Dubai: The Teenies? The Tweenies? Or just the Twens? What should the next decade be called?
Gulf News readers presented a mixed bag of responses.
Before 2000, decades were easily labelled as "the Seventies" or "the Nineties". But as the world entered the next century, naming became tougher. With no official name for the decade which has passed, many called the years from 2000-2009 as the "Noughties", zero being the recurring digit every year.
And true to its name, the Noughties was a rather poor decade — the environment was in the Intensive Care Unit, a couple of bloody wars were waged in Afghanistan and Iraq, and the word "terrorism" became part of everyday conversations.
Gulf News readers were hopeful the next decade would be better for them and the world at large.
Tony Martin, a Dubai-based reader, felt that the Noughties should be followed by the "Oughties".
He said: "There is so much turmoil in the world, we need to all have one priority and that is saving our planet. Will the troubles in Afghanistan and Pakistan be resolved? Will Iraq finally be at peace? Will the world stand up as one and solve Africa's issues? None of it is impossible and all is achievable".
He hoped that the Oughties would be remembered as the ten years that changed the way the human race lived.
Sumanta Kumar Banerjee, another Gulf News reader, agreed, naming it "the decade of reconciliation".
"There is a semblance of change in the equation of power between countries. Probably, reconciliation will bring mankind to its deserved place," he said.
For another reader, William Derban, Twens — short for twenty-tens — was just the right name, as it would easily give way to the twenty-twenties and twenty-thirties.
Alan Godfrey, a Dubai-based British expatriate, suggested the decade be called the Teenies.
"These will be the in-between, teenage years, after the Noughties and will lead into the twenty-twenties," he said.
To him, too, the Teenies were all about hope — for more respect for one another, the survival of endangered animals and for the threatened environment.
Patricia Tamerhoulet, a Dubai-based reader, broke the mould, to call the decade "Plas-tique", highlighting how the world seemed to be increasingly pervaded by plastic.
She said: "It is in anything and everything that our newborns touch and use from the minute they arrive on this earth".
"As adults, we finance away our lives on credit cards. The very idea of plastic means that we have gotten away from the natural world."
Another Gulf News reader, Ursula Manvatkar, pitched a slightly different and rather bleak candidate — the Endies.
She said: "Just look at the speed with which polar ice is melting. There is also all the talk about the world ending in 2012. Talking about hope is great, but if there is no action accompanying it, I don't see any other name for the decade!"
Name game
The Teenies: The teenage years, following the Noughties and leading on to the twenty-twenties.
The Twens: Short for twenty-tens, giving way to twenty-twenties.
The Endies: Apocalyptic predictions in centuries-old calendars and an increasingly warm earth indicate that the planet may not have a very bright future.
The Oughties: Following from the Noughties, hopefully the world will salvage itself in the next decade.
The One-ders: Pitched by Australia's news.com.au, it brings in the recurring "one" as well as hope for humanitarian and environmental breakthroughs.
Are you looking forward to the next decade? What do you think the next decade should be called? What made you choose this name? Post a comment by clicking on the 'Post a comment' link below.
