Sometimes I wonder; do we love the 80s so much because there hasn't been a decade like it since, or would we have loved them all the same anyhow?
Growing up; you had an idea that there was a lot of cool stuff around entertainment wise: movies, music, video games etc but depending on your age, you just focused on one particular aspect more than others (e.g. toys and cartoons). You took as a given that one year could have as many great movies as the year of 1984.
Even when 'Top Gun' (1986) came out (no innuendo intended) you knew it was kinda cool, but it was on the peripherals in some way. It was one for the ladies, that was gradually accepted as one of the defining films of the decade.
Were you aware, at the time, of how good the daecade was, or did it dawn on you much later?
Posted by johnny76 (Member # 8174) on :
In all honesty it just seems like the whole world turned to crap after the 80's ( maybe its just me ). Lookin back though, it was when I was growin up and it seems now that I took everything for granted thinkin it was always gonna be that good no matter what year it was. So no, I was definetely not aware at the time how good the 80's were, which is why we are all on this website tryin to maybe re-live at least a little of the the nostalgia of it. And yes, I fear there will never be another decade like it. Man I miss those days ! We make the best out of our current days but damn, there was nothin like THOSE days ! johnny
Posted by jdocster McFly you Irish bug (Member # 5752) on :
Well said...
The 80s were "magical" to those of us who grew up in that time. Most of us didn't know how good we had it. Just like the 50s, 60s, 70s etc, the 80s had its own "feel"; its own style, language, sounds, and, luckily for us, much of this is captured in movies from that time. Really, the 80s was the last free/safe/happy and yes it's all about me decade. The 90s where dark and foreboding compared to the 80s. Grunge took over and we all had to grow up...
- jdocster
Posted by kevdugp73 (Member # 5978) on :
I love the 80's so much because it was a time when I was young and had little to worry about...all day movie marathons with no worries about going to work or looking after kids or paying bills...mind you, my parents were worrying about that stuff...but I didn't know. I was born in 73' so during my favorite years of the 80's (81-84) I was 8, 9, 10, 11 years old. I always wondered...did "older" people enjoy the 80's like us kids...you know....16 years old to 30? And...do people who were 8-11 years old in the 90's feel this was the best decade...and so on. * Sure wish I had a time machine for a day or two to experience them memories one more time...
Posted by JAY LEE (Member # 6345) on :
The 80's were indeed a special and magical decade on its own. But any decade defining your childhood and youth is probably bound to feel that way in retrospect!
Im sure people born in other decades feel the same way!
Yes we took it for granted, we were kids! But if I could build a time machine, I would go back and grab my chubby little self and scream at the top of my lunges.... "ENJOY IT NOW!!!!!!!! ONE DAY THIS WILL ALL BE GONE!!!!!!
Of course, meeting ones past self, would no doubt disrupt the space/time continium, but hey.... that's another story!
Posted by journey (Member # 7316) on :
I think there are objective and subjective realities at work. The subjective elements have a lot to do with the fact that for most of us the '80s represent our youth and therefore a simpler, more fun time in our lives. For my father, the late '50s/early '60s (the American Graffiti era) would be his "magical time". For my mother, who is a few years younger, it's the late '60s/early '70s hippie days. For kids who were born in the '90s, it's probably right now.
But there are objective reasons why the '80s were special as well. It's pretty hard to deny the volume of films and music that are regarded as classics that that decade produced. Certain genres of music and film which were commonplace in the '80s are all but dead today. Technology has led to a lot of fragmentation in television, where between the internet and 500 specialized channels we are all watching a wider array of programs and therefore there are far less television "events" aside from horrible real-life tragedies that we'd rather forget. And while the Cold War might have been in the back of everyone's mind, we had actual wars in preceeding decades, and an on-going one (or two depending upon how you view things) right now. Also, the '80s were a prosperous decade bookended by poorer ones. The 70's brought us rampant inflation, 2 oil crises, economic slowdown, and Japan replacing us as the world's largest economy. The 90's started out in an ecomonic boom, but ended with the dot com implosions and all the corporate fraud (Enron, Worldcom, etc.) leading into the recession we face today.
Posted by johnny76 (Member # 8174) on :
Just wanna say ^ These are all great posts ! Keep em comin.
Posted by jimpickens (Member # 5801) on :
I loved that decade it was a good although not perfect decade where it was still okay to be a man and to speak your mind. As a child in the 70s all I have to say is I might have enjoyed it a little better if I were a young adult particularly the mid and late 70s but as a preteen I couldn't make heads or tales of it. The 90s that whole decade was a washout although the early 90s were okay the rest of the decade was a joke you couldn't speak you mind without some Clinton pc retard shouting you down or chastising you or treating you like an outcast, go to any event or have a night on the town without some hoodlum starting trouble. Yes sir things were good in the 80s then we entered the girlie-man decade and hadn't quite yet recovered.
Posted by bandit (Member # 6296) on :
I agree with JAY LEE and journey.My mom sure has a thing for the late 50's/early 60's.Maybe it's just me,but i feel the 80's was the last "innocent" decade in some way.Yes,we had to worry a bit about Madonna maybe and the cold war etc..Then the 90's and Internet came along..
Jay LEE: ", I would go back and grab my chubby little self and scream at the top of my lunges.... "ENJOY IT NOW!!!!!!!! ONE DAY THIS WILL ALL BE GONE!!!!!!"
That sounds like a pretty accurate summary to me Posted by logan5 (Member # 1467) on :
Objectively speaking, I can see how the latge 50's/early 60's would've been a good time to be young (especially in the US): The birth of teenage culture, Rock 'n' Roll, TV as something new, a sense of national confidence and pride.
I agree that the 80's was the last 'innocent' age: The Russians were the bad guys; TV went off-air at a certain time, and there was little offensive on it; hysteria of certain crimes was less prevalent because we weren't in a hyped-up multimedia age. It also had its share of innovations: Home videos, home computers, synth pop, etc.
What the 90's gave us was the internet. Which pretty much killed the ability to create in a vacuum. The music and fashions of the UK from the late 70's through the 80's came about purely because the culture wasn't linked to anywhere else - any outside influences created 'flavour' rather than direct dominance. Now, the culture of... for example; 'Hungary' is connected to the world, and anything 'good' or 'new' would be exported and repeated the world over before it ever had the chance to fully develop. It's also why Hip-Hop with its lifestyle-as-music is the most popular music form right now. It's no coincidence that some of the biggest Hip-Hop 'tunes' have actually just lifted the most catchy part from someone else's song. ("Have you read my new book? It's basically the best bits from 'Pride & Prejudice' with a couple of new chapters by me and a much cooler cover. It's great.")
When F.u.kuyama talked about the end of history, he didn't know how right he was. The internet was the full stop. Which is exactly why we can all come here comfortably talking about a long-passed decade and the pop-culture it produced and not feel like freaks! It was social death doing that in the 80's and 90's.
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and the cold war etc..Then the 90's and Internet came along..![[Karate Kid]](graemlins/kkcirc.gif)