The 90's were an insanely violent time, besides gun violence being at all time highs etc, I remember in high school in the mid-late 90's fights every day happening at school. Some people say lead caused the violence, all I know pollution was horrible in silicon valley (south bay) in the 90's. Every day in the summer you couldn't see the mountains and there was a thick brown haze in the air.

I’d like to reply to badconvincer, but my vouching for his dead comment isn’t reviving it. Anyway, what I want to say is this:

Growing up in the 90s, witnessing 9/11 and the ensuing cultural “snap back,” I think both of you are right. I think what we really had going on before 9/11 was that the country had a very cavalier, devil may care attitude. For some sections of society, that enabled a more carefree lifestyle; for others, we literally didn’t care if they destroyed each other. I think that devil may care attitude disappeared after 9/11 and especially during the ensuing wars.

Where we’re at culturally now would probably require an entire essay to explain. I do think an argument could be made that something similar happened in the late 2000s and early 2010s, where one segment of society let its hair down and was able to exhale, while a totally different class of people were marginalized.

We’re at or near another cultural “snap back” now, I think. What that’ll look like, I have no idea.

Fights were more common, bullying was rampant but people seemed lighter and happier like nothing was pent up. Probably just rose colored glasses though.

It is actually kind of frightening hilarious to see movies like Predator 2's depiction of the future. Robocop, as well. It is stark how violent things were back then, it seems.

Does the U.S. even have massive organized crime operations like those in those pop cultural depictions, anymore? Seems fewer than we used to.

Organized crime is more powerful and better organized right now than it has ever been in American history.

The reason people are unaware of this is that organized crime is really only visible when they are having problems. Gang wars lead to news coverage, one gang monopolizing an area and effectively extracting revenue from it does not.

Not that I know of. Mayhap I'm just ignorant of them?

Escape From New York is my favorite.

Robocop is intended to be funny.

Source?

Not sure about the original Robocop, but Robocop 2 definitely had comic moments - the bit I particularly remember was the Sunblock 5000 advert (https://robocop.fandom.com/wiki/Sunblock_5000).

I think it was intentionally "raised to eleven." Supposed to be a somewhat satirical take on where things were headed. That said, I couldn't cite why I think that.

"I'd buy THAT for a dollar".