Hasn't it always been like this?
No. It has't been always like this. The turning point was the disintegration of the USSR. The Soviets neutralized any threats posed by the US and vice-versa. Right now the US is the sole super power. And that is bad news for the US citizens, as well as for other people.
I think the 80s-90's were still pretty cool, the golden age actually.
Things got fucked up upside down right after the millennium 2000 and onwards, in every way imaginable. Its like it was kind of calculated to begin on the 21st century