We had the Fifties, the Sixties, the Seventies, the Eighties, the Nineties, and now we’re living in – what? The Oughts? The Naughts? The Oughties?
It started with the Y2K hysteria, so I nominate the 2K’s. Like in, this year is 2K6.
The 2000s.
We cope perfectly well talking about the ‘1900s’ and understanding, through context, whether it means the decade or the century. Same with the current decade.
Man, people were asking that question (“What do we call the first decade of the 21st Century?”) every month back in 1999 with an urgency that was frightful to behold. Somehow we’ve gone over halfway through the decade without a name, and the sun still burns, birds still fly, and the world still turns.
It’s easy enough to call it the current decade.
I’ll probably end up calling it the first decade of this century.
I wonder if there will end up being some sort of conventional consensus on this question.
The Bush years. Not my preference, but that does seem to cover it.
I doubt it. They’re still busy finding a term for “steady live-in sexual partner I won’t marry anytime soon”.
I’ve always been a fan of “the naughts,” but I can’t bring myself to actually use the term seriously in writing or conversation.
Heinlein’s term “The Crazy Years” come to mind.
Perhaps the answer is to never mention this decade again. Pretend it never happened. 
Fortunately the Bush years will end before the decade does so this may not be the best option.
By and large, I’ve heard ‘The Oughts’ used in the media by radio and television newscasters.
A no effort president, a big Zero, no need to add “The Bush years” to it, it is redundant.
Nothin’ from nothin’ leaves nothin’
The Oughts - ought not to have elected Bush, ought not to have started a war in Iraq, ought to have done something about the environment, ought to forget the whole damned decade and start over.
Other nominations:
The Big Nadas
The Decade of Zilch
The Haliburton Years
I don’t think the decade would get too mad at us if we decided to call it Maurice.
(Serious note: What terms were used to identify the first decade of the twentieth century?)
According to Uncle Cecil’s 1996 column, What did people in the 1900s call the decade in which they lived? there was no standard identification. Just like today. So the same problem will likely arise 100 years from now, and this generation will be of no help in providing guidance. Sorry, people of the future–you are on your own!
The “Naughties” ?
I call it “The Zeros”.
Will we call the next decade (2010-2019) the Teens?
[sub]Would be better than “the years when oil got really expensive” or “the years we ran out of drinking water” or “the years of rising seas”…[/sub]
You never know–isn’t there talk of running Jeb in 2008?
You! Out!
Out of the thread NOW!
Don’t you dare come back in with filthy language like that!