual face-to-face conversation. Why would we ever need to make real contact with a human being ever again? In the '90s, with the rarity of cell phones and the absence of Twitter, it might have actually been necessary to walk next door to find out what your neighbor is up to at any given moment in the day. So if you want to be friends, don’t bother coming up to me and starting a conversation—that’s so cliché. Just friend me on Facebook.
But of course, technology and entertainment are merely constituents of what makes this decade unparalleled. The best parts about the 2000s are the vital learning experiences it offered to the youth. Mistakes are a good thing; they help us grow as individuals. Few people have managed to make as many mistakes as George W. Bush during his term. We would never have known what a real life recession feels like had we been deprived of Bush. Our soldiers would have gotten lazy and out of shape with the “War on Terror.” And now we have the impossible health care bill and the collapsing Social Security system! The learning experiences just keep coming. By the end of the 2000s, we will be the most educated Americans in decades.
No more TMNT or Power Rangers. No more Tomagatchi pets. No more original Pokemon or games played in cul-de-sacs. I say good riddance to it all. Welcome to Facebook. Welcome to BlackBerrys and iEverything. Welcome to innovation. 2000s, I welcome you with open arms.