I think this article captures an issue, but frames it incorrectly..
One of the things about nostalgia, is that the future itself seemed predictable. I think people hunger for the predictable in any way now. The future arrived, and it is both better and much worse than planned. We have computers that fit in our pocket - when we expected them to grow as big a office complexes - great thing. We now have computers that fit in our pocket and report our every call, of every text and quite possibly our every move to the government - very bad thing.
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from the article...
And it isn’t just New York. Everywhere, everywhere, one finds pessimism about the future, despite declining violence; rising wealth in India, China, Vietnam, and other once poor countries; and jaw-dropping advances in science and technology. The world is a vastly better place than it was 50 years ago. But the wealthy, educated, and impossibly right-thinking are bullish on the past, smearing Vaseline on the lens, lamenting a bygone era that probably never existed.
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Our nostalgic future promised supersonic airplanes, jet packs and flying cars. In reality, cars still sit mired in traffic fouling the earth; plane rides are cheaper, but have moved to the comfort levels of a 1955 greyhound bus, and there is no jet pack to be seen. Instead there are drones to bring death and surveillance - and maybe someday Amazon deliveries.
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In the past, predictions of the future expected a brighter, happier more leisurely life. But for most Americans it is more of the same albeit with bigger TVs, iPhones and more work for less money.
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At least with nostalgia, you get to pick the parts you remember. I am not saying I approve. The author is entirely correct in reminding New Yorkers nostalgic for Pre-Bloomberg and Pre-Giuliani that murders are down from 2,245 to 332, the city isn't about to declare bankruptcy and gentrification has made the entire city more habitable. But the future no longer looks brighter or even achievable.
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The one great thing about the past is that you know it's future got better. With doom saying a huge industry now - our future doesn't look so bright. I do not, so to speak, have to wear shades.