61–70 of 72 posts
Bloody awful in the UK, living under Thatcher and the streets awash with yuppies -- you're welcome to it.
You know the fear of nuclear war that the younger folk have been experiencing for the first time the last few weeks. It was like that. Constantly. Sure, video games and MTV were new and fun. Computers were new. But aside from that, it was different decade with different styles, but the day-to-day life was the same. Go to school, hang out with friends, have dinner with family, maybe watch a little mork & mindy on chan…
Here is what it felt like for a brief moment in 1991, our national victory lap for the triumph of the 80s: https://youtu.be/eng4OTDqtoM
I was born in 1967.. so I remember the 80's very well. First, let me say that it wasn't all great: AIDS was pretty scary (as someone else noted).. no one knew what the hell that was and it was killing a lot of people. There was also the ever-present spectre of nuclear war with Russia...Iran-Contra, 1987 stock market crash.. However, to your point, there was no exhausting news cycle, no exhausting bullshit social medi…
Hey, fellow 67’er. My graduation class chose Alphaville’s “Forever Young” as its commencement song. Yah, the one that starts off > Let's dance in style, let's dance for a while > Heaven can wait, we're only watching the skies > Hoping for the best but expecting the worst > Are you gonna drop the bomb or not? I think that that musical choice perfectly encapsulates what it was to grow up as Gen X.
You know the fear of nuclear war that the younger folk have been experiencing for the first time the last few weeks. It was like that. Constantly. Sure, video games and MTV were new and fun. Computers were new. But aside from that, it was different decade with different styles, but the day-to-day life was the same. Go to school, hang out with friends, have dinner with family, maybe watch a little mork & mindy on chan…
Brezhnev was in full control by 1978 and passing power to Gorbachev. The direct saber rattling was pretty much over by that point, and the Soviet-Afghan war had distracted them from all intentions of direct conflict with the West. The Olympic protests were symbolism of a socioeconomic difference that had taken the place of a military standoff. SALT II was ratified, and basically everybody understood the concept of MA…
Was born in 1973 and grew up in the Redwoods of Northern California, near what would eventually become Silicon Valley. In that place and time, the 80's were mostly a very fun and exciting bunch of years to be a child, with the crazy hippie 60's/70's mentality of the adults crossing over into a new "cleaner" era of exploding fresh technology and intelligent comic vision. Records became cassettes. Being able to record…
>The environment was less toxic and people were far less paranoid in general. The Satanic Panic or moral crusades about horror movies like Poltergiest had no bearing on your life? >The 80's officially died in a wave of hip-hop, rap, awful "butt rock," bad films, Why do you think those music genres killed the '80s? >and a sudden appreciation for general stupidity. Is this in reference to the Simpsons or something else…
Being a child at the time certainly biased my opinion and experience, as well as my particular living location. Probably didn't really notice or care about already established cultural trends until older. It's easy to grow attached to our specific "generation" and have a hard time accepting change.
Growing up in country towns with plenty of friends around was a blast and kept us away from screens much of the time. Wishing all children could experience a more natural youth with direct contact with plants and animals. It's some of the best education possible and provides a deeper perspective of all things human, technological, or political.
We are simply "smart monkeys" after all, aren't we?
Given this is Hacker News… it was a magical time for technology. Yes it helped I was ages 5-15 for that period. Computers were just coming into the general population and that was a mind blowing thing. At the same time, the pre-mass internet era meant that our brains were our own. Concentration and space to think weren’t yet deprecated features. Other than that it had the same ups and downs as any other time.
Earlier quoted context omitted.
>The environment was less toxic and people were far less paranoid in general. The Satanic Panic or moral crusades about horror movies like Poltergiest had no bearing on your life? >The 80's officially died in a wave of hip-hop, rap, awful "butt rock," bad films, Why do you think those music genres killed the '80s? >and a sudden appreciation for general stupidity. Is this in reference to the Simpsons or something else…
All of your points are valid. Being a child at the time certainly biased my opinion and experience, as well as my particular living location. Probably didn't really notice or care about already established cultural trends until older. It's easy to grow attached to our specific "generation" and have a hard time accepting change. Growing up in country towns with plenty of friends around was a blast and kept us away fro…
Given this is Hacker News… it was a magical time for technology. Yes it helped I was ages 5-15 for that period. Computers were just coming into the general population and that was a mind blowing thing. At the same time, the pre-mass internet era meant that our brains were our own. Concentration and space to think weren’t yet deprecated features. Other than that it had the same ups and downs as any other time.
Byte magazine was amazing. 200-300+ pages delivered every month, in depth technical articles on software, hardware, reviews, news, mail order... I miss those days!